Can I Do This???

[larry maddock]

HELLO HELLO,
CAN YOU START A COMPOST PILE IN A FIVE GALLON BUCKET????

what should i throw in it????

is coffee and tea grounds good???

i am a complete beginner --
i have never had a PILE....

if i fill 5 gal bucket by nov. 1---
can i use it in mid april???

 

[flash]

You can, but it would be better in a trash can even. Maybe two 5 gallon buckets. You have to turn it every other day or so, maybe longer. So pouring from one bucket to another would be easier. Coffee grounds, eggshells, greens, leaves, etc will work. I would google composting and get all the info your could want.

 

[cheech]

Also painting it black will help heat it up and help it compost faster

 

[deejaydebi]

Anything organic except meat can go in the compost pile.

 

[larry maddock]

thanx for the info...
i didnt know you had to turn it.
i never had a pile before..
ive never known anyone who had a pile before...

 

[deejaydebi]

ever notice you trash can gets hot? Barrels are good for this make sure thelids on tight and just knock it over and roll it around some.

 

[pitrow]

Meat, fat, and/or bones are not good in a composter. Pretty much anything else is good to go.

 

[richtee]

I pee on my pile after a bar night. Ooops did I say that? Well..the dog does too! Urea is a HUGE help.

 

[desertlites]

yes no meats-fats-bones-and yes Rich your's and dogs pee ok-but no dog doo.5 gal. of compost ain't much.tiss a drop in the bucket. pun intended.

 

[richtee]

Yeah I heard those turn out top notch stuff pretty quick.

 

[morkdach]

yea i heard ole paul the gardener about beer and compost so i visit my pile after i had a few like richtee

 

[jerseyhunter]

Texas Hunter
when using the tumbler, where do position the door? Like the picture?

 

[jerseyhunter]

TH- thank you. I have one and it didn't come with instructions on use. Just how to put it together. And also a sales pitch on chemicals to buy from them.

 

[kueh]

Should work. Keep it in the sun for part of the day. Also put some holes in for drainage. If it's too wet, it'll rot.

 

[bb53chevpro]

And don't forget to add all of your dryer lint and the cold ash from your smoker. (If I remember the artical in our local newspaper correctly)

 

[athabaskar]

I got a new tumbler about a week ago and things are cooking along just fine. I used shredded leaves, a lot of green weeds and grass clippings (spring has sprung here), and kitchen stuff including coffee grounds.
I've had a compost heap in one form or another for almost 20 years. It started with three pallets standing on end, then screwed together. It was turned by shoveling from the bottom and throwing it back on top. It's a slow process, but it works.
Since then we have had black polyethylene circular bins with holes in the side. Those were good for growing potatoes in also. We have had wire bins as well, including a very nice one my wife received after taking a course with the city to become a Master Composter.
The previous posts mentioning urea are correct. I work in a paint factory, and have access to urea pellets. The bag shows it to be a whopping 46-0-0 fertilizer. I wet out a good cup of the pellets in about 4 gallons of water, and then pour it on. Works like a champ!

 

[cinnamonkc]

I think my grandpa had piles...

 

[smokedcaveman]

wow, I've been doing it all wrong. I've got a large (5x5) hot pile that I add bones, meat, grease and anything else vaguely organic to. (including the dumping from my catbox..I use a peat box, and it works great) Old spoilt grease, broken bones, post stock leavings, whatever. If it's meat-like or one of the 'not recommended' ingredients, I just dig a hole in the center of the pile and bury it. My pile doesn't get turned, and it rots just fine.

I have dogs and cats in my neighborhood, and none of them would even think about digging in steam releasing compost for treats.

If you're itnrested in a good treatment of composting in general, including dispelling some of the longstanding and well ingrained myths, go to www.jenkinspublishing.com and pick up 'the humanure handbook' (I believe there's still a free pdf of an older copy offered somewhere on the site.

It tells how to build a pile/bin that you don't have to worry about turning or poking holes in. I know I'm likely to get some disagreements over this, so I'm gonna tell you, don't take my word on it, but do your own research.

but I have been composting this way for nearly 10 years, and had the college test it for the first 5 years. nothing harmful survives, no rats, no critters digging in it. (shrugs)

 

[smoke freak]

Point one... compost needs oxygen and Im afraid a bucket could inhibit air flow. compost without enough air will STINK. Maybe drill some holes in the bucket.

two...as far as heat... compost creates its own heat due to rapid decomposition, color of container wont help. In fact over heating will kill the bacteria that are causing the decomp.

three...wood ash is a great source or K (potassium) BUT it is very much on the alkaline side of the pH scale causing a huge imbalance in your soil. In fact wood ash mixed with water makes lye which is a very caustic substance that aint much use in gardining. Adding blood meal as a source of nitrogen will help but if you got food scraps then you got all the N that is required. Extra N will only be necessary if you are using way too much C (carbon) such as shredded paper. Too much N will also make it stink.

four...NEVER use manure from a carnivore. Never! Only from herbivores. Cows sheep goats etc...

 

[supervman]

Freak -
Call me SUPER freakin paranoid, but I've read that bone meal (used in the garden) has caused that Creutzfeld Jakob in Humans when used in the garden. You're comfortable w blood meal?

Probably a dumb**** question but you are obviously highly educated in this stuff. What are your personal thoughts?
V