Last week, with the kind help of
vibrantabyss, I got the compost bins rebuilt with sod taken up from the new garden plot, stockpiled Winter kitchen scraps, last year's late season yard waste, and what few leaves I could dredge up from the corners of the yard (no trees here).
The material available filled both of our two 32-gallon garbage can composters.
Yesterday,
terse_scribe and I noticed that the volume had decreased in one of the bins, so I figured it was time for the first turning. Not surprisingly, the sunken bin was steaming in the middle. The other one was not, which is a little puzzling, since we filled both bins with the same sorts of stuff, and attempted to keep things even. Ah well.
Nonetheless, I dumped both bins into a single pile, and refilled them both with a pitchfork, alternating pitchforkfuls into each, and making sure that each got a nice dose of the high-steam parts. This should significantly improve the mix between the bins, and is probably how I'll turn it until it all compacts enough to fit into a single bin. Some of the stuff was a bit dry, so I added a bit of water (but cautiously...last year's bin was always too soggy). With any luck, this will get both bins steaming in short order.
The material available filled both of our two 32-gallon garbage can composters.
Yesterday,
Nonetheless, I dumped both bins into a single pile, and refilled them both with a pitchfork, alternating pitchforkfuls into each, and making sure that each got a nice dose of the high-steam parts. This should significantly improve the mix between the bins, and is probably how I'll turn it until it all compacts enough to fit into a single bin. Some of the stuff was a bit dry, so I added a bit of water (but cautiously...last year's bin was always too soggy). With any luck, this will get both bins steaming in short order.
Excellent!!
Date: 2009-04-02 02:58 pm (UTC)Hugs
Dove
Re: Excellent!!
Date: 2009-04-02 06:44 pm (UTC)The veggie garden is partially expanded, which may or may not be all it gets this year. The herb/perennial bed sure does need some work, however!
no subject
Date: 2009-04-02 03:20 pm (UTC)By the way, dear, if you want to get ahold of me quickly, LJ is the best way to do it. I regularly lag waaay behind on all my inboxes...yes, I know it's a shock...smiling
no subject
Date: 2009-04-02 06:46 pm (UTC)