Compost Pile

I wana start a compost pile. Well its kinda started i have a pile of dirt and plant/grass cutting all jus decomposing in a corner of the yard, I occasionally piss on it and throw food/dead animals on it. I wana contain it with a container and start added alot more decomposables to it for next season..... any advice?
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if you look up things to compost the first one that comes up on google is 163 things to compost that give you alot of things and ideas for what you can put in it
ive read that depending on what you put in it your plants will grow better and/ or produce better buds but thats probably personal preference
theres alot of stuff that cant be composted

Unless your going to have a massive pile and plan to let it set for a couple of years leave the dead animals out. It just takes to long. I wish I had a large enough area to compost animals, they bring some unique material to the party. So I ad blood/bone meal and hopefully that does it.
When I first tried composting I did not add enough carbon brown dead leaves, paper, etc. I had a wet stinky mess. Now I start with a huge pile of leaves late every fall and work from there. I add green stuff as I get it, food scraps, grass clipping. I mulch my shredded paper no better way to totally destroy stuff. To much brown will just decompose slower. To much nitrogen (green) and it will stink, you have an anaerobic mess.

Green meaning fresh leaves and clippings of plants? and brown being dead leaves and sticks and clippings of plants?

And should you soak the compost a little when it gets bone dry?
Right now theres is a pile of dirt (regular dirt from ground in backyard) and i jus throw green leaves and plant matter, as well as fruit/veggys and thats sorta stuff on there.
What is it that actually makes it start cooking? like greens and browns together??

View attachment 1698152Im wondering if i coud throw some of this on the compost pile...
Its all organic, has soy meal, blood meal, rock phosphate, potassium sulphate, baked egg shells. langbeinite, kelp extract and kelp meal.....Seems legit to me?

Growop101 said:

View attachment 1698152Im wondering if i coud throw some of this on the compost pile...
Its all organic, has soy meal, blood meal, rock phosphate, potassium sulphate, baked egg shells. langbeinite, kelp extract and kelp meal.....Seems legit to me?

Click to expand...

I would imagine this stuff would be fine. If I were to add anything it would be a bag of active compost to bring live bacteria to the party.

"And should you soak the compost a little when it gets bone dry?
Right now theres is a pile of dirt (regular dirt from ground in backyard) and i jus throw green leaves and plant matter, as well as fruit/veggys and thats sorta stuff on there.
What is it that actually makes it start cooking? like greens and browns together??"

Don't let it get bone dry. Keep it moist, not soaked but moist. And your right browns are brown leaves, paper, wood chips, old lawn clippings.. Greens are green leaves, fresh lawn clippings, food scraps, etc. The heat is caused by the decomposition, mostly the green stuff.
Turn it regularly, a pitch fork works well. rotate the pile and watering at this time is good. When it is decomposed send a sample to you agriculture extension office. For a small fee they'll test it and tell you what is needed. It should only need some lime. Good luck

if you have extra fish and blend it into a slushy and dump on the pile it decomposes very fast. i just throw fish chunks under the soil a few months before i plants

my recommendation would be to buy a Pitchfork for turning the pile, and a (cheap) Machete for cutting things smaller.
turning the pile is VERY important, i turn mine weekly.

ok, Right now im in the process of finding somthing to contain it. I am thinking of builing a wood box with a top??

i use 3 Pallets in a "U" shape, works great, and with 2 more pallets you can build a double U.

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^^ that shape exactly.
one side is open to make turning easier.

Growop101 said:

ok, Right now im in the process of finding something to contain it. I am thinking of building a wood box with a top??

Click to expand...

There are so many variables that it's really a science and an art. I'm in the desert and really miss my compost pile. I could probably do it here but just haven't. The bigger the area you have the better. I have never used a box as it is too small. How much compost do you need? My best pile was made up of three areas divided by galvanized fence wire - about 3"x4" openings and framed with metal fence stakes. You can change the size of these areas until you figure out how big you want the pile(s) to be. Mine are about 3'x3' for each area so 3'x9' total. You really need a pitch fork, it is so much easier to work the piles! A good pile is a lot of work.

If I were you I would call your local ag extension service and have them tell you what works in your area as climate, available material, etc.make a difference.

I've used old pallets, fence posts with old fence, anything will work. The 3 bin system works great. There are great sites on composting, other that here. Use the same methods any other gardener uses.

Out of curiosity I called my local ag ext. office and asked what material they had. Took about two minutes and they are mailing me any printed info they have.

how long until you can use the soil from compost, mines turning nice and dark and smells rele good actually,, nice earthy. its only been few weeks but i add things every day turn and piss on it to.

I threw some fishing worms the red wigglers into my outdoor compost pile a few years ago.
Last year I went digging for a couple quarts of compost and found I had oodles of worms.
Took a look this year, forgetting about last year and now there is lots of worm castings and some really fat mature looking red wiggles.
Add worms and some nice veggies for them to thrive off of.