stimpy asked:


I’m tampering around with my aerated hot composting method, and cat litter has always been on the big list of No-No ingredients. I would assume this is due to the generally store-bought litter composition, and the toxoplasmosis microbes. Assuming you use a pine litter, would it be possible to chuck the litter in a 3-5% peroxide solution for a day, sun-dry, then add to the heap?? I happen to have some pharm grade peroxide, so I can go as high as needed. Or, perhaps a mild bleach solution followed by proper evaporation?

By: Paula Brett

Have you ever thought about what actually happens when things rot? It may be that, like me, you have got confused reading garden books, as they are usually full of vague meanings for words like `stabilised humus’!

Many of you may think that making compost is an unpleasant or difficult process – well, I can assure you, it’s not!

For a fast track way of changing crude organic materials into humus (something resembling soil) read `a compost pile’. The word humus, however, is quite often misunderstood, together with the words organic matter and compost

Making compost is really a very simple process. It can become a natural part of your yard or gardening maintenance if done properly. If you are mowing your lawn or weeding your flower-beds, making compost doesn’t have to take any more effort than bagging up your garden waste.

To me, astounding as it may sound, handling well-made compost is actually a very pleasant experience. Don’t but put off by compost’s `dirty, nasty’ origins. There is little similarity between the healthy-smelling black or brown, crumbly substance dug out of a compost pile and the garbage, leaves, manure, grass clippings and other waste products from which it began.

To define composting precisely, it means ‘enhancing the consumption of crude organic matter by a complex ecology of biological decomposition organisms.’ Many raw organic materials are eaten and re-eaten by thousands of tiny organisms from the smallest (bacteria) to the largest (earthworms).

The components are altered gradually and recombined. Unfortunately, many gardeners use the terms compost, organic matter, and humus as interchangeable identities. However, there are important differences in meaning that need to be explained.

This organic matter food gardeners are vitally concerned with is actually formed by growing plants that manufacture the substances of life. Most organic molecules are very large and complex – inorganic materials are much simpler. Of course, animals can break down, reassemble and destroy organic matter but the one thing they cannot do is create it.

Only plants can make organic materials like proteins, cellulose, and sugars and they produce this from inorganic minerals derived from air, water or soil. The elements plants use to build include magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, sodium, cobalt, zine, iron boron, molybdenum, carbon, manganese, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen

Thus, it is organic matter from both land and sea plants that fuels the entire chain of life from worms to whales. Because humans are most familiar with large animals, they rarely stop to consider that the soil is also filled with animal life consuming organic matter or each other.

Our rich earth is crowded with single cell organisms like bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, rotifers and protozoa. Soil life forms increase in complexity to microscopic round worms called nematodes, various kinds of molluscs like slugs and snails (some so tiny the gardener has no idea they are even there), thousands of often microscopic soil-dwelling members of the spider family (arthropods), insects and, of course, the larger soil animals most of us are more familiar with such as moles.

The entire sum of all this organic matter – living plants, decomposing plant materials, and all the animals, living or dead, large and small – is sometimes called biomass. One realistic way to gauge the fertility of any particular soil body is to weigh the amount of biomass it sustains.

Author Lisa Logan asked:


I garden on an upstairs apartment deck, and would like to do a bit of composting. I’ve heard of a method using plastic storage containers, but my deck gets so hot the last one we had out there (for another reason) disintegrated in a few months.

Is there any hope for this tiny-potatoes gardener? I hate throwing away my eggshells, thinnings, and veggie scraps!

By: Vicki Duong

Composting can be a lot of fun for anyone, from avid gardeners to novices alike. But one of the misconstrued beliefs that arise when people think of composting is that it’s the result of smelly garbage that hasn’t been properly disposed of, which in turn is a recipe for pests and all sorts of other trouble. This myth is exactly that, a myth! Contrary to popular belief, composting is an organic process that creates nutrient rich soil, popularly known as black gold, from leftover food scraps and yard waste. If done properly, your compost should not emit a foul odor, but rather a fresh, earthy smell.

To ensure that you will have a successful compost heap and experience, here are a few things to keep in mind before you begin:

Assuming you live in a city or municipality that does not allow open compost heaps, go ahead and invest in a compost bin or compost tumbler. Having one place to add all your organic matter in to will make the composting process much easier, and in most cases will keep the process on a regularly consistent decomposing speed.

The next step is to start collecting organic matter to place into your compost bin. Food scraps such as cut up pieces of fruit rinds, cabbage leaves, vegetable stalks and coffee grounds make for great composting. Coffee grounds are especially excellent for the composting process because they act as activators, which create heat for your compost pile. Just remember to never add meat and dairy products, bones, fats and oils to your compost; these products won’t decompose properly, smell foul after a couple hours, and attract pests. Yard waste such as non-diseased weeds and plants, grass clippings and leaves are essential for your compost since they’re rich in nitrogen.

To nip the problem of pests, rodents and other wildlife rummaging around in your compost right in the butt, here are a few tips to keep in mind. Generally, animals are attracted by the smell of meat, dairy products and fatty foods; adding these items is like giving an open invitation for wildlife to invade your compost. In addition, you should always be sure to have a tight fitting lid on your bin or tumbler so that none of your compost is exposed.

If done correctly, your finished product should smell earthy and not putrid. Once you have enough organic matter, it’s time to add this rich, black gold into your garden’s soil to prolong a fruitful life for your garden. Remember, it’s all a trial and error process, so be sure to have fun!

composter99 asked:


how about the ink on cash register receipts from the store? how about the ink on cereal boxes and other packaging? what about the glue in corrugated cardboard boxes? This compost is for vegetable gardening.