T – Page 114 – Crazy About Compost

How to Compost Weeds

https://youtu.be/tqLf8MvHsiY Can you compost weeds, even if they've gone to seed? The answer is yes, but there's a few things to consider: 1) If you have a compost bin that's 1 cubic yard or greater, your pile should have no issues heating up to the temperatures needed to kill weed seeds (131F for 3 days). I add to one bin for a year before letting it sit for a year...plenty of time. 2) If you're working with a smaller compost system such as a trash can shown in this video, it will not be able to generate the necessary heat to kill weed seeds. Try letting them sit for a few days to dry out. Once they're dry, add all the thin brown stuff to your compost pile. Put your…

Are You Composting Yet?

Did you watch any TV today? Yesterday? This week? If so, were there any commercials? In the time it took for the three commercials to whizz by, you could have emptied your kitchen food scrap collector into your backyard trash can composter and cut your landfilling in half. No, really- drill holes in a trash can, fill it halfway with ripped up leaves and dead plants, then add your food scraps. Finish it off by covering them with another layer of leaves. Add some water, then go inside. Hit the pause button again and continue watching Game of Thrones. I guess most people don't actually watch TV anymore right? Now it's all internet and you can pause everything and skip commercials and stuff... well, you get the point! Five minutes…

Trash Can Tweak

With the warmer months coming on, I noticed a pretty simple adjustment to my trash can composter that might help you get better results. Have you noticed when you keep the lid on that the contents seem to dry out pretty quickly? It rained the last few days here, so I kept the lid off so the contents could get extra damp... and the pile got pretty warm! This is what happens when you keep it damp- compost craves moisture. The key is to simply ensure your mix is right- double your browns with each addition of food scraps, and make sure you have a nice layer of browns on top. I saw a raccoon walking around my tiny back yard last night and left him be... the next day,…