Compost pile

Weeds make excellent compost, and yes, you do risk seed germination later, but who cares? If you care for your garden, it's no big deal to pick a few weeds, and proper mulching prevents most of them anyways.
Dandelions are a particular risk, as the yellow heads will perk up and send off the seeds even after being picked, so make sure you put some grass clippings or older compost over them to keep them from blowing all over your lawn.

 

Sorry! Guess it depends on the weeds in question.
The weeds I pull aren't a problem in the compost pile. Most seeds are killed by the heat. Those that survive and are in the compost can't get up through the garden mulch where the compost is used. Those that do are much fewer in number than the new weeds that arrived via normal weed seed dispersal from neighbor's yard and the like.

 

Most of the weeds that I have are shallow carpet type weeds. I have a rather large garden that has weed stop and then stone on top. The weeds that actually do get in there are able to root in the stone dust and are easy to pull out. Just been a little too busy this summer to keep up with them so there is a lot.

I'm not too concerned with the seeds getting everywhere, except maybe in transport to the bin in the backyard. But the weeds have been particularly present this year. I read due to more CO2 in the air, but I think the neighbors have slacked a bit on their weed control, and I'm seeing the end result. <_<

Thanks! I'll just stuff 'em right in!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SSimon @ Aug 29 2007, 02:21 PM) [snapback]503861[/snapback]</div>

Good job! I just looked this thread over quickly, and have just this to add:

We have been composting for many years...using essentially the 'let it rot' unscientific process. But one thing that changed our compost for the better was plenty of carbon - that is brown stuff. newsprint would qualify, I think. Leaves are the easiest to find (fall leaves). Coffee grounds are great too...and you can bulk up at the local coffee shop if they will put them in a bucket for you. Filters can go right in, too!

http://www.compostinfo.com/cn/index.htm is a fun way to see how it can work.

Jim

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SSimon @ Aug 29 2007, 02:21 PM) [snapback]503861[/snapback]</div>

Good on you for ordering it and having so much enthusiasm. Lots of advice on weeds - I would just like to add that not all weeds are created equal. Some are much harder to get rid of once you have them and once a weed gone to seed it may spread through germination. To add weeds to compost or not - it depends on what weed, also how hot will your compost get. Will the heat kill the weeds / seeds. Some weeds are so bad that it's not for any compost and the advise is to just bag them. Having said that most garden waste can be put in there.

Fall is just around the corner and your fallen leaves are great (carbon) for your compost. If you can shred them the broken down leaves will break down that much faster. You can break them down by using a leaf shredder/vacuum or just run over the pile of leaves with your lawnmower. If you have lots of them save some on the side and layer it on your compost with time.

After every 6 inches in your bin you may want to layer in some soil this will add micro organism to speed up the process.

Good luck
Gabe

 

UC Davis has a wonderful composting program here called Project Compost that is student run. Several times a year they have a vermicomposting workshop for the invited public, and I attended one earlier this spring and started my own worm bin. UC Davis now collects all their compostable material from the cafeterias and sends it to a plant in a nearby town, resulting in a drastic reduction in the number of garbage trucks going to the dump... something like 55 trips per week cut down to like 10 (I don't remember the exact numbers, but it was incredible) just by removing the compostable waste from the trash. Imagine the impact we could have if every restaurant, grocery store, and other high-vegetation waste producer in our town did the same...

My worm bin has been going since early spring and it's doing wonderfully. As long as you have set up the worms with good bedding and comfortable oxygenated, dark and moist environment, they are happy. You have to have the correct worms to vermicompost... putting regular earth worms into the bin will just result in 'escapees' as earth worms need a different type of environment than red worms (one of the types used for vermicomposting). So, don't worry about the worms getting out of the bin.

Also, don't worry about the worms overproducing. They will reach an equilibrium based on the size of their bin, and when their population reaches its maximum, they will maintain that all by themselves.

I used to put my kitchen waste in a black bin outside, but the fly problem was horrible. Now I put all of my kitchen waste in my vermicompost bin (which I keep inside). I did have a learning curve to figure out how to keep that bin without fruitflies, but the key was maintaining the correct bedding, not allowing airholes to be too large (so that the flies can get in and out), and not allowing the bin to be too moist. The stackable vermicompost trays are good, but I would not use them if I was going to put ANY fruit waste into them at all, as these will allow fruitflies en masse. The bin I use now (which is what the ProjectCompost group suggests) is a regular Rubbermaid bin (I think it's 18 gallons, but you can also use a smaller 10 gallon one), drill to add air holes, add bedding, worms and food. You only need a pound of worms to get started, and once your vermicompost bin is thriving, you can share your worms to start other bins (or give to family members... imagine that... Happy Birthday, Aunt Sue, look what I got for you :lol: ).

My outside compost is now only regular green and brown plant materials, which I keep in a pile covered with a tarp. Several times throughout the year I turn this pile and add moisture (it's so hot and dry here in the summer). No weeds for this pile. Every time I turn it, I'm amazed how much it's shrunk.

I tried the tumbler bin... I think it's just too dry here for that to work properly. I only succeeded in creating extra dry material, not compost at all. I guess I should have been watering it a lot more than I did (I was watering about once a week).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriuStorm @ Sep 15 2007, 06:43 PM) [snapback]513131[/snapback]</div>

you're correct - namely you need red wigglers for vermicompost

 

That makes a lot of sense SSimon.

Not that you are likely to find DDT in your local produce but we all know how that breaks down into DDE but that is about it for quite some time. It wouldn't be a huge leap of intellect to assume there are other chemicals used in the agricultural process that will not break down in the compost bin. I'll see if I can remember to ask some of my professors next week.

 

SSimon,
One might wonder why you aren't supporting your local farmers, or buying organic to begin with since you're planning on growing organic... :wink:

That'd take care of your concern right there...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SSimon @ Nov 25 2007, 11:20 AM) [snapback]543939[/snapback]</div>

I just noticed where you're from, so I apologize... I think your initial reaction above is probably right on, that it'll break down. Since you eat the conventional fruits and veggies anyway, don't you think much of the questionable chemicals will be washed off prior to your own consumption? I vermicompost as well, so if unsure, you could always feed those portions to the worms who do a most excellent job. Good luck with your organic gardening project!