The debate's settled. I have a brand new shiney 4 bin compost complex, constructed from *free* pallets courtesy of my neighbor. I checked several places for pallets in good condition all the same size and the price was $5.00 each. The ones I used are smaller than normal but will work okay. I'm a happy camper! And we've had unusually warm weather the last few weeks. In the immortal words of Emril , "Happy, happy, happy!" And to top everything off my pineapple plant is approaching 2 feet tall. It is my sincerest desire that ya'll have a prosperous New Year.

Dirt

Congratulations!

Dirt Pit,
Welcome to the compost making business!
Sounds like you now have the equipment to go into the compost making business. Your compost bins don't need to be fancy. Just need to contain the ingredients to make your compost. I believe the Good Captains bins are made out of the same material as yours.

Just wish I had a ready supply of greens during the winter months.

Dirt

What about picking up coffee grounds from local cafes? I used to get about four gallons of spent grounds a week. Just a thought.

You can never run out of human urine (45-0-0) as a nitrogen source and microbial activator all year round! (LOL)

If you run out of carbons, you always got office papers, or old 100% cotton rags, all year round.

So, just a thought - is it possible to add too much urine? I almost have my hubby talked into watering the pile for me but it is only about a cubic foot big and he doesn't want it to start stinking. Do ya'll know of any ladies that collect for the sake of the pile? I feel odd discussing this - yuck.

First of all, there is nothing gross or odd about ladies composting urine. It is one of the oldest forms of fertilization known to man. I know several ladies on other websites like GardenWeb.com, that compost their urine and other personal items in their compost piles, if you know what I mean... (LOL)

Second, all natural or synthetic urea contains carbon. Carbon naturally chelates, buffers, and balances nutrients, and prevents other nutrients from being released or used too fast by plants, thus causing plant buring or etc. If urea is mixed with molasses it is perfect for buffering and balancing other nutrients in tea recipes. In the compost pile, because you are suppose to use 2-3 times more browns and plant materials, than greens or animal wastes anyway, there is really no danger of overuse of urine as a nitrogen source or microbial activator in the pile. The ammonia nitrogen gets absorbed fast in the cellulose, lignin, and other heavy carbon sources in the pile.

Thanks for the info Captain Compost. I appreciate your insight. I sure have learned quiet a bit of information on this sight. My poor husband just shakes his head everytime I come up with some new little tidbit.

Thanks again!
Christina

Do pallets hold the compost in ok or do you have to attach some wire product to the inside? Also, what kind of places did you check that sells pallets for $5? I bought some concrete edgers at Home Depot that came on a pallet, they charged me a $20 deposit.

Check around warehouses and farm feed stores, you may find plenty for nothing!

I use my active pallet bins as a starter for mixing, before moving it over to my stockpiles for further cooking and curing. So it's open in the front so I can get in and out with my wheelbarrow. For passive compost bins, you can close your pallet bins up into a closed cube shape.

Should you consider coffee grounds as a "green"

Absolutely! All coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen.

A "Green" is technically any organic matter with a C:N less than 30:1.
A "Brown" is technically any organic matter with a C:N greater than 30:1.

On a non-technical, practical point of view, a "Brown" is any organic matter that if you wet it, and wait 3 days, and it DOESN'T get sloppy, or stinky, or attract flies or maggots. Otherwise it's a "Green".

For example paper, straw, and leaves don't stink nor attract pests, if you wet or them for 3 days.