Kitchen Compost

Storing finished vermicompost/castings?

Kitchen Compost — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:38:16 +0000

My vermicompost bin is almost all castings/vermicompost and I want to harvest it so I don’t kill my worms (I heard it was bad if the worms lived in that kind of environment for too long). The problem is, it’s still a little while until I can start gardening over the summer so I have no where to put my castings! Does anyone have any experience in storing vermicompost/castings? I live in an apartment so I don’t have a garage or basement to put it in to store/dry. Has anyone ever dried it by baking it at a very low temperature in the oven? Any information would be appreciated!
Because vermicompost/castings are so wet and bacteria filled, I feel that a container would just make it soggy or would promote rotting? Have you ever stored vermicompost/castings in a container? Did you seal it? Did you have to stir it at all allowing for oxygen to get in?

.Try placing in a container

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What are the prevailing trend of composting?

Kitchen Compost — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:07:25 +0000

Information needed particularly in the lines of:
- trend of composter usage
- pros and cons of the process and of the outcome product
- alternate means of handling wastes (food and organic wastes in particular) instead of using composters

I’m hoping to have a clearer standing of composting around the world and the feasibility of its use.
Thank you in advance!

Here in Las Vegas, Nevada many homeowner associations will not allow compost bins, perhaps fears of fire from heating up or odor issues. So the trench method of composting works well for improving desert soil which is mostly clay and sand.

The trench method of composting is digging a trench about 12 inches into the soil, laying in your kitchen peelings, coffee grounds, tea bags, grass clippings and leaves and then just cover the hole back up. It will decompose in the ground without any smell and improve the soil. We have reduced the amount of waste going to the landfill, got some exercise and added humus to our garden area. Our garden is getting better all the time. Here are some pictures and if you want more info.
http://www.doweb4u.com/las_vegas_gardens.htm

Desert Rose Care & Info?

Kitchen Compost — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:07:14 +0000

I have one desert rose plant in my pot and i am new for it ,….i do not know about this plant so any one tell me how to grow fast and some care tips

How to use vermicompost for this plant?

Size of vermicompost add in a regular cycle?

This plant has flower in this time also tell me this is an evergreen flower??

I have found regular potting soil from garden centers works well. Do not over pot. The plant blooms better if somewhat root bound and it is less likely to be over watered as well. I have found my leaves turn yellow with both over and under watering. To large of a container will make it hard to do the right thing. They are a desert plant as the name implies, however I found they require more water than most cactus that I have. I treat mine like most of my succulents however this summer I had to water almost as frequent as I did with plumerias. More damage will result in over watering than under watering. To little water will result in very slow growth. Mine is still blooming and is about 3′ x 2′ x 3′ high. Spring will bring the most blooms. Most winters like plumeria desert rose shed most of their leaves. edit: They require a dormant period. It is unusual for mine to be blooming now. I speculate it was all the super bloom plant food I was feeding this summer. What ever mix you use be sure in drains well.

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What would be the best type of toilet to use for a moon base, composting toilet or incinerating toilet?

Kitchen Compost — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:12:19 +0000

I think that composting toilet would be best because you end up with fertilizer for growing crops and such but the incinerating toilet greatly reduces waste by turning everything into ash. What is your opinion.

P.s. Sorry about the poop related question.

Both composting and incinerating require oxygen; it takes a lot of energy to get oxygen from moon rocks. The best type of toilet would be the freeze-drying type. You should recover every drop of moisture for reuse and dump the rest in the nearest crater.

After it piles up for a few years, you might have the capability of recycling precious minerals that would otherwise have to be brought from Earth.

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What kind of paper among other things can I use in composting?

Kitchen Compost — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:57:18 +0000

I like to know what paper can I use in composting, I was told that I can add newspaper, but can I use magazine paper I was told that that type of paper can’t be recycled. I also what to know is can I add alon with fresh soil, newspaper can I actually add cat poo as well? Were I live has very hard dried soil, what to in rich it, along with aerating it but top soil, mulch I I want to make sure I doing composting correctly so maybe I can plant something next year.

envelopes without the plastic window…. junk mail, as long as it’snot the shiny paper stuff… shredded newspaper…. no shiny ads…. tea bags, coffee filters, paper napkins, paper towels if not used with bleach or disinfectant type chemicals…. notebook paper….. post – it notes…. paper cups from water dispenser, party paper goodies…. tea boxes cardboard, cardboard from cereal boxes, torn into strips….

here’s a good site to learn from…Composting 101

http://www.google.com/search?q=composting+101&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1

http://www.mastercomposter.com/

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Composting has the benefit of reducing methane created in landfills?

Kitchen Compost — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:16:18 +0000

Can you explain this concept? I would have guessed the backyard
compost would create an equal amount of methane.
Some experts are calling a reduction in methane a side benefit to backyard composting.

I can imagine a couple things, but they are pretty stupid.
First, the methane is not produced in a landfill. It still gets produced, but some bean counter can’t point to it, exactly, so the government might think it is less.
Second, it might be converted to CO2 more than in a landfill. The possibility is that worms might eat it and they exhale CO2, so net effect is less methane, more CO2. Sounds good because methane is "worse" than CO2, but the reality is methane will convert to CO2 in the atmosphere, so it really doesn’t matter.

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What are the disadvantages of composting?

Kitchen Compost — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:14:19 +0000

I am doing a project for my Environmental Science class and we have to find the disadvantages of composting.

The benefits can easily be found, but does anyone know any disadvantages of composting, particularly with bagasse being used as food containers? The UC Berkeley cafeteria uses bagasse composts as food containers.

Thank you everyone!

I have a compost in my backyard and there are a few disadvantages.

1. It smells bad.
2. It attracts pests, flies, mosquitoes.
3. Could become a health hazard.
4. Animals (bears, wolves, coyotes, etc.) come and eat the food or remains.
5. You need a safe quiet place to use as a compost area (if you using a open one). Mainly because you neighbors might not like the smell.

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Can I put fruits and veggies in a styrofoam container before composting?

Kitchen Compost — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 23:33:21 +0000

I am trying to find something around my house to put my daily fruit and veggie scraps in so at the end of the day I can bring it all out to the compost. The only thing I can think would be big enough that I have lying around is one of those styrofoam ice chests. Is it safe to keep them in before composting?

It will make no difference what you keep your waste in prior to putting it on your compost,beware of composting any cooked food as it could encourage vermin If you look in gardening catalogue’s there are buckets made for composting kitchen waste in the kitchen and odour free.I have not tried one myself

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What is a good temperature for composting?

Kitchen Compost — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:08:20 +0000

I made a barrel composter and would like to know about composting correctly to keep the nutrients from burning.

A common misunderstanding about compost piles is that they must be hot to be successful. This just isn’t true. If you have good aeration and moisture, and the proper ingredient mix, your pile will decompose just fine at temperatures of 50 degrees Farenheit or above.

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I live in the Northeast and would like to start a composting pile. How do I keep the stuff over the winter?

Kitchen Compost — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 19:24:18 +0000

It won’t decompose if its frozen. Or is composting a seasonal thing?

compost will break down any time of the year provided you put the work into it . if you’ve got yourself a good compost bin for your part of the world ; it should have an area for air to flow through , and needs a bucket of water every so often with you turning it over once a week . it’s a bit of work but it is well worth it ,the site shouldn’t freeze over to badly (you’d be surprised how much heat can build up in a compost bin ) good luck .