Friendly Groups

Composting? I want to start composting, any tips, is there any ratios from water to food??

How does composting work? How do the microorganisms in the compost break down the material in there? Do the microogranisms just appear in the compost if the environment of the compost is correct? What temperature should the compost be? How can I make my own compost? Would it work if I had like a small box or something and I add whatever I need to add in there. I'm doing a science fair experiment on it and I want an easy and inexpensive way to create some sort of mini compost bin/tumbler. Thanks so much if you have ANY information on composting and please help on telling me any information on MAKING a mini compost bin/tumbler.

What to use in my kitchen to hold composting trash? I want to start composting items to make compost with. What can I use in my kitchen to store leftover compost in?

I am wanting to start composting, how do I get started and what do I need to start inexpensively? what type of materials can be used for composting and what should not be used?

What is a quicker way to speed up composting process? My boyfriend's mother did an organic "no dig" garden last year and she now has leaves and fruits and vegetable peels on the garden composting creating new soil for the coming season. However, a lot of the compost is still leaves and other bric-a-brac, not decomposed yet. Any way to help and speed up the process?

How can I easily & inexpensively get started composting? I want to start composting, or at least try it out & see if it is something that I can get the other members of my household to participate with. I spoke to someone at a garden center and was recommended a plastic composting bin for $90. Can composting be done, at a very small scale, in a regular plastic container while we try it out to see if composting is for us? Any other advice for a beginner is also welcome. Thanks!

Collecting food waste in kitchen for composting - what do you do? We want to collect food scraps in the kitchen for composting in the yard. What is the best solution for collecting the food waste so that you can periodically take it out? We don't want something stinky or icky that might attract bugs. Are there any good products? Thanks!

Where can I get an inexpensive Composting Bin in Bergen County, NJ? I am interested in doing more for the environment. I want to start using a composting bin to create some "good dirt" for around my yard, but the bins online and in catalogs are a bit pricey for my tight budget. Having a fence-type compost pile in my yard is not very feasible for my situation. Where can I get a compost bin in Bergen County, NJ, without spending a lot of money?

How can I use worms for composting in a hot climate? I want to start worm composting, and our winter temperatures are mild, but we are over 90 degrees in the summer. Are there any special worms that can handle the hot climate?

Do you have a composting toilet attached to your home? I was reading about a cohousing community in which all? the units had composting toilets - however, when I've used them on hikes they've been kind of smelly (though much less than a traditional outhouse!) and not something I would like attached to my house. I also have friends who are reusing their waste by composting it with layers of sawdust. Have you done this?

How much time and effort does composting take? I travel a lot for work, but would like to start composting. I'm typically gone 4 or 5 days a week. Can I still compost successfully?

Can I use an old concrete well as a composting pit? I have an old rectangular (5'L x 3'W x 4'D) well in my back yard that i discovered. It is not filled with water, but seems to have a mud/dirt bottom. I am wondering if this would be suitable for a composting pit for things like grass, branches or any yard material. If so, do I need to do anything to prepare it?

I live in the Northeast and would like to start a composting pile. How do I keep the stuff over the winter? It won't decompose if its frozen. Or is composting a seasonal thing?

What is a good temperature for composting? I made a barrel composter and would like to know about composting correctly to keep the nutrients from burning.

How to make an indoor composting bin? I live in tropical country BTW? I wanna build a composting bin but I don't have a garden / yard because I live in an apartment. Is there any composting solution for me for indoor? BTW I live in a tropical country, which means that there's a lot of ants and little critters such as roaches, geckos, etc. thanks for all of you who responded. Alternatively, if I put it on my outdoor balcony instead of indoor, which composting option is the best?

Can I put my daffodils & bulbs in the composting bin? I have dug up my daffodils as I want to plant something else in the bed. Is it ok to put the stems & bulbs in my composting bin? Or will I end up with daffodils sprouting up everywhere when I eventually use the compost? As you can tell I am a composting novice!

Where can I find worms used in composting? Not long ago, I heard about some worms used in composting, but I don't know the name of the worms and I surely don't know where to get them. Can anyone tell me about these worms and will I have to wait until spring to get some. These worms eat and digest the waste you turn into compost and it's suppose to be better than composting without the worms.

Is a composting toilet good for your garden? What is the purpose of a composting toilet? Other than being really really gross.

When you are composting with worms how do you keep the worms warm? I am composting for our school and we are wondering how to keep the worms warm in the winter if you have an outdoor compost bin.

Can a composting toilet be electricity free? If one ran a hot woodstove exhaust pipe through or near a composting toilet with a hand crank, could one get by without using electricity?

Vegetable composting: is it safe to compost the ink on paper coming from computer printers? 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.

When composting coffee grounds can you throw the filter in there too? Even if it is a bleached filter? Or should I switch to non-bleached filters in order to compost them.

Has anyone ever heard of Green Composting or has ever made a Green Compost? I’ve heard that it’s composting without manure or any other animal stuff, it only uses plants for compost. I’m asking because I’d like to know how to make a Green Compost. Thanks! (I only want to know organic methods ok people!)

How can I speed up the composting process? I have a composter at home, into which I put all my fruit and veg peelings, egg shells, egg boxes, teabags etc. I was wondering if there is anything I can do to accelarate the decomposition process so that I can use my compost this spring? I have been filling the thing since last easter, how long will it take until the compost is ready to use? I would be grateful for any tips. Thank you!

How do I get my composting going in the winter? I live in a Northern Area and it seems to cold to composte.

Can I use a plastic container to store kitchen scraps for composting? Such as a tupperware or rubbermaid container. The scraps would be kept there 2-3 days, tops.

How to get started on composting? Am I supposed to dig a hole and just throw some banana peels and dried leaves in there or what?

Is there an easy guide to composting? I bought a bin. And I keep putting raw food, eggshells, and cardboard rolls from toliet tissue in there. But it all just seems to still be there. Am I doing something wrong? I would really appreciate the help as I am really trying to make a go of this.

Can a garbage diposal have a possitive affect on the environment as opposed to composting? I use a garbage disposal but, I am thinking about starting to compost.I was just wondering what the adverse affects are of the garbage disposal.

Where do you find/buy composting worms? Other than gardening supply stores, where's a good place to buy or find composting worms, specifically red wiggler worms or European nightcrawlers. I live near DC

Where is the best place to buy redworms for composting food scraps? I placed an order one month ago via one website an acquaintance recommended. They still haven't shipped my order but charged my debit card. I just demanded my money back and order cancellation.

Is there a way to accelerate shallow-pile, open-air composting of dead leaves? I live on the edge of a forest and use a leaf blower to blow dead oak leaves off my cleared land and back to the edge of the forest. Raking them up and trashing them would be a constant, herculean task in which I am not willing to engage. So at the back of my property on the edge of the forest is a pile of leaves 3-4 inches deep. I water them to keep them damp and rotting, but is there any way to accelerate the process? If I were to spread an enzyme on them, like that used in septic tanks for instance, would that make them rot faster? Anyone have any other suggestions?

I want to start composting can I use waste from our bunny,hamster?

What is the role of composting in improving soil? Indicate what it does and how it is effective and why one would want to improve soil in the first place.

How do I make a composting bin? I have a garbage can and want to know if i should drill holes, if so where? What do you put in it? and how many worms should I put in it?

Is it possible to eliminate garbage pick up through recycling and composting (and some burning)? What will I do with used Kitty Litter and light bulbs, for example?

Composting for beginners? I am interested in composting. I want to put a bin in my kitchen and some sort of composting contraption in my backyard. I can see this getting a little smelly and gross if I do it incorrectly. Do I have to put composted material into the ground? Or can I spread it where we have particularly weak/problem soil? Or will that stink out my neighbors? I would appreciate any sites or helpful tips... and receptical suggestions (I am on a budget so nothing too crazy.) Thanks!

what materials are good for composting? i'm thinking about using coffee grounds...what other choices do i have?

How to set up a composting system? Economically.

Where can I buy red wiggler composting worms in Dallas, TX? I want to add some to my garden. Will I have to send away for them?

Has fortnightly rubbish collection in the UK increased composting in your area? I've no choice as the leaves / grass wont fit in my bin anymore.

How would a person go about composting table scraps - and not ending up with a pile of stinky food? how to compost? things like left-over food, fruit and vegetable peelings, coffee grounds. thanks!

Planting potatoes in a composting bin? I have aquired a lidless compost bin. it is about 1 meter high and wider at the bottom than the top. I'd like to grow potatoes for a late autumn crop. Someone said you can put some seed potatoes in the base and then add more compost as the leaves grow through and then add more seed potatoes in layers. Would this work? and would it be a good way of maximising the space? I don't have enough garden to plant them in the usual way.

How to set up a kid-friendly composting system?

What is your favorite worm composting bin? What is your favorite brand or type of worm compost bin and why? What do you like/not like about it? Thank you

For composting can I put vegetables with seeds in the bin? I'm thinking like tomatoes or cucumbers? Or do I have to remove the seeds before I compost them? If I leave the seeds in won't I have little tomato and cucumber plants growing in the bin?

what is one of the common forms of composting? i need help, what are the advantages and disadvantages?

Where to purchase worms for composting at home and school Educational discount?

what do you need to start composting at home on a small scale?

Can I speed the composting process using Hydrogen peroxide? I was wondering, since the microbes that break down compost the fastest are aerobic, would adding hydrogen peroxide speed up the process?

What is "ground newspaper" for use in composting or pet litter? How do I make it myself?

Ideas on how to start composting? I've asked this question already, but I think I need more ideas. Ideally I'd like this compost pile to be in the ground, I'm not trying to create fertile soil or anything, I just hate throwing biodegrable things away. So what do I do?

Who invented the composting toilet, and in what year?

I learn how to do tea composting at work but I want to do it at my home!! Where do I get the stuff??

how can i make a cheap bin for compost pile? tell me what u know about composting? tell me everything u know about compost. I'm trying to find a way to make a compost bin that costs me almost nothing, i have some junk wood, i might use it, but i don't want it to fall apart quickly....thanks