Hi Stephen,
Thank you for your long and detailed reply. I don't check my email with pe=
rfect regularity, and it's taken a while to reply.
Is "za" Zaire? Zimbabwe?
1. Compost requires a fair amount of water, especially in summer. Make yo=
ur piles fairly big and if its beyond about 1 m high and two wide ( but as =
long as you like) you may need chimneys to get some air circulation. Use re=
eds but not plastic pipes for the chimneys as they melt.You may then also n=
eed to place a bed of reeds below the pile to also help the air flow. This =
way you minimize your surface area. Cover you compost with a layer of loose=
straw about 100mm thick. You can also make a frame to cover the pile leavi=
ng about 100mm clearance between the compost pile and the frame and a small=
air gap between the frame and the ground. Then cover the frame with 90% sh=
ade cloth. You can cut down your watering to once a week even if outside te=
mp. is 40 degrees C and humidity very low. Its the wind and the sun you wan=
t to keep off the pile.
The loose pile of straw sounds like a great idea. I'll pass that one on =
to my worm farmer friend too.
2. Alternatively you can make vermicompost in a 200lt drum, preferably pl=
astic. This system uses virtually no water as the drum has a layer of litte=
r on top to keep it moist and insulated. Also, if you keep a basin under th=
e drum but with a few bricks in to keep the drum out of any water, then you=
can re-use the water when you have added too much and it has run through t=
he vermicompost. Just don't put the worms in before the drum has cooled aft=
er putting material in and watering. If the material is fresh it will heat =
up for a few days depending.
I have seen kits based on a wheeled 200 litre garbage bin.
3. Start your compost pile just before winter so the thermofilic stage, w=
hich uses more water, will be over by summer. I presume you also have a Med=
iterranean climate, winter rain, summer hell.
Yes.
4. You can even include dags or lox2 in your pile although watch out for =
sheep dung after dosing. If the anthelmentic dose kills worm, it will affec=
t the pile.
We like to give our manure time to age out the wormer dose.
5. A nice pile that works well is 1 part dung/manure (or chicken litter) =
to 7 parts wheat straw with about 5% lime to get the ph up. Then in August =
you can make a pile with green material and possibly add the two piles toge=
ther. I presume you have little green material now. Wood shavings works wel=
l as does grape skins and stems. I have various recipes that have worked fo=
r me. Grape skins and stems actually can be used on its own with just lots =
of lime. Pips can take a while to digest.
What we have huge amounts of (say, output around 10 cubic metres a week) =
is horse manure mixed with wood shavings. This is output from an agistment=
stable. Elaine Ingham said what we needed to mix with that was something =
green waste. I don't think the sawdust seems to work as green at all for u=
s. We don't really have any green waste in quantities near our manure/sawd=
ust output.
Thanks for the email.
Best wishes,
John
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Received on Sat Mar 12 2005 - 01:03:13 EST