Friday, March 31, 2006
Garden Dreaming
Now other than clearing the downspouts, I am dreaming of re-working the compost areas. I have 3 worm bins that I put most all of the household food scraps in. But I would like to have a better set up for my garden scraps compost. I am very happy with the worm bins, and I have thought maybe I should expand them again, but I'd be really pleased if I could successfully create a "hotpile" compost system.
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3 comments:
I love worms and have had a good hotpile system. The latter seems good for bulk composting if you have a good source of animal manure to heat it - or are willing to use humanure. I've done both. Why do YOU want a hotpile system?
Hi James!
Well, I guess the answer is because I'd like more compost, quickly. Gardening in sand seems to require constant amending. As proof, after my first successful crop or two I noticed a signifigant "lack of response" from my second set of crops. I was adding the vermicompst in amounts I thought was sufficient. But my co-leader (from Watsonville)analyzed that I was thinking too small, and brought over a pile of mushroom compost. The plants on the third planting really started to respond. It was then that I added more bins for the worms. But I'm still not generating enough carbon material in the beds to make much of a pile. So, I guess I'm going to have to rely on what nature gives me, and for that reason I want a hotpile in order to kill seeds/potential pests. Thank you for re-affirming the manure component. I'm not sure I'm totally ready for humanure, but it gives me incentive to ask my neighbor who owns the horse if I can muck out the barn for her.
Here's the link to the other method of composting of humanure. And curiously the pictures are all taken at the Kufunda Village we visited. http://aquamor.tripod.com/Arbook.htm
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