How to start a compost pile
From:
Jack Rowe
Date:
May 07 14:17 UTC
Short link
Moisture-retention is definitely a big one for local composting, as Jeanette
mentions, uncovered piles dry out very quickly.
I add a little wood ash (K), a little rock phosphate (P and Ca) and a fair
amount of gypsum (Ca and a degree of protection from salting since our water is
high in salt) to compost so they can start entering the food chain early, as
they do this slowly. The P and Ca are pretty consistently deficient in SW
soils.
Chickens make the best compost... they turn it (doesn't seem to bother their
lower backs as much as it does mine), they eat meat scraps and turn them into
eggs instead of more skunk meat, they manure it, and they chop it up nicely.
Chickens convert chicken food to human food more efficiently than any other
terrestrial animals. They'll eat most of what we do, and as US-ians 2-1/2 of us
waste on average enough to feed one other person (or a lot of chickens) though
a lot of this waste is from restaurants.
Locally, animal manures are pretty available and usually come mixed w/
straw/bedding for a decent C:N ratio for decomposition right off the bat.