yawaraman - 7-16-2012 at 05:20 PM
Wanted to post when the topic was hot but eldercare became a priority. Everyone wants to be green but digging a hole and burying your garbage is not
composting, it's burying your garbage. Composting is a craft and process much like making beer, bread or silage. Certain ingredients are required Most
important of which is LARGE (think in tons) of organic material. plus water and bacteria which thankfully is in the dirt. If you are adding food
scraps to this mix then you are adding e-coli and salmonella also. Even under ideal conditions the heat of composting will NOT reliably kill these
organisims . So no eggshell or scraps please unless you enjoy the Lomatil experience. If there are worms in the native soil they will find your pile
and do their thing. To add worms to a soil that they can't live in is a waste of $.
As a 30 yr. UC Davis trained mastergardener I know where of I speak. I used grass clippings and leaves in a pile 6-8 ft tall and 12-15 ft in D. after
turning (with a small tractor) on a regular basis and 2 years i would have a usable amount of fine potting soil. The UC Farm extension has some good
info on composting with straw if you have access to enough of it.
So enjoy Baja for the fine things it has to offer y
Mas sabe el Diabolo por valejo. Que por Diabolo JJ
DavidE - 7-16-2012 at 05:27 PM
Does not the drying (dry as dust) of dairy manure effectively kill all the e-coli bacteria? Is it thermal disinfecting or air drying that one should
use to try and neutralize potentially harmful bacilli in a compost exercise?
Do not melons have an ability to pass on bacteria direct from the soil or biologically active supplements?
Thank you for your expertise.
Composting
yawaraman - 7-17-2012 at 09:22 AM
I guess that depends on how the manuer was dried, it will get hotter than organic matter, especially poultry, and after a couple years when fully
composted i would mix it with other material. When it comes to e-coli you want completely killed, dont take chances with table scraps.
Pretty much anything can become contaminated, a pile of melons in your compost will turn into a smelly mess, unless chopped fine and mixed with plenty
of other organic matter
astrobaja - 7-17-2012 at 10:35 AM
We find that our chickens (have 13 in our coop) are a much better way to recycle kitchen waste, all the rest that they won't eat goes into the arroyo
for the wildlife.
Back on our farm in Ontario we had a friend who used his tractor and manure spreader (running it slowly and only inching forward a bit at a time) to
make well aerated windrows for his composting material (cow manure, bedding hay).
But you are right it is indeed a craft/science and also here in Baja water in the quantities needed is not always available
composting
yawaraman - 7-17-2012 at 12:26 PM
For gnukid, Yes I am very familiar with desert soils , I live in Desert Hot Springs, but disagree that it is great for composting, how are you going
to keep the composting process active if the material dries out. If it is in a hole or burried, how would you turn it? Who likes to spend their time
digging a hole? have you ever tried to dig a hole in sand?
I built my piles when working at a 400 student K-8 school, never had a problem with the kids, if you put food scraps and garbage in it you could have
visitors,animals have no interest in plant material.
As to suggestions for Baja gardeners is ; If you have access to large amounts of appropriate organic materials, enough water to keep it moist, the
room for a decent size pile (above or below ground) then go for it, just forget the table and food scraps, eggshells, and stay safe and healthy!
I totally agree with astrobaja, chickens are great.
DavidE - 7-17-2012 at 12:51 PM
Me I'm crippled and I guarantee you I dig holes in sand all the time. My garden patches are all at least a foot deep, the potatoes are two feet deep.
Digging a hole in the sand is one thing, digging a perfectly cubed trench is another.
Something is missing here in this expert conversation. That is the need for both kinds of bacteria. The kind that cannot survive in oxygen, and the
type that must have it. All along I always thought a properly composted bulk had things arranged for a long enough time for each type of bacteria to
work its show. But i am an amateur at this.
Cypress - 7-17-2012 at 01:22 PM
Compost piles? Coffee grounds, egg shells, corn cobs, lemon rind, and all the rest of the vegetable matter in the kitchen that isn't edible. Toss in
the yard waste, the pet doo-doo and you've got a compost pile.
Nan&D - 7-17-2012 at 02:17 PM
Thanks for the continuing info. Any advice on using kelp? We went and got 3 buckets today, lightly rinsed the leaves, set most to dry in a variety of
wire enclosures. I filled another bucket with water and leaves to make tea. I hope to use the dry as a soil conditioner/mulch. Nan
DavidE - 7-17-2012 at 08:00 PM
It should be great if it doesn't taste salty. Fish guts, raw, are another compost ingredient, worthwhile. To stop dogs and coyotes from digging I save
every tiny scrap of chile, add them to a pot of boiling water, boil for 10 minutes then after it cools, pour it carefully across the top of the pile.
Boiling a tablespoon of white pepper does the same thing.
[Edited on 7-18-2012 by DavidE]
BajaBlanca - 9-12-2012 at 03:47 PM
to continue the thread .... I see that e-coli was mentioned but if we are just using the composted soil for flowering plants, and not for veggies,
this is then a non-issue...right ?
Interesting..........
mcfez - 9-12-2012 at 07:09 PM
Using above ground composting methods do not work for the most part, and here's why:
Most folks simply don't want to take to the time to turn the mixture which is required.
Moister is critical for organic break down.....folks don't remember or want to....add moister daily for months to follow.
Above ground piles or open containment units attract varmint.
Sooner than later....you got a pile of trash.....it's human nature to wiggle away from following thru.......
From a real perception.......most folks find it a hassle......and the great environment idea dies within weeks or a few short months. There has been
topics about this all the time here in the past BN.
If you wish to recycle all that great stuff you have........dig a hole! Some of you may remember the post I did on this subject......some may not.
Here's what I said in a nut shell so to speak:
We own a farm, and.......I am a licensed landscaper.
Dig a hole that is 2-3 feet deep, just as wide.......and place all organics down in it. This includes FISH parts as well. Throw it all in there! Add a
little sugar down there....the little bio chompers will accelerate in their work....in a big way. Place a foot of soil over the waste. Now......plant
your bush or tree above it all. Add water. Woo la!
Tomatoes, catus, Myrtles....all do well. This system is as old as the Mayans.
[Edited on 9-13-2012 by mcfez]
BajaBlanca - 9-13-2012 at 07:41 AM
assuming all conditions are perfect - soil moistened properly etc. How long before the compost becomes usable enriched soil ?