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06/11/11, 10:32 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York City
Posts: 5,895
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Wheaton
Before I heard the word "permaculture" I referred to what I was doing as "full farm ecosystem: systems feeding systems feeding systems." And this lack of compost thing started happening before the p-word came along.
I had always done a lot of composting, so the idea that suddenly I had no compost made me think I was doing something wrong. But on further reflection, I thought the new path was better.
I made a podcast with Helen Atthowe, the most advanced composter I have ever met, and we talk about how her massive composting operation started to move in this direction. We also talked about many situations one might still want to make some compost. And we talked about folks that don't have a full farm, and composting, and how you don't need to buy anything to have an excellent compost pile. |
Peraculture has been around for 50 years, you had been doing your full farm eco system over 50 years ago? You dont compost anything at all? What do you do with all your egg shells? Are you using a compost toilet?
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06/11/11, 10:40 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Ohio
Posts: 17
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Gosh, we have so many people around us with herbivores we could compost all sorts of things that we normally wouldn't think of out here like cardboard that usually just goes into the trash. I like the idea of a paper shredder and I'm sure the neighbors have plenty of manure to get rid of.
I think with a little imagination I should be able to this on a small scale and still get plenty of compost for gardening. I just found a guy on CL that has 35gallon barrels and hopefully I can pick one up early next week and get it built.
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06/11/11, 10:52 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: South Central Wisconsin
Posts: 14,801
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I simply find it hard to believe that we could found anyone who is against composting but the Internet proves that the outré are out there! There's a sticky thread on this forum about composting and thus far it has 1,054 replies. That's the one which would reach the biggest audience for someone who claims composting is wrong.
Martin
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06/11/11, 11:00 AM
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Male
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York City
Posts: 5,895
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silk let me know how it comes out. i would think making the door would be the hardest part.
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06/11/11, 11:04 AM
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: missoula, montana
Posts: 1,407
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Quote:
Originally Posted by City Bound
Peraculture has been around for 50 years, you had been doing your full farm eco system over 50 years ago? You dont compost anything at all? What do you do with all your egg shells? Are you using a compost toilet?
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The word "permaculture" has been around for 40 years. The components of permaculture has been around much longer.
I did not hear the word permaculture until 2002.
Egg shells go to the pigs.
I am not using a composting toilet .... yet.
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06/11/11, 11:35 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Lake Station
Posts: 14,761
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I just have a bin which I take apart and turn every few weeks. Used to do it weekly but I just don't have that much time! It comes out a bit courser then I'd like it but I usually add the stuff to the garden in the fall to finish breaking down over winter since it's jsut gonna freeze in the bin anyway.
__________________
It's not that I don't like mankind, I just like nature a whole lot more.
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06/11/11, 01:08 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: PA- zone 5
Posts: 2,186
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I HATED the compost tumbler, about the only thing I ever used it for was making compost tea.
I have chickens so they have been allocated the job of turning it- they love to dig anyways so they are happy and I am too.
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06/11/11, 01:10 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: South Central Wisconsin
Posts: 14,801
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NickieL
I just have a bin which I take apart and turn every few weeks. Used to do it weekly but I just don't have that much time! It comes out a bit courser then I'd like it but I usually add the stuff to the garden in the fall to finish breaking down over winter since it's jsut gonna freeze in the bin anyway.
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The smaller the material is when it goes in, the quicker it will break down. The more surfaces which are exposed to the bacteria, the more bacteria can be supported. Oak leaves of one year may fall upon oak leaves of the previous year due to limited exposure to bacteria. When shredded, their existence may be measured in weeks. Composted material will continue to physically break down even in the winter when ice crystals form in the individual pieces.
Martin
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06/11/11, 01:16 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: South Central Wisconsin
Posts: 14,801
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Quote:
Originally Posted by laughaha
I HATED the compost tumbler, about the only thing I ever used it for was making compost tea.
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That is one of the better points which most overlook. That rich leachate which comes from some tumblers is lost into the ground under a normal compost pile. Some designs even have a recovery system built into them. Prior to modifying my tumbler, I always had gallons of that on hand. So strong that the dilution rate was 1 of that to 10 of water.
Martin
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06/11/11, 01:20 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: PA- zone 5
Posts: 2,186
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Paquebot
That is one of the better points which most overlook. That rich leachate which comes from some tumblers is lost into the ground under a normal compost pile. Some designs even have a recovery system built into them. Prior to modifying my tumbler, I always had gallons of that on hand. So strong that the dilution rate was 1 of that to 10 of water.
Martin
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GFIL had a tumbler- till her dog decided it wanted to lay under it and the "tea" burned the heck out of her skin (looked like a huge chemical burn). The tea that comes out is POTENT!
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06/11/11, 07:37 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: South Central Wisconsin
Posts: 14,801
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Not only is the leachate from a tumbler potent, the compost itself is richer than any farm animal can produce. And, doesn't need any pens or fences and no veterinarian bills.
Martin
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06/11/11, 08:23 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Ohio
Posts: 17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by City Bound
silk let me know how it comes out. i would think making the door would be the hardest part.
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I don't think it will be that bad. A jigsaw for cutting the rectangular opening, a simple piano hinge for attaching it back on, and some velcro on the remaining three edges to keep it closed. Once I have the opening flap loose I could edge the plastic cutout with some thin metal like roof flashing so that it would overlap the barrel when re-attached.
With adhesive velcro on the underside of the metal edging it should stay closed. If needed a few rivets ought to hold the velcro on. Constructing the base will probably be the most time consuming part. It will probably need some tweaking.
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06/13/11, 11:44 AM
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: missoula, montana
Posts: 1,407
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Here is my podcast review of the "permaculture soils" DVD. The podcast just came out a few hours ago. In it, there is a lot of discussion about different composting techniques.
http://su.pr/23JKxs
Here is a podcast I did a couple of months ago with composting superstar Helen Atthowe where we talk in a great deal of detail about composting
http://su.pr/3KlwVC
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06/13/11, 12:48 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: PA- zone 5
Posts: 2,186
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Paquebot
Not only is the leachate from a tumbler potent, the compost itself is richer than any farm animal can produce. And, doesn't need any pens or fences and no veterinarian bills.
Martin
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True dat.....but it also doesn't give you eggs or the main ingredient for chicken marsala.... 
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06/13/11, 01:05 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Illinois
Posts: 8,262
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My mom's giving me hers. I figure it's worth a try and shouldn't be too unsightly.
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Moms don't look at things like normal people.
-----DD
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06/13/11, 04:38 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: South Central Wisconsin
Posts: 14,801
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Here's a site which depicts a number of different types of tumblers, all of which work quite well depending upon the requirement of the user:
www.composters.com/compost-tumblers.php
Martin
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