Extreme Composting

TxMex · #**3281** 04/09/14, 11:16 PM

Anybody have any experience with composting poison oak? I think some got mixed in today.....

Forerunner · #**3282** 04/10/14, 10:10 PM

You put poison oak in your compost pile ?!!

I recommend Calamine™ lotion....... Your microbes will thank you......as soon as they finish scratching......

COWS · #**3283** 04/14/14, 06:49 AM

Eventually poison ivy will decay. I suggest doing minimum turning with a long handled shovel or fork and covering it soon and leave it for nature to take its course. When you use it again use a long handled shovel.

COWS

bja105 · #**3284** 04/16/14, 11:58 AM

I have decided that I need either a dump truck or a dump trailer for my composting. I can't find many used dump trailers, and I can buy a very used dump truck for the price of a new dump trailer. I am leaning toward a dump truck.

Is there anything special to look for or avoid?
Thanks

Forerunner · #**3285** 04/16/14, 03:51 PM

Dump truck.

Hmmm.

Diesel is your friend.

A little old single axle International with a DT466 would be killer.

Were you thinking heavy duty or more something along the lines of one ton dually ?

bja105 · #**3286** 04/16/14, 06:59 PM

I am thinking one ton dually. Should I be thinking bigger? I know I can fix the one ton, never worked on anything big. Plus, the one ton seems easier to maneuver in my sawmills.

I have my cousin the used car dealer looking at the auctions. As usual he said "you should have told me last week, I just saw one go for peanuts."

I will be loading it with this.

Extreme Composting-imageuploadedbyhomesteading-today1397692771.941834.jpg

Forerunner · #**3287** 04/16/14, 07:05 PM

A solid one ton dually, with dump, will be like ten three quarter tons driven by men with pitch forks to load and unload.....maybe more like 20

I'd still look for a good diesel tonner....

Oswego · #**3288** 04/17/14, 04:48 PM

I would think the taxes, tag and insurance on a truck vs trailer would convince me to keep looking for a trailer

DEKE01 · #**3289** 04/17/14, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oswego

I would think the taxes, tag and insurance on a truck vs trailer would convince me to keep looking for a trailer

Agreed. I wanted a full size dump truck but there was no way I could justify the upkeep.

myheaven · #**3290** 04/17/14, 06:22 PM

Just received a letter from the power company. They will be taking down trees in our area. I squealed with glee. More mulch! Going to call the number for questions and see if they will drop all the chips an wood here?! Can't hurt to ask!

elkhound · #**3291** 04/17/14, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myheaven

Just received a letter from the power company. They will be taking down trees in our area. I squealed with glee. More mulch! Going to call the number for questions and see if they will drop all the chips an wood here?! Can't hurt to ask!

mtn dew dropped off at job site on hot days really helps....

Studhauler · #**3292** 04/17/14, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myheaven

Just received a letter from the power company. They will be taking down trees in our area. I squealed with glee. More mulch! Going to call the number for questions and see if they will drop all the chips an wood here?! Can't hurt to ask!

As Elkhound has mentioned, I have also found that going directly to the workers, and bypassing the office gets the results you are looking for.

dlskidmore · #**3293** 04/17/14, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Studhauler

As Elkhound has mentioned, I have also found that going directly to the workers, and bypassing the office gets the results you are looking for.

I've had the reverse work as well. For my Girl Scout Gold award project I'd talked to the highway department superintendent about sending out men to pick up the trash after the cleanup. We didn't get a ton of volunteers, and there was some special trash day for the town, so we figured we'd save the men the effort and bring in the trash ourselves. The men tried to charge us to take it, and so I just told Dad to put everything back in the van and we'd call the superintendent to send some a crew out to pick it up as originally planned. Suddenly those men decided of course no there was no charge for a Girl Scout service project.

myheaven · #**3294** 04/18/14, 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elkhound

mtn dew dropped off at job site on hot days really helps....

Well here it's going to be hot cocoa and coffee. It's just blasted cold. Trust me if I can find the crew. I will be asking and giving drinks and snacks. I have done this before.

crabtree · #**3295** 04/21/14, 05:54 PM

I use gypsum with my magnesium & coffee chaff.
Never had a problem, I read a lot of you can not or should not,about things farmer & gardener have done for years.
So I think the context & type of soil, the amount of each mineral is left out of the text sometime make things seem the same when they are not.

elkhound · #**3296** 04/27/14, 01:08 AM

a rotted pile

jnkgal · #**3297** 04/27/14, 10:44 AM

This is my favorite in this forum. its still growing since I have been here last

calfisher · #**3298** 04/27/14, 10:56 AM

Compost pile screened off, spread out about 10 inches deep and ready to plant. I use the fines to build a base around new plantings. Those tomatoes are about 9 ft tall and over wintered from last year. Its going to be a great garden this year.

myheaven · #**3299** 04/27/14, 10:10 PM

I have to get pictures of my piles. We combine the two that are done. Started a new one. Biggest one yet. Dh is really getting into it. I have to show my garden soil before and after pictures. I just have to find the time.

gimpyrancher · #**3300** 04/27/14, 11:35 PM

I recently bought a John Deere 210LE tractor. It's a 75HP 4x4 skip loader with a very strong box scraper. Also bought a 14' 14K gooseneck hydraulic dump trailer about 6 months ago. I found an ad on Craigslist last week for free horse manure at a horse farm. So this weekend I hauled 9 loads (about 60 cu yards of manure to my place. I have a few small mountains of very nice mostly fresh hot horse manure. Now I get to start making my light grey dust into a more organic based soil.

Since reading through this entire subject, I have been dreaming of a large compost pile. Now I have to get to work and stack the 9 loads into one giant mound and let it cook.

I am so excited to get working on cleaning up an overgrown property, mostly small trees and dead fall and creating a park like setting for us.

As soon as practical, I promise some pictures. I hope to have more to share in the coming weeks. Well, not that soon. I have to wait for my daughter to finish this semester at college and she'll be leaving home to live on campus at the university (SOU) and then we'll be able to get to our property 4-5 times a week after she moves out. Then the fun really gets going.