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penserosa

questions about storing finished compost

penserosa
16 years ago

Howdy - I would like to store finished compost over the winter in order to make space in my bin for new materials, and to use it in the spring on my lawn & garden. I sifted it out and put it in one of those tall rubbermaid garbage cans. I left the lid off and put my screen over it to allow moisture in. The first bit I put in, which is now at the bottom of the can, was pretty wet.

I probably could have just piled it up on the ground, but am trying to conserve space in that area.

Will this be OK? Should I drill a few holes near the bottom to allow drainage?

Thank you!

Pat

Comments (18)

  • idaho_gardener
    16 years ago

    Pat, I would try to collect whatever drained out of the bottom. That's called compost tea; concentrated compost juice. High in nutrients and biota.

  • Kimmsr
    16 years ago

    The most bestest place to store that finished compost is n the garden soil it will eventually go on. It takes some time for the soil bacteria to work compost into the soil so applying any of it in the spring is not the best time to do that since any nutrients that might be in that compost will not then be available to the plants until the fall, after the plants have stopped growing.
    However, if you do store it do what you can to keep any moisture out sicne that will encourage the bacteria in that compost to keep working digesting that material and wasting any nutrients in that compost. Put a water tight cover over those cans, not a screen.

  • penserosa
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks for the input. Kimmsr, another poster said that even one lb of compost per 100 sq ft is sufficient...I have many pounds...would I be wasting it if I put it in the garden? Do you know whether the same practice applies to the lawn? I figured we would use it on the lawn in the spring so that the grass would take up nutrients while it's in the growing phase instead of dormant...?

    Thanks!
    Pat

  • arjo_reich
    16 years ago

    For what it's worth, that's not compost tea, that compost leachate which is rather toxic to most plants because - at least in the situation listed above - it's most likely the byproduct of anaerobic decomposition of the compost...

    :shrug:

  • Lloyd
    16 years ago

    Hi Pat

    I have stored mature compost in a tall rubbermaid container (with the lid on) over the winter. Mine wasn't sopping wet, just moist. It froze solid and in the spring when it thawed it was still basically the same. I would not hesitate to do so again if I wanted to. If the compost wasn't quite as mature, I would leave the lid off but keep any moisture from entering. I don't know exactly what you meant by "finished" and that would make a difference in how I stored it.

    Lloyd

    Here is a link that might be useful: Rubbermaid container of compost

  • treeinnj
    16 years ago

    kimmsr - Then I'd be putting (as I might be in same position as OP in a month) compost on top of my mulch? Or, remove mulch, add compost, replace mulch? And, would that do anything for the soil if the ground is frozen?
    All the Best & Thanks,
    Tree (still learning)

  • bug_girl
    16 years ago

    It needs to have air and drain. It is very difficult to store it because it keeps breaking down. I just keep mine on the ground outside the bin, until I can distrube it. It just will not store well.

  • marquette
    16 years ago

    Pat, if you want to leave the compost in your container, could you put the container in your garage or other covered place out of the weather? If not, drape a rain-proof tarp over the container in such a way that lets the compost breathe (and dry out), so it doesn't mold or otherwise spoil. Or fit the lid on the can in such a way that it allows air to enter but not rain. For example, use a stick between can and lid, and tie lid to can.

    treeinnj: "Or, remove mulch, add compost, replace mulch?" Yes, that's what I'd do. But I'd also protect it all from the weather somehow. Maybe some else has ideas. But definately, use a thick layer of shredded leaves (or not shreded) on top of compost.

  • Kimmsr
    16 years ago

    Just how much compost to add to any soil depends on how much is needed. My sandy soil gets 1/2 inch of compost and 6 to 8 inches of shredded leaves each fall (I am in the process of adding that now) but I've been adding compost and organic matter to my sand for years. Some one just starting might want to add an inch of compost and 6 to 8 inches of shredded leaves to a planting bed until the humus level of the soil (why you do soil tests) of the soil has stabilized at around 6 to 8 percent.
    While compost is best laid on top of soil if a mulch material is already there do not remove it to add your compost just spread that over the mulch. As the soil bacteria, the Soil Food Web, works away they will move that material into the soil for you no matter where it is, as long as it is within reasonable distance from where those bacteria live. A lawn should not, however, get more than 1/2 inch of compost at any one time because much more than that could smother the grass crowns, the point that grass grows from the plant.

  • marquette
    16 years ago

    I like to protect my compost from the elements, direct sun, beating rains, drying winds, with a thick layer of leaves especially this time of year when the beds are wintering. Makes sense to me.

  • treeinnj
    16 years ago

    Thanks kimmsr & marquette!

  • seamommy
    16 years ago

    We often store compost in those 30 gallon trash barrels and have not had a problem with excess moisture, excess breakdown or souring. Just pop a lid on the barrel and store it wherever is convenient. I usually try to use it as soon a possible, since it's not doing any good in a barrel and the soil is alive all the time, even in winter. But sometimes you just can't get to it and it has to sit.

    You didn't mention if you sift your compost before you place it in the barrel. We do and it seems to make it a lot lighter and allow more air to circulate in it. The little sow bugs are crazy about it and scamper all over it any time we lift the lid. We don't worry about them eating up all the nutrients, or about the good stuff washing out the bottom if there's little drainage hole down there. Thirty gallons of compost in a plastic barrel isn't going to "go bad" over the winter. Cheryl

  • calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
    16 years ago

    I have about a yard of screened compost stored in a 9x12 plastic tarp closed to prevent rain water entering during the winter. I will have used it up by spring with no storage problems. Al

  • penserosa
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    My thanks to kimmsr and everyone else who posted here. Very educational and now I know what to do!!

    :-)
    Pat

  • chathura612_cea_lk
    13 years ago

    What is te most suitable moisture content for storing compost in poly bags. Is there a posibility for growing Aspergillus fumigates in low moisture level.

  • victorine72
    10 years ago

    I'm resurrecting this thread in hopes that someone out there knows of a Homeowners Association-friendly container in which to store compost.

    A tarp-ed pile or trash can just won't do in our neighborhood. I would prefer to buy something already made, but DIY is a possibility. The main consideration is aesthetics. I'm already on the HOA sh** list for having a compost bin and two rain barrels. The horror, I know.

    My compost (14 square feet) will be ready in a few weeks, but my mulch is already down. Pulling it back and spreading compost around each plant (300 times) isn't going to happen. The compost will have to be stored until early spring. And no, I can't just keep it in the bin. My bin is wooden and in sore need of a deep clean and reseal inside and out.

    The compost has to be stored outside next to our heat pumps which is, regrettably, within easy sight from the street and the HOA president who lives five doors down.

    Any help is appreciated. If you don't have any products to recommend, feel free to post a gripe about your "Restrictive covenants".

  • toxcrusadr
    10 years ago

    A plastic bench/storage box made for patios. They don't have to know it's hollow inside and full of compost.

    What kind of a yard ornament would work? How about one of those kiddie sandboxes shaped like a turtle? Put 1/2" of sand on top of the compost. A big plastic duck? I guess an old ceramic toilet with flowers planted in the bowl is probably not going to cut it. :-]

    Next year, put down the compost BEFORE you mulch, even if it's half finished. The worms and microbes will do the rest.

  • victorine72
    10 years ago

    The patio bench box is an excellent idea. I've been thinking about getting one anyway. So clever!

    The toilet is tempting, however. The bowl would look lovely with a cascade of blue wave petunias, don't you think?

    Surprisingly, the duck or turtle-shaped lawn toys are totally permissible in this neighborhood. They will allow a jungle gym with a space shuttle-shaped canopy, but a goldfish pond or birdbath is an ornament too far.

    I really was hoping to be able to put down the compost pre-mulch, but the tree service from whom I got the mulch (for free) had a load available very early in the season, like mid-March. The compost was still full of unspeakably gross Jurassic-era fridge discards at that point.

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