COMPOST!!!

We undertook the semi big task of moving compost this weekend. Over the winter we left our summer compost alone and started a winter compost near the door and porch to ensure continued and plentiful composting. Now that the weather is so nice the winter compost was ready to be moved away from the door!

I started by emptying the summer one out, and here is the winter compost. easy to take apart! when it was half frozen the vegetable clippings and hay were halfway up the structure. Just since the weather has been nice it decreased significantly.

Shawn is hosing down the summer compost, it needs just a little more breaking down before we can use it in the garden. we will leave it in a pile and cover it with a tarp, this way we can turn it often and speed up the last stretch of composting.

So I got half of the compost moved. The whole time I am layering the compost like a lasagna, a gross lasagna mind you. we had a high concentration of vegetable clippings and needed to break them up to make the compost work well. So we are turning and mixing in the hay and leaves, adding a thin layer of lime more vegetable, more hay , composted cow manure, move vegetable clippings, more hay, and now the center of the pile will get some worms! To make the transition to the compost easier I moved the worm bucket from the basement to the porch a couple weeks ago, it can get close to freezing and they will be fine if they are cushioned properly. 

 

I layed down extra manure to make sure they area I drop them will stay moist and the added a big helping of vegetable clippings on top!

 There they are running from the sun, look at that rich soil they are making in the worm bucket!

Now that they are in their new home they will take care of this compost very quickly.

Compost is done for now and also here is the limestone powder we use.