Tips on Composting

[QUAIL72]

I've found a place out behind my home where someone has dumped the straw, hay, goat manure mixture cleaned from stalls.It's already broke down considerably and looks like it's half way to being compost. Is this good to add to my compost pile and if so in what ratio.

[Moncantha]

I find grass makes the compost too acidic.

[bjusticeforever]

@Moncantha Then throw in some wood ashes - the 'lye' in it will take care of that problem but NOT CHARCOAL ASHES! They contain compounds you don't want in the garden. Wood ashes will raise the pH. We don't have to worry about that in central Texas; the soil has an extremely high pH here.

[takadi]

I find that two methods work for neutralizing diseases - bokashi and worms.

[montanahenchmen]

dude your awesome....

I never knew what disiesed plants were...

[Illchangeitlater]

But what if the leaves are poison? like potsiana leaves or nym tree leaves??

[mreisma]

actually the seeds would be cooked in the compost pile

[sharonclyon]

I tried this one year with leaves in my garden. All the tomato plants got diseased yellow leaves with patches of brown. someone told me that the leaves caused fungus to grow on my plants. What did I do wrong. I stacked leaves in wire cages.

[lighteningblossom]

Did you only use leaves? If the leaves had a disease, or if they didn't compost all the way, this could be part of the issue. Additionally, the compost bin needs to include more than just leaves. It should contain a good amount of raw plant scraps from your kitchen, grass clippings as long as you don't spray, other carbon like wood sawdust or chips. This balance of nitrogen fixing items, carbon items and different ph's will create a better compost. Leaves may be too acid for tomatoes alone.

[hailstrm4]

yeah and try mixing the leaves with hay...you need a balance of green materials and brown.... also make sure u turn the compost every week so the materials dont begin to rot.