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| Hi all,
I've just finally set up a composting system at my new house (where I finally have more room than an apartment balcony). I have a rotary tumbler, and a bin for storing the finished compost. My dilemma is this: while waiting for a batch of compost to finish, the greens and kitchen scraps that I save up in a tin bucket begin to putrify, smell to high heaven, and attract flies. Also, even if the tumbler is empty, the greens putrify before I save up enough to start a full batch. I am not adding meat, cheese, dairy, or really anything except tea bags, fruit and veggie scraps, and garden clippings. I also have trouble collecting enough browns to fill a batch... with no farm nearby or easy access to hay/straw, and only limited access to dry leaves (only in the Fall, really), where do I get enough browns to go 4:1 with the nitrogen-rich stuff? Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| They will do that. Vegetative material will begin to be digested almost as soon as it is harvested and if placed in an airless, or limited air, place the anaerobic bacteria will start to work and they produce those putrid odors. Our kitchen waste is put into the compost bin every two days during the summer, never more than three days. |
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- Posted by mustard_seeds 4 -Onalaska Wisconsi (My Page) on Sun, Aug 5, 12 at 8:32
| can you get paper or cardboard to use as browns? If I could not have a second area to start a new pile/bin, I would just add continuously to the tumbler. But it sounds like you you like to get a batch finished, and not add more stuff along the way. So, it seems like you need a second area for collecting fresh kitchen scraps that are given adequate browns and air. Then when you empty the tumbler, you could fill it up right away! |
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- Posted by lazygardens PhxAZ%3A Sunset 13 (My Page) on Sun, Aug 5, 12 at 14:16
| Shredded paper ... ads, junk mail, newspaper ... whatever you can get. If you aren't generating enough to keep two tumblers going, maybe you should use one of the continuous type, where stuff goes in the top and compost comes out the bottom. Layer the greens with the shredded paper, at least a couple inches of paper to cover every couple inches of kitchen waste. |
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| Dry your tea bags & store 'em, freeze your fruit and veggie scraps 'till you have enough browns. |
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| We keep a step on trash in the kitchen to collect our compostables. Instead of throwing away soiled paper napkins we toss them in the compost. The container is 2 gallons & doesn't smell. It also helped when we put the paper shredder next to the trash as well, so they are put through shredder instead of trash just as easy. We also put a separate trash in the bathrooms for facial tissues & toilet paper rolls. I empty those in the bottom of the kitchen compost can after we've emptied it of compost ingredients. The paper in the bottom absorbs liquid & makes it easy to empty out. |
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| Definately need some browns to even out the greens. I am always short on browns. We use no napkins or paper towels and all of our statements are electronic. So, I have little shreddable paper either. Toilet paper rolls, shredded packaging from food and products we buy are all of the browns I have. I recently began adding wood chips to my compost bin to supplement my browns. It seems to work but I will have to remove the chunks and use in the next batch. |
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| Definately need some browns to even out the greens. I am always short on browns. We use no napkins or paper towels and all of our statements are electronic. So, I have little shreddable paper either. Toilet paper rolls, shredded packaging from food and products we buy are all of the browns I have. I recently began adding wood chips to my compost bin to supplement my browns. It seems to work but I will have to remove the chunks and use in the next batch. |
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| Definately need some browns to even out the greens. I am always short on browns. We use no napkins or paper towels and all if our statements are electronic. So, I have little shreddable paper either. Toilet paper rolls, shredded packaging from food and products we buy are all of the browns I have. I recently began adding wood chips to my compost bin to supplement my browns. It seems to work but I will have to remove the chunks and use in the next batch. |
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