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So, as promised I took some photos of this morning's last-bit-of-Summer project before I have to be at work again starting tomorrow. As you can see, the composter was quite scuzzy. I was pleased to see that the compost had condensed down, but once I opened it up, I was a little sad. A few things.
1. Too much pine straw. I think the acid level was raised too much by having too much pinestraw in my grass clippings. The bulk of the undigested material is eggshells and pinestraw. Eggshells I don't mind because they aren't really expected to disintegrate, but the pinestraw was not what I'd hoped for.....I was looking for an earthy substance.
2. The material was so compacted that I don't think proper aeration took place. This is my fault. I haven't turned it over since about November 2007, though it may have been in March 2008...I just remember that it was chilly but not cold. I need to turn this thing over every 4-5 months, and more often in the Summer. Dang. The bottom was like a solid mass and took forever to dig out of the bottom lidplate.
3. The composter itself is in good shape. We cleaned it up and it's held up with no obvious weaknesses or signs of fatigue in the plastic (made from 100% recycled plastic too). The wingnuts and bolts that hold it together had rusted. I took a wire brush and cleaned them up as best I could, and then COATED them (see photo) in hard bearing grease. While I know that this isn't going to last, if I actually follow-through on my turning schedule, I should be able to go a couple more years without making the trip to ACE to buy new ones. A little WD-40 today, a pair of needle-nose pliers and some channel locks and they came off without too much elbow grease.
4. There was no foul smell, which is good. If I had turned it over, I think even the corn cobs, roots, and pork bones would've been digested.
5. If I had the money, or were recommending a composter to someone, I'd say be sure to buy the kind with a turn handle that allows you to turn them over daily/weekly/as you like. It's a lot better quality compost at the end, and a lot less heavy blister-making work than the one I own. These, on the higher end, often have a spout where you can collect the compost juice too, which is a highly concentrated liquid fertilizer. Mine just lets this seep into the ground beneath it.
6. No signs of vermin with this composter. The openings do not allow for roaches to enter. The only bugs I found were worms and the ubiquitous and desired fly maggots.
7. The material was wet inside, even though it's been dry, so the lack of digestion wasn't from a lack of moisture.
8. If you're still reading, thanks for caring.
1. Too much pine straw. I think the acid level was raised too much by having too much pinestraw in my grass clippings. The bulk of the undigested material is eggshells and pinestraw. Eggshells I don't mind because they aren't really expected to disintegrate, but the pinestraw was not what I'd hoped for.....I was looking for an earthy substance.
2. The material was so compacted that I don't think proper aeration took place. This is my fault. I haven't turned it over since about November 2007, though it may have been in March 2008...I just remember that it was chilly but not cold. I need to turn this thing over every 4-5 months, and more often in the Summer. Dang. The bottom was like a solid mass and took forever to dig out of the bottom lidplate.
3. The composter itself is in good shape. We cleaned it up and it's held up with no obvious weaknesses or signs of fatigue in the plastic (made from 100% recycled plastic too). The wingnuts and bolts that hold it together had rusted. I took a wire brush and cleaned them up as best I could, and then COATED them (see photo) in hard bearing grease. While I know that this isn't going to last, if I actually follow-through on my turning schedule, I should be able to go a couple more years without making the trip to ACE to buy new ones. A little WD-40 today, a pair of needle-nose pliers and some channel locks and they came off without too much elbow grease.
4. There was no foul smell, which is good. If I had turned it over, I think even the corn cobs, roots, and pork bones would've been digested.
5. If I had the money, or were recommending a composter to someone, I'd say be sure to buy the kind with a turn handle that allows you to turn them over daily/weekly/as you like. It's a lot better quality compost at the end, and a lot less heavy blister-making work than the one I own. These, on the higher end, often have a spout where you can collect the compost juice too, which is a highly concentrated liquid fertilizer. Mine just lets this seep into the ground beneath it.
6. No signs of vermin with this composter. The openings do not allow for roaches to enter. The only bugs I found were worms and the ubiquitous and desired fly maggots.
7. The material was wet inside, even though it's been dry, so the lack of digestion wasn't from a lack of moisture.
8. If you're still reading, thanks for caring.
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