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| Hi all,
So I just started my first compost pile, although growing up my family always did, but I guess I never paid attention to the details. We just moved into our house at the beginning of the year. For the compost foundation I raked up around a huge oak tree that probably had several years worth of leaves already composting beneath it. I'm sure some of this stuff was good to go as I got that rich earth smell from the deepest layers as I went. I've continued to add to this with grass clippings and kitchen waste, and stir regularly. The compost pile is just sitting out in a mostly shaded area, but when I turn it I get that good earthy smell. I know not all of its composted because I keep adding scraps, but how do I get out the compost that is? Is there an easy way to shake it out? Should I stop adding scraps until it's done, then start another one? Also, I think I used some Chinese tallow leaves in a layer of about 3 inches underneath my raised vegetable garden, and so far I haven't noticed any adverse affects, should I be worried? My plants are pretty large and the roots are definitely down that far, but maybe the leaves aren't decayed enough to affect them yet. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| I would suggest stop adding to your existing pile and start a new one. If youwant to be really fancy, you can use some 1/2" wire mesh to screen the compost and anything doesn't sift through just add to your newest pile. I would not use Chinese tallow leaves in compost or in a garden (as mulch or whatever), but if they are already in there... and everything is growing fine then leave it be. Probably takes a lot more of the leaves than what you used. |
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- Posted by idaho_gardener 6a_sw_idaho (My Page) on Mon, Jun 11, 12 at 18:44
| Hi and welcome to gardenweb. Some of your best resources on composting are Lloyd and digdirt. You didn't say how the pile was 'organized'. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but people who compost sometimes use bins to do their composting. I use 40" x 48" pallets to make compost bins that are 4' x 4'. I make compost in batches, keeping the contents of a batch together until it's time to use it. Lately, I have gone back to screening my compost. Screening serves a dual purpose of filtering out material that is still not completely broken down, as well as breaking up lumps of compost so that the compost in the lumps have a chance to 'finish'. I let compost that is done going through the 'hot' phase sit and mellow. The technical term is 'finish', as in 'finished compost'. Unfinished compost is compost that is still breaking down. Unfinished compost contains organic acids that inhibit seed germination and root growth. I have made the mistake of having too much unfinished compost in my garden and watched my tomatoes languish. I use a square of hardware cloth with a 1/4" mesh to screen my compost. I think a 3/8" or 1/2" might do just as well. Good luck and happy composting. |
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- Posted by toxcrusadr (My Page) on Mon, Jun 11, 12 at 18:57
| I've used chicken wire on a frame and the sifted product is very very nice. Definitely stop adding and start a second pile. Anyone who gets very far into composting ends up with at least two piles, and I won't scare you with tales of what happens beyond that. :-] |
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| chicken wire? my brand new compost would all get through that! |
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| 1. A bin, or containment of some kind, is not necessary for composting. 2. the material needs, roughly, a ratio of Carbon to Nitrogen of 30 to 1. 3. the material needs to be just moist, because the bacteria that will be digesting it need some moisture ot work. 4. "screening" is something done to "finished" compost. Composting is easy and just happens when ever organic matter is allowed to, but we can do things that can make that happen faster. Perhaps the linked tutorial wil be of some help. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Compost Tutorial
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- Posted by purpleinopp 8b AL (My Page) on Tue, Jun 12, 12 at 9:34
| Unless you enjoy busywork like screening compost, it's not necessary. Why would tallow leaves be a problem? |
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- Posted by toxcrusadr (My Page) on Tue, Jun 12, 12 at 14:56
| Agreed on the screening. I only screen when I'm looking for fine stuff to put in a seed bed, or to mix into a potting soil. |
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| Chinese tallow leaves and berries have been found to be toxic to other plants as they decompose. I actually think this is showing up in my plants. The bottom leaves of my tomatoes and peppers are slightly curled, and have been for a couple months, I think this must be from the tallow, as there's no other evidence of issues, it has never waned-getting better or worse so I think it must be this. I baby my plants. Hopefully there's few enough of the leaves to seriously affect my garden. I was hoping to have a strong organic base in my soil with the leaves, and now I'm debating whether or not I should dig them out. I left them in a layer so it shouldn't be too bad. Also thanks for the advice on the pile. I'll start a second pile, and when and if I need to use the first before it's completely done I'll filter it out with a screen. I don't have that much material for a second one though, which I know slows down the rate significantly. My pile is out in the open in a mostly shaded spot. It was previously underneath my oak tree completely shaded before I moved it away from the tree so it couldn't steal nutrients from it. |
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- Posted by purpleinopp 8b AL (My Page) on Wed, Jun 13, 12 at 10:44
| Don't know what to say about your tomato plants, besides good luck! Burying tallow leaves under tomato plants is probably an arcane experience with few testimonials available. In the future, you may want to consider not putting OM under soil. That's not how Ma nature does it, and not everyone agrees but I'm in the camp that thinks it's better for these things to decompose as they naturally would, on the surface, exposed to air. I spent a few minutes searching and could find no lists of plants affected by tallow trees but did come across many vague references to toxic properties of decomposing leaves/seeds, and everyone's pretty sure they're poisonous to cattle. Also found several .pdfs from universities but admit my tolerance for reading long articles I barely understand is not very high but a couple of them seem pretty sure allelopathy, at least to the displaced species tested, is not a means by which they so successfully invade. That's good to know although I wouldn't extrapolate that info to mean that veggies are safe around them. Don't think I'll bring home any more trimmings from my Mom's trees for my compost pile though. If anyone's looking for a tree to study, this might keep ya busy for a long time, especially investigating that biofuel thing. |
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- Posted by toxcrusadr (My Page) on Wed, Jun 13, 12 at 11:29
| I looked up the tallow tree because I hadn't heard of it. Apparently it's the third most productive vegetable oil producing crop in the world. I learn something new every day! |
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| I was reading online about the tallow tree, and it said that it's an important honey crop here in Florida where I live. I didn't need to be told that, I could tell from the hordes of bees around it, and thankfully also my garden. There must have been hundreds. I consider myself lucky as I have family that live 15 minutes away that can't grow OP plants because they can't get bees. |
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