Homeschoolers & Composting: I am hoping to start a compost...HELP!?

Question

Hi Homeschoolers! I just posted a question about a homeschooling unit for gardening this spring, and what your plans are. Then, it occured to me, that I didn't ask about COMPOSTING.

Are any of you avid composters?

If so, how do you start- remember...I am FRUGAL... so it needs to be budget concscience!!!??

If you don't have one, yet... are you planning on one this spring? If so, did you find any resources particularly helpful in your planning?

Thanks...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AuvjqCq7coF0TXTyeTdMg8jsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080312160721AA8DHa2

this will link you to the other Homeschoolers & Spring Garden Unit Planning that I just asked...in case you want to check it out also!

Answer 1

We just started throwing our leaves and yard clippings from the fall in a pile and dug it up as needed. This way its free! Have fun!

Answer 2

We have two plastic bins for uncooked vegetable matter and shredded paper (be sure to alternate layers or thinks like kitchen waste and grass clippings can turn into slime), a digester for all the cooked foods, meat and other nasties, and open weave hessian leaf bags for  the mass of leaves that come off the oak tree as they take too long to break down to put them in the main compost bins. We never did anything special with the compost bins, the worms just found their way in then multiplied like crazy.

Answer 3

We have two compost areas, the one with the vegatable clippings and other things that might attract pests is on the other side of our pasture.  We drive over to it and dump the compost into a pit that we dug with a backhoe.

The other is a huge pile of coffee grounds and yard clippings, we just put those directly on the garden spot to till under when its time.  (We get used coffee grounds from a local Espresso shop.)

Answer 4

We used old railroad ties to box off an area. We threw in leaves and some grass clippings (usually use three parts brown for one part green) The green is important for decomposition, heats the pile up so everything moves quickly. No sticks, that makes it tough to break down. We water ours really thoroughly twice a year, but we live in a dry area.

We turn our pile early in the spring, but that's not really necessary. You can just dig down and get the good stuff from the bottom to put around your plants. Get of freecycle or ask neighbors when they are remodeling for wood to do block it off. Air is important, so if you want to get wire, it is good, but we liked the natural look of wood.

Answer 5

Use chicken wire and bend it into a circle 18"-2' in diameter. Tie it off with plastic fence ties and set it on end so that you hava a tube. Put your compost materials into the tube and let nature take it's course.