compost pile: day four

Yesterday I decided it was time to turn the pile.  The temperature was dropping just a bit - average of about 130 degrees over several places in the pile.  Plus, I was just anxious to turn it over and see what I would get.  Here is a before picture:

A close up after I knocked down one side:
After I finished turning the entire pile:
And one shot after just beginning the process:
Overall I feel pretty encouraged by the process.  I think I'll have some pretty nice compost in a couple weeks.

The planning process is ongoing.  I'm thinking about building a greenhouse (I don't know how I can avoid it, actually) and I checked out soil block makers online tonight.  Lots to think (and write) about.

p.s. - note to self: get the garlic planted!

compost pile: day two

I know it's the same picture as I posted on Monday, but the pile still looks the same as it did then and I'm too lazy to take and then post a new pic.  

But I did measure the internal temperature: 140 degrees!  Excellent (try to channel Mr. Burns while you say it in your mind).  It should stay that hot for a few more days (I'll be checking it) and as it cools down to about 100 degrees, I'll turn the pile over and repeat the cycle.

compost pile: raw material

Well, about 2/3 of the raw material, in the form of chopped up branches and weeds.  The branches were courtesy of the two trees removed last weekend, the weeds were from the hours of work we've put in clearing out the planting beds around the house. 

Here's a look at the trees as they stood last Saturday:

Then the big pile of branches left after they were chopped down:

And, finally, after a day and a half loading those branches into the limb chipper, having my forearms all scraped up, and getting more dirty than I've been in years, this is the pile we are left with.  It looks pretty small in these photos, but in reality is a big pile:

Next stop: Drake Goat Farms in West Jordan tomorrow afternoon to pick up the goat manure. Then form the pile and turn it every few days.

the deed is done

All weekend long, Mike has been putting me through the guilt treatment for wanting to chop down these trees.  "If you're so green and organic, how can you kill a tree!?"  Fair enough.  We're killing these trees to make room for other trees - ones that will produce fruit, and make our yard look a ton better.  Here are the before and after shots:

I never thought that there would be so many branches.  Here's the pile.  Next stop: Diamond Rental for a wood chipper.  I can't imagine how big the pile of chips will be, and, once the manure and other ammendments are added, how big our compost pile will be.  We'll need it though, 'cause I've been brainstorming again, and more plans are around the corner:

Finally, here's the star of the show, in action.  Karson is Camie's cousin's boyfriend, and is awfully handy with a chainsaw:

garden plan: next several weeks

I don't have anything against fir trees.  I grew up with douglas firs in the pacific northwest.  But this tree, right in the middle of the yard, is neither majestic nor beautiful.  It is awkward and ugly and big.  And it's coming down this weekend, thanks to Camie's cousin's boyfriend, Karson.  It will open up the backyard quite a bit, and good riddance to it.

So that is next on the list.  Once that's done, and we have another huge pile of branches, etc., it's time to rent the limb chipper.  I'm not real thrilled, because it's going to cost probably about $150, but since we're getting the tree cut down for free, I guess it will even things out.

The limb chipper is also going to take care of this pile, which has grown to about 3 times this size since I took this picture:

This process will create a huge pile of mulch ready for composting.  Next week, my plan is to get a couple truck loads of manure, combine it with the mulch, and let nature do its thing.  Hopefully in about a month I'll have a nice compost pile that will feed my garden soil next year.

Also in the next few weeks, it's time to lay out the planting beds and work in some manure to sit over the winter and slowly decompose.  I'm delaying this, though, until the current crops have run their course.  I'm in a bit of a time crunch, too, since the garlic seeds have arrived and need to be planted.  I'd like to have some compost to use by then, too, but I'm not sure exactly how long the compost pile will take to decompose.  So we'll just proceed one step at a time and see how it goes.

compost pile: getting started

I am reading a terrific book - Step by Step Organic Vegetable Gardening by Shepherd Ogden.  It's about 15 years old, but in the world of organic gardening, it makes it that much better.  I highly recommend it.

I have officially started my compost pile today.  Here is how I'm doing it.  In this photo, on the back right corner of the garden, you can see a wall of leaves - vines hanging down from telephone pole support wires.

In this photo, that wall of leaves and vines is in a big pile on the ground because I ripped them all down today.

Here's a closeup of the pile.  It is large, and there's some big branches in there.  Also there are all the weeds that I've been pulling up from all over the yard in the past week.  It will continue to grow as I finish up the weeding process this weekend.

Compost principles.

1. Ingredients: fuel, heat, moisture, air
2. Fuel: carbon.  comes from "brown material" like dried out weeds or plants, hay, etc.
3. Heat: nitrogen.  comes from "green material", such as fresh weeds, grass clippings, or manure.
4. Moisture: key word is moist.  Not soaked.
5. Air:  has to be there to feed the process.

I'm doing a quick compost process, which is a bit more labor intensive, but quicker.  My plan is to let all of this stuff I cut down today dry out for about a week, and it will serve as the fuel for the compost.  I may end up renting some sort of grinder/chipper to chop the big stuff into small pieces and allow for faster composting.  Then, I'm getting a truckload of goat manure (free of charge) and will mix the manure (nitrogen source, green material, heat) with the clippings (carbon source, brown material, fuel) in about a 1:4-5 ratio.  

In about thirty days, after keeping it moist and turning it regularly to allow fresh air to enter, I should have compost.  It will be ready to use then, but I'll wait to use it until the spring, working it into the soil just before setting out the seedlings.