What to add to compost heap?

[Cheech]

I want to make a big compost heap, but I'm not sure what nitrogen source I can find in suitable quantities. I can get plenty of sawdust from a sawmill for carbon, but my household scraps and grass cuttings just aren't enough. Can anyone give me some pointers as to what to use and where I can find it (I live in southern Tasmania)

[notgail]

Wouldn't hurt to buy a big bag of dynamic lifter and throw a heap (half icecream container) on the compost ever few weeks. Dynamic Lifter is organic and full of nitrogen. Good for folage growth. I do this for all my pot plants. (not pot at the moment) they love it. I haven't used potting mix for years - everything goes on the compost except for the dog shit, weeds, sticks. Bones, meat whatever is ok. Just turn the compost over and water regularly and it will work a lot faster. You won't believe how good your rubbish bin will smell when all the rot is in the compost doing good. A lot of people whinge about the smell but just cover it with a few grass clippings or whatever and you won't smell nothing.

[Guest woodduck]

A tip , throw a few hand fulls of lime in the comost pile once started .Helps to break compost down quicker.Also go a farm/horse stables and get some horse manure, it is a great source of nitrogen and cheap.

Good luck .

[Guest Urbanhog]

Just becareful when adding grass clippings, they can make the compost real slimy in some cases, just remember if you are going to add grass clippings (specially for cold climates, like Tassie, as I used to live in Tassie for 12 years), use plenty of leaves and hay, etc to make a "buffer" for air flow to prevent the slime in the grass clippings

 

I used have a big compost heap measuring 2 m x 2m x 1.5m high, and it had everything, leftover veggies crappings, my old chicken pen's mess from laying eggs, and when there too much chick poop building up, chuck that in the compost, and heap of leaves from the falling leaves off the tree, since my pop had a muncher, that was a awesome tool, seeing from big branches to be cutted into a pulp!! and also all the plants after the veggeis haverested from the garden, really compost is a "no waste from the garden" all over recycled all over again.

 

My big compost pile was hard work for a hour each week, turning them over and increasing the airflow and the decomposting rate, but it was worth it

 

My tomaotes and pumpkins really loved the compost and I tired to grew Altanic Giant Pumpkins and my biggest one grew to 47 kilos! which unlike these 200+ kilos pumpkins you see at shows and I tired to make pumpkin soup with that and it TASTED LIKE SHIT! these pumpkins are only good for display but not eating.

 

I really strong againist people putting dog and cat droppings in composts, they bore too much diseases and shit like that. But any other farm animals no worries.

 

Also if you used normal grass hays for buffer, etc, just remember if the compost didn't get heated up properly you could end up have more grass weeds in the garden due the heat not properly raised to kill the grass seeds.

 

just anther tip.

 

Have fun with your compost, cheers Urbanhog

 

P.S. also if you have live worms at your nearest nursey, grab a box of live worms, and just chuck them in the compost, and some in the garden aswell, and let these little buggers do the hard work while you sit back and have a bong