Vegetables Gardening - Growing Organic Vegetables

Jim, the three key elements to composting is moisture levels. nitrogen availability, and oxygen. Grasses and spent leaves are also low on Nitrogen so I would suggest that you add a raw manure,the hotter the better, into your mix. Like chicken, or sheep. If you are not in the country go find a Zoo or the Audubon refuge center. Or the Police if they have a mounted Horse patrol. Most of those places give it away by the pick up load. You will see a definite increase in the heat department. As for the veggie garden change your perspective. During the winter look at the garden as a Linear compost pile. I pile leaves manure and prunnings over the surface of the garden to a depth of 3 or more feet. Then cover the whole thing in Black plastic and stake and weight down the edges and then taking my trusty garden fork punch a set of holes on all for sides and one in the middle.Come next spring A little tossing and shaping and I am ready to plant. If you can't find
the Animal stuff use a fertilizer that is really really high in Nitrogen. My Pile I use sheep and Chicken and the temp in the beginning is about 140 +/- and by mid winter it is about 95 and by spring it is about 55 -60 degrees.... For your drum get and electric motor and a couple of big bicycle sprockets. Pushing a button is a lot less wear and tear on the body....For your flower garden, go to the sporting goods store and rescue 3 or 4 dozen red wiggler worms and spread them into the garden and  then If you are coffee a coffee drinker start spreading your grounds along with some bread crumbs and the worms will come and feast and leave your garden covered in worm pooh. Also you use your mower and munch up the leaves and spread them over the flower beds to. The worms will take care of the rest....
jeff

________________________________
From: James <jmarconnet@gmail.com>
To: Organic_Gardening@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, November 14, 2011 6:04 AM
Subject: [Organic_Gardening] Looking for some "serious" compost tumbler operators


 
Several months ago I got a slightly used Mantis Compost-Twin. I used it in a rather hap-hazzard way to do one batch of compost. I never noticed it get hot, but it sure was reduced in volume. It was disappointing to see how little compost I got in that batch. Only about 3 small plastic wheelbarrow loads. Where I had hoped to put several inches onto a small front flower bed, I just got to sprinkle some compost on, before shoveling the pine bark back on top.

I realized that I'll need a lot of loads processed thru this tumbler to do my desired flower and garden beds to any significant depth of compost. Winter is rapidly approaching. And I'm not getting any younger!

I'm now trying to get 'er going to see how fast I can use this tumbler reasonably with local leaves (now!), grass clippings (earlier, but not now!), UCG, etc. to get a batch hot-composted thru a reasonable cool-down period. And then perhaps to "finish" the batch in a trash can composter, or simply in the vegetable bed that I hope to plant Sugar Snap peas in early next spring.

I've been cranking the tumbler about 5 rotations a day, and taking some temperature measurements using an IR thermometer to gauge progress. Anyone aware of any "serious" compost tumbler operators and/or groups?

Jim Marconnet

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