Making your own soil.

obxgardener · 04-16-2009, 07:17 PM

I was just wondering if there were any threads already dedicated to composting...

I've been using soil made out of our kitchen scraps, lawn clippings, & waste paper with great results, plus I don't contribute as much to a landfill. Worms & other organisms turn it into nice organic soil. Save money and the earth at the same time...

Ms.Fox · 04-16-2009, 09:19 PM

I can't seem to find an exact thread on mixes. Making your own compost is a great thing!

l8tnightskunk · 04-17-2009, 01:05 AM

You know that is a good thing everytime i see something im lack could that be a good fert for plants for example my friend has some chickens i was like that could be good, or cow patties, the plants own dead leafs, stuff like that. i didnt want to admit this but i tried feeding my plants diluted big red and they took it in real good! no show of them not liking it or anything!

obxgardener · 04-17-2009, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l8tnightskunk

You know that is a good thing everytime i see something im lack could that be a good fert for plants for example my friend has some chickens i was like that could be good, or cow patties, the plants own dead leafs, stuff like that. i didnt want to admit this but i tried feeding my plants diluted big red and they took it in real good! no show of them not liking it or anything!

It's amazing how many nutrients we throw away just because they need a little time to become soil.

I wonder if I should start another thread with composting tips... maybe I'll just start here with what I do:

How to Compost
First, get a small cooler with a tight fitting lid and keep it in the kitchen.

Throw any kitchen scraps, bits of paper, coffee grounds (awesome for plants), tea bags, plant trimmings... almost anything besides bones, meat, and dairy.

Adding shredded paper will help control any smell, as will a tight fitting lid.

I dump mine outside about once a week. I have an area in my outside garden, about 3'x6', that I've designated this years compost bin, but you can use almost anything... big trash can with holes, hole in the ground, chicken wire or boards to form a pen... it all works.

The key to composting is the "brown" to "green" ratio - try to add two parts "brown" material to one part "green"

"Brown" is just like it sounds - shredded paper & cardboard, dry leaves, old grass clippings, chopped up twigs... anything organic but not green.

"Green" is fresh lawn clippings, green leaves, weeds, fresh garden scraps...

After dumping the fresh scraps, layer in some "brown" material, then cover it with earth or grass clippings. Keep layering brown, green, brown, green...

By keeping a ratio of about two to one, brown to green, your pile will decompose rapidly without smelling. If it starts to stink like manure, add more brown, and turn the pile over with a pitchfork.

If you use a garbage can with holes in it to compost, just add some dirt on top of your brown and green to get the needed bacteria and bugs started.

You can even compost inside with worms... just add some worms to a bin with the brown and green materials, punch a bunch of holes around the top, and keep plenty of shredded paper in it to absorb extra moisture... but don't let it dry out either.

You'll know when the compost is done once it becomes dark and sweet smelling. I "harvest" my compost by shaking it through a 1/4" mesh screen into a tub, that way the big brown bits that have not composted yet stay in the pile.

Mix with regular soil, peat, perlite, or even just straight up if it's not too strong... you'll be amazed at how well plants grow in it.

Possible problems:
The two main downsides are weed seeds and diseases.

If you put diseased plants or weed seeds in your pile, you must make sure your pile heats up enough to kill the seeds & diseases... a 3'x3' properly layered pile will heat up enough to do this, but it's not guaranteed... so keep a thermometer handy to make sure the inside of the pile gets to 140 degrees before you use the soil in a sensitive application. You can also sterilize the soil prior to use by microwaving it until it steams.

Frog · 04-17-2009, 10:37 AM

I'm always making dirt.
2 acres of oak trees,
takes me all winter to get the leafs rounded up.

Ms.Fox · 04-17-2009, 11:27 AM

Great info obxgardener! Thank you!

l8tnightskunk · 04-17-2009, 10:18 PM

Yes i agree nice info! looks like your on the way to becoming a soil expert!

obxgardener · 04-18-2009, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l8tnightskunk

Yes i agree nice info! looks like your on the way to becoming a soil expert!

Thanks L8tnight, there's plenty I don't know, as I've only been composting for a year, but it's amazing how much more fertile it makes soil.

If there are any other composters out there that would like to add info I've left out, please do... I'd be happy to compile it into a more coherant guide.

Save money, save the earth, and get good soil for growing your own... what's not to like?

NPKHOUND · 04-19-2009, 12:58 AM

I got the 5 tray worm composting system off eBay. I am feeding it coffee grounds and eggshells mostly, also leaves and others that I grind up in a magic bullet. I add that to coca coir brick. In 15 days I have noticed the "coir" in the worm bin is a black dirt while the unused coir I have waiting to go in the bin is a light brown. The casting smells great. I will have a tray a month, supposedly.

I made a diy one first, but it was outside and I went through a lot of unground kitchen wast in their. I got fruit flies, and it is taking months to go through it. I am suggesting that for a scientific garden like mj we all grind our worm waste. As for reg compost I am doing that in a 5 gallon bucket I repeatedly dump to another bucket. It is going, I think, but slowly. It is something to put my hand inside and feel the heat.

I suggest starting your 5 tray compost system with 2000 worms for aorind 40 dollars with shipping. They will grow.

l8tnightskunk · 04-19-2009, 03:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by obxgardener

Save money, save the earth, and get good soil for growing your own... what's not to like?

That sounds like an ad for your future homemade soil lol

obxgardener · 04-19-2009, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NPKHOUND

I got the 5 tray worm composting system off eBay. I am feeding it coffee grounds and eggshells mostly, also leaves and others that I grind up in a magic bullet. I add that to coca coir brick. In 15 days I have noticed the "coir" in the worm bin is a black dirt while the unused coir I have waiting to go in the bin is a light brown. The casting smells great. I will have a tray a month, supposedly.

I made a diy one first, but it was outside and I went through a lot of unground kitchen wast in their. I got fruit flies, and it is taking months to go through it. I am suggesting that for a scientific garden like mj we all grind our worm waste. As for reg compost I am doing that in a 5 gallon bucket I repeatedly dump to another bucket. It is going, I think, but slowly. It is something to put my hand inside and feel the heat.

I suggest starting your 5 tray compost system with 2000 worms for aorind 40 dollars with shipping. They will grow.

I might have to try that!

obxgardener · 04-19-2009, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l8tnightskunk

That sounds like an ad for your future homemade soil lol

But that's not all, call now and get FREE monogrammed rolling papers!

(just pay shipping and handling

)

Kash Krop · 04-19-2009, 03:45 PM

"You'll know when the compost is done once it becomes dark and sweet smelling. I "harvest" my compost by shaking it through a 1/4" mesh screen into a tub, that way the big brown bits that have not composted yet stay in the pile.

Mix with regular soil, peat, perlite, or even just straight up if it's not too strong... you'll be amazed at how well plants grow in it."

I also screen my compost using 1\4" hardware cloth in a wood frame over a wheel barrow.After screening I place it into 40 gallon plastic trash cans that are exposed to as much sunlight as possible with the lids on.This helps to finish the compost & any stray seeds will germ inside the cans.With no sunlight inside the can the sprouts die off there.
One month of this treatment usually does the trick.

obxgardener · 04-19-2009, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kash Krop

"You'll know when the compost is done once it becomes dark and sweet smelling. I "harvest" my compost by shaking it through a 1/4" mesh screen into a tub, that way the big brown bits that have not composted yet stay in the pile.

Mix with regular soil, peat, perlite, or even just straight up if it's not too strong... you'll be amazed at how well plants grow in it."

I also screen my compost using 1\4" hardware cloth in a wood frame over a wheel barrow.After screening I place it into 40 gallon plastic trash cans that are exposed to as much sunlight as possible with the lids on.This helps to finish the compost & any stray seeds will germ inside the cans.With no sunlight inside the can the sprouts die off there.
One month of this treatment usually does the trick.

Thats a good idea...

+rep