tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post8789464220320611882..comments2023-12-31T17:47:27.217-08:00Comments on Taj MuttHall Dog Diary: Compost HappensElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827436807468320435noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-40641117197246877502008-05-09T22:40:00.000-07:002008-05-09T22:40:00.000-07:00OK, a smelly pile was probably too wet. No drainag...OK, a smelly pile was probably too wet. No drainage, or a large amount of grass clippings or fruit or something all at once with no carbon (dry leaves, chipped wood, etc.) to offset it. A good compost pile doesn't smell *bad*.<BR/><BR/>-ellenElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01827436807468320435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-40408414621521210402008-05-09T18:44:00.000-07:002008-05-09T18:44:00.000-07:00D'oh! Maybe my pile didn't have to die after all....D'oh! Maybe my pile didn't have to die after all. I hadn't used it in years after my neighbour complained about it smelling. (I have a terrible sense of smell so it seemed fine to me.) Apparently properly functioning compost piles aren't supposed to smell? So I guess mine wasn't very happy.Muttsandaklutzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05551047401085562752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-38066155726869983672008-05-09T10:11:00.000-07:002008-05-09T10:11:00.000-07:00LOL! I always tell my classes that I'm a very lazy...LOL! I always tell my classes that I'm a very lazy composter and gardener, but I'll give THEM all kinds of useful advice if they're less lazy than I am.<BR/><BR/>-ellenElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01827436807468320435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-11207135173208738302008-05-09T09:31:00.000-07:002008-05-09T09:31:00.000-07:00Move my compost bin?! Plant stuff? Yeah, suuuuuu...Move my compost bin?! Plant stuff? Yeah, suuuuuuure, I'll get right on that.Elaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-60475266504499090272008-05-08T22:18:00.000-07:002008-05-08T22:18:00.000-07:00That's Wiggly Worm! He's our mascot.Sun is irrelev...That's Wiggly Worm! He's our mascot.<BR/><BR/>Sun is irrelevant as far as decomposing things--it's mostly microbes that do the work, plus worms and other critters along those lines. What they need to do their work is about equal parts of high-nitrogen and high-carbon materials (picture a basket of grass clippings plus a basket of autumn leaves), mixed together, and damp as a wrung-out sponge. No moisture=no living things=no decomposing. The most active decomposers work from about 60 degrees F up to 120 F. The nice thing is that, if you've got a nice mix, right moisture, and a large enough pile (maybe 3x3 feet), they generate their own heat for a while! Very cool to see. You'd wish your dogs generate their own contact rewards! The only thing the sun is useful for is if it's freezing and you're trying to up the ambient temperature so that the more active microbes can get to work. But most people whose yards freeze over the winter don't really care what their compost pile does during the winter, either, and just wait for spring.<BR/><BR/>In fact, I keep my bins in the shade because during the summer, direct sun quickly dries them out too much.<BR/><BR/>So anyway, I'm guessing that your pile did nothing because (a) it was winter and too cold or (b) it was too dry.<BR/><BR/>Ha, see, I can talk about compost as much or more than dog agility. Just get me started! I dare you!<BR/><BR/>-ellenElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01827436807468320435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-55649839935589350972008-05-08T17:19:00.000-07:002008-05-08T17:19:00.000-07:00You got me laughing with your comments about wanti...You got me laughing with your comments about wanting to earn the next level, lol. Nah, you're not competitive in the least.<BR/><BR/>I love that little cartoon wormy -- so cute!<BR/><BR/>My compost bin died this year... finally dismantled the thing because it didn't get any sun, and I thought I read somewhere that compost piles need at least a bit of sun? What little sun my yard gets goes to the vegetable garden. Fortunately my municipality will be starting up a curbside organics collection in the next year or two. I'd rather compost at home, but until I buy that nice big yard with the attached house...Muttsandaklutzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05551047401085562752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-74019821126159749742008-05-08T12:00:00.000-07:002008-05-08T12:00:00.000-07:00Yeah, I'll bet it is! Some people do it that way--...Yeah, I'll bet it is! Some people do it that way--just move their bin to a different place each year and plant where the bin was the previous year.<BR/><BR/>-ellenElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01827436807468320435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-6366281221296426782008-05-08T11:40:00.000-07:002008-05-08T11:40:00.000-07:00I have a compost bin in my yard and I dutifully pu...I have a compost bin in my yard and I dutifully put my kitchen & yard waste in it then completely forget to ever harvest the good stuff out of the bottom. The soil under the composter must be amazing stuff.Elaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com