[Singel]

I just wanted to turn the daily vegetable and fruit waste into garden compost.

How do I make compost without buying specially designed compost bin?

How do I help the veg & fruit waste breakdown at a faster rate?

Can I throw in the grass (collected from the lawn mower) into the veg & fruit waste?

I don't have tree, so there are no leaves.

What other wastes that can be compost?

Appreciate any tips or info.............. :roll :uhoh

:cheers

[Moorf]

Does your local council sell Bokashi? It's a really popular method here - the Council service centres sell it in Christchurch. I intend to get some once we've moved.....

Some info: http://www.ccc.govt.nz/Waste/Composting/EMComposting.asp

[jubjub]

Manukau do a Create your Own Eden programme

http://www.manukau.govt.nz/garden.htm

heres the info.

If I remember from my days as a kid in the countryside, my dad used to compost, you need to enclose it somehow to encourage warmth, and you can put all kitchen food waste, like potato peelings etc, and the grass/hedge cuttings. Dont think you can put any meat food scraps in it, cos that may encourage some four legged furry imposters.... I dont remember him putting anything in to help it along, but he may have done...

[Smiler]

Ivy

Yes you need to enclose the waste in a wooden structure or ready made bin. If you build a wooden square frame, say from 2x4 treated timber, you can cover it with a tarpaulin or thick compost bag weighted down to keep it dry. But keep open slats on a couple of the sides to let air in.

If you have woody stems like roses, chop them up small before adding to the compost. If you use lots of grass cuttings or leaves, turn the compost weekly other wise it can go slimy. Try not to put many twigs in.

Don't put any cooked kitchen waste on it, it encourages vermin too. If you put teabags in they break down fairly quickly.

In the UK there is something called Garotta (sp) which you can add and it is basically dried bacteria or fungus which speeds up the process. I don't know the NZ equivalent yet :uhoh

If you have room, have 2 or 3 small bins and they can all be at different stages ie when one is full, leave it, turn it regularly, and start a new one with the next lot of waste.
Hope this helps.

Deborah

[Carol]

We've got a worm bin.
It's great!

[driver]

I bought two green plastic tub like lighthouse shaped composters from the council over here, they have a removable lid. Was going to leave them but if I clean em up i could bring them with us. Hadn't thought of it thanks.

Someone once said that not to put too much grass in at once, sorry forgot the reason. I think it goes soggy very quickly. You can even put in eggshells. Anything that once lived i believe.

Grow some comfry, if you can get it thats a good accelerant. (spelling?)

[Moorf]

Here's a page with a HUGE list of things you can compost!! :D

http://www.plantea.com/compost-materials.htm

As Driver said, not too much grass - alot of people tend to use compost bins as grass bins - all this will do is leave you with a stinky slime which is no good for anything. Keep plenty of variation of ingredients and you'll be fine.

Oh, and my grandad used to swear by pee'ing on it!!

[Smiler]

Thank you Moorf I'd agonised over how to put that without offending/putting people off their dinner. :D

Peeing on it gives the heap nitrogen and uric acid :clap and pee contains other trace stuff and also dampens but not soaks the waste. Phew!

D

[Moorf]

Hmmm, now if I remember rightly my grandad said that women weren't to pee on it - not sure if that's something to do with the composition of ladies wee or if it's just a practicality (and aim) thang!

And don't you also need to wee on lemon trees to make the fruit grow better?? :o

[driver]

As you drive down the leafy streets of New Zealand and look into back gardens, you'll see immediately who are members on this forum!!!!!!!!!!

[Smiler]

found this here http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Outdoor-garden-conservatory/Other/auction-40263424.htm:D

[jubjub]

And don't you also need to wee on lemon trees to make the fruit grow better?? :o

http://bestsmileys.com/sick/9.gif, yuk, I make cakes with our lemons, our fruit grows just fine without any "extra" assistance.....

[tigerlily]

I don't know about the wee thing, but you do need to water your compost bin occasionally to make sure there is enough moisture for things to break down.

You can do the grass clippings, but let them dry out first. You do need some dry (brown) ingredients like dry leaves or dry grass to balance out the wet (green) ingredients like kitchen scraps. Yes! Egg shells are great (the tomatoes will be so happy for the calcium). Another favorite thing to compost is coffee grounds. A lot of places like Starbucks will give away used coffee grounds for free.

I compost in a bin made of chicken wire. I use a "cold" compost method, which means I don't bother to stir it all up every time I put in new stuff. If you really want compost fast that's what you do.

Good job for starting this project.

PS. I love the worm composters too, they are the easiest way!

[selchie]

I've found that if I have too much kitchen waste in my compost, it gets stinky and slimy - not enough oxygen, I think, so things go anaerobic. Perhaps you can get some leaves or other "brown matter" from a neighbor. Quite often these help hold pockets of air, as well as contribute carbon. Grass clippings are great for accelerating the process - they're rich in nitrogen, which is candy for the microbes. Mix it all up well, though. As mentioned above, a thick layer of grass clippings can either go slimy if too wet, or just mat up and get fuzzy with fungusy stuff. I pour my ammonia mop water on the heap - it adds nitrogen. I don't recommend ammonia that has additives, like detergent, though.

I've made cheapie bins out of sheep fencing (bent round) or 3-4 wooden pallets (box). Even an uncontained pile works, but not as well as keeping it together.

I had rotten luck with worm bins - except when my compost stopped cooking, and the worms moved in! I'll need lessons.

I used to hand-chop my garden prunings brfore composting - what a chore! I finally broke down and bought a chipper/shredder, and I am so happy. I'm currently on 0.35 acre, with lots of vegetation, so it's good for me. I hope I can take it apart and clean it well enough to satisfy MAF.

I was just reading that citrus trees are nitrogen hogs. Guess I need to give mine even more. Just don't pee directly on the foliage, or you're likely to burn it.

[Singel]

I know that this forum is a fountain of knowledge and a BIG THANKS to everyone who contribute :clap

My hubby and I have gone thru all the info that you have provided and we will start the composting project this weekends..............wahoo :raebanana

:cheers for your tips and suggestions.