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| I'm fairly new to gardening & would love to start composting. However, I don't have much room and my husband and neighbors would definately have objections to a ugly smelly pile in the yard (suburban yard). Plus, we're too broke to purchase a real composter to hide it in. I've searched many threads & heard a couple people mention "lasagna composting" where you just stick green & brown materials in leftover 25-50 gallon plant containers & let it sit. Is that feasible? Would it work? My garden's already planted so I'm not looking for compost soon - just wondering if I would have usable compost in the fall? Thanks for your advice! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| A compost pile does not need to be an ugly smelly pile and you do not need a commercial composter. Many of us started composting simply by piling material and worked with that. The link below is a very good composting tutorial. Pat Lanza developed what today is called "Lasagna Gardening" although some people refer to sheet composting as "Lasagna composting", they are kind of similar. Composting in containers as small as 25 to 50 gallons is not enough volume for the bacteria to digest the material you want ot compost very well. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Online Composting tutorial
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| Love the title ;) Composting is inspirational like that. |
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| You can have a pile that is neither ugly nor smelly. :) Just keep a balanced mix of the ingredients (see link above), keep it turned and damp, stand back, and wait. A pile of 3x3' is a good size to start with. The first time I made compost I used a tumbler. I was anxious about maintaining the perfect ratio of ingredients, perfect amount of moisture, etc. Finally, I just tried to achieve an approximate balance and kept it moist and turned. After some months (from spring to fall, I think), it was finished --- nice, crumbly black gold. I don't think I could have been more excited if I found a 10-carat diamond in the soil, LOL. It is science, but not rocket science. If you build it, they [worms] will come. :) |
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- Posted by gardenmommy_2010 CA (My Page) on Thu, May 5, 11 at 16:57
| Sorry about OP. I don't mean to say all compost piles are ugly & stinky. DH's grandfather's compost pile was ugly & stinky so that's what DH thinks of them as. Unless it can be something small & contained out of sight I don't see DH agreeing to start one. Plus, my garden is maxed on space & the rest of the yard is accounted for (pool, patio, play structure, grass) so I like the idea of a commercial composter in that it might be easier to hide (family thinks I'm nuts for gardening & wanting to compost). I wish I had the extra yard to compost correctly but I don't w/out taking something out w/ very unsupportive people. Thanks for any suggestions. |
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| All these post are good. As kimmsr said Lasagna composting works well, but is not sheet composting. Lasagna is on top of the ground, as to not harm the soil food web. Sheet composting is for big plots, like 1/8 -to one acre. I sheet compost, it hides the ugly & stinky, but harms/set back the soil food web as you till. I am old school composter, most people use Lasagna now a days. Should find tons of data on line. Good luck. |
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| The primary difference between Lasagna Gardening and sheet composting is that sheet composting is done in the ground and Lasagna gardening is done above ground. I would not even begin to think that "most people use Lasagna now a days" because I find a lot of people that not only don't do it they have never heard of it. |
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- Posted by tn_gardening (My Page) on Fri, May 6, 11 at 14:42
| My take on composting is this: Composting is pretty similar to rotting. Pretty much everything will rot and break down. The trick is to sorta control it so it will break down faster or without the smells (or both). Can you compost in a small container? Sure. Naturally, you won't get a lot of compost, but it'll eventually break down. Pile it up and give it some attention every now and again and let it happen. |
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- Posted by lisascenic (My Page) on Sat, May 7, 11 at 2:02
| Your husband may think you're nuts, but it's your house, too, right? I knew that my sister had found the right man, when (even though it freaked him out) he bought her an inside-the-apartment worm bin. Now *that's* love. |
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- Posted by lazygardens PhxAZ%3A Sunset 13 (My Page) on Sun, May 8, 11 at 7:49
| Try "trench composting". http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1390646/composting_without_bi ns_or_piles.html |
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| Lots of good suggestions here. Or if you want a permanent compost bin, your husband could build one for you (cheap) from used pallets. Or he could build a fence to screen it from view. Or plant a tall plant to screen it from view. I'm thinking a pretty vine on a trellis. You build the compost, let him build the screen if he doesn't want to look at it. Karen |
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| I have found a lot of people who think they are sheet composting. They layer the beds & wait for it to rot/compost. I tell them that is Lasagna composting, not sheet composting. Many of them use both names, but most use piles or tumblers to compost. I am using trench composting, but have not found a way to keep the Southern fire ants out of my compost. |
Here is a link that might be useful: vermitrench composting
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