Comments on: What Our Finished Compost Looks Like http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/what-our-finished-compost-looks-like/ About finding balance in your life, connecting with who you are, and creating a lifestyle where you wake up each morning eagerly anticipating the day ahead. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:29:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: TobinK http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/what-our-finished-compost-looks-like/#comment-76488 TobinK http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/what-our-finished-compost-looks-like/#comment-76488 That's good looking compost. Unfortunately mine doesn't look like that. I think I need to start over perhaps and pay more attention to temperatures and what I put into the compost pile this time. That’s good looking compost. Unfortunately mine doesn’t look like that. I think I need to start over perhaps and pay more attention to temperatures and what I put into the compost pile this time.

]]> By: Shirley http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/what-our-finished-compost-looks-like/#comment-76489 Shirley http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/what-our-finished-compost-looks-like/#comment-76489 Bob, it sounds like the compost's temperature was too cold and that the compost materials were too wet. Bob, it sounds like the compost’s temperature was too cold and that the compost materials were too wet.

]]> By: Bob http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/what-our-finished-compost-looks-like/#comment-52995 Bob http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/what-our-finished-compost-looks-like/#comment-52995 I am not sure what I am doing wrong. Last year I started composting in a 36 gal black plastic garbage can and drill several 1" holes on all 4 sides. covered each hole with screening. I used grass clippings, coffee & tea grounds, vegetable and fruit skins, egg shell, and mulch fall leaves, and shredded paper. I kept everything damp. The outside was really cool and of course as winter set in it was cold. I still used household veggies, eggs and fruit. Now spring has sprung, i added more grass clippings. Couple days latter, it was cooking. After rotating the can a few times, the next it was cool again. Everything inside was overly damp. Now the results are large clumps or balls of black dirt. What happened ? I am not sure what I am doing wrong. Last year I started composting in
a 36 gal black plastic garbage can and drill several 1″ holes on all 4 sides.
covered each hole with screening. I used grass clippings, coffee & tea grounds,
vegetable and fruit skins, egg shell, and mulch fall leaves, and shredded paper.
I kept everything damp. The outside was really cool and of course as winter set
in it was cold. I still used household veggies, eggs and fruit. Now spring has
sprung, i added more grass clippings. Couple days latter, it was cooking.
After rotating the can a few times, the next it was cool again. Everything inside
was overly damp. Now the results are large clumps or balls of black dirt.

What happened ?

]]> By: Jo http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/what-our-finished-compost-looks-like/#comment-15362 Jo http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/what-our-finished-compost-looks-like/#comment-15362 Black gold! Looks like you struck it rich, Shirley. I didn't make compost this year because of the blight we had here in southern Maine and I don't want to use chemicals that would kill the blight but ruin the organic qualities of the mulch. The blight was brought into Maine by the big box stores selling seedlings contaminated with it. I am going to work with my representative to see if Maine can pass a law that would make selling foodcrop seedlings very restrictive. This blight is the same that caused the potato famine in Ireland. A very serious matter. I started all my seedlings indoors but the blight can travel up to 40 miles and needless to say I lost all my tomatoes. No stewed tomatoes this winter! So, I am going to try to turn this negative into a positive by writing about it locally and seeing what we as citizens of this fair state can do to prevent it in the future. I love the pictures of the mulch. I can almost smell it! To me it is perfume. Black gold! Looks like you struck it rich, Shirley.

I didn’t make compost this year because of the blight we had here in southern Maine and I don’t want to use chemicals that would kill the blight but ruin the organic qualities of the mulch. The blight was brought into Maine by the big box stores selling seedlings contaminated with it. I am going to work with my representative to see if Maine can pass a law that would make selling foodcrop seedlings very restrictive. This blight is the same that caused the potato famine in Ireland. A very serious matter.

I started all my seedlings indoors but the blight can travel up to 40 miles and needless to say I lost all my tomatoes. No stewed tomatoes this winter!
So, I am going to try to turn this negative into a positive by writing about it locally and seeing what we as citizens of this fair state can do to prevent it in the future.

I love the pictures of the mulch. I can almost smell it! To me it is perfume.

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