Saturday 23 January 2016

The Three Hole Composter

You already know I'm a simple soul given to small, some might say odd, pleasures. Here is more proof. My favourite activity at this time of year is flinging compost from one side of this baby to the other.




Hole one , on your left is the current compost pile, middle is last year, the right was empty until I started filling it with the contents from the middle. 

left, normally this would be covered with soil, straw or seaweed to prevent scavenging by wildlife

middle-way too compacted
sieved: largish holes
The left side will be moved into the centre and layered a little more scientifically with about 25 ish ratio carbon to nitrogen and then left to cook until next year. Note to self-get out there and aerate once or twice! The "new" compost will be used this year, I added some bokashi (for good bacteria) and some lime, as our soil is acid. It may break down a little more but is perfectly usable right now. The now empty left side will become the current toss pile.

Meanwhile my partner in the simple life was creating the foundation for the new greenhouse.

dig, man, dig-I want that thing up by March 1.

I hope you are all having just as much fun. 


13 comments:

  1. A new greenhouse - you lucky duck!! I will watch with interest (and a little envy).

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    1. It's utilitarian but nonetheless perfect for puttering.

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  2. Yay! A new greenhouse! Can't wait to see it! I have one that looks very utilitarian, but I dream of a lovely one made of glass and wrought iron. Maybe one day...

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    1. I would love one like you see in the stately homes of England. Ours is a no frills job.

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  3. Compost and a greenhouse!! Woo hoo!!

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    1. I know, quite giddy about the whole thing.

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  4. Such a really nice composter - can't wait to see your new greenhouse project!

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    1. It is a really nice composter when all the turning is done and I can stand back to admire it.

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  5. My portable greenhouse collapsed a few years ago, never to be replaced. You are very lucky to have a partner who will build you one.

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    1. Ours is meant to be portable but we need a foundation so we can tie it down securely due to the high winds we get here on the coast. The foundation is currently full of water from the last storm. Fingers crossed it will be up by March so I can start growing things.

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  6. SO much fun! I would be happily flinging if I could have a compost shed like that!!! And a greenhouse???? How awesome is that! Wishing you all good things this week! Nicole xoxo

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  7. Wish I could trust a greenhouse not getting blown away. Experimenting with pots covered with plastic this winter, but it's not really a greenhouse, mostly a winter holding station for greens. I'm a really lazy compost maker. I keep it in a wire barrel through the growing season then bury it all for the winter to cook with some accelerator. By spring I dig it into my potato patch up on the cliff (I gave up on the quinoa experiment, the critters liked it too much). - Margy

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  8. Good for you. Yours is definitely a lot of work -- I know from having used this type many years ago. We ended up buying a couple black 'composters' and I found this system worked better for me as long as I did stir it up once in a while. We always added lots of leaves to ours each fall, with a good stir and the resulting compost was divine. Bravo to you -- I admire you for all the hard work you're doing to create your lovely black gold.

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