Vegetables Gardening - Growing Organic Vegetables

My friend always puts his kitchen scraps in the blender with water before adding
them to the composter, uses molasses to speed things up, adds all kinds of
things and tumbles regularly. He adds some manure if available too. He makes
compost tea for the plants first before using the compost on the garden. His
garden is amazing to look at so I think it must work!

Dianne Koehler
Austin, TX zone 8b
visti my garden blog: http://dianne-gardening-in-wells-branch.blogspot.com/

________________________________
From: James <jmarconnet@gmail.com>
To: Organic_Gardening@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, November 14, 2011 8:04:51 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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