Comments on: Composing Compost: Fun with Microorganisms http://asymptotia.com/2007/09/30/composing-compost-fun-with-microorganisms/ Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:37:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Tasty Rewards… at Asymptotia http://asymptotia.com/2007/09/30/composing-compost-fun-with-microorganisms/comment-page-1/#comment-134048 Tasty Rewards… at Asymptotia Wed, 27 May 2009 14:45:26 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/09/30/composing-compost-fun-with-bacteria/#comment-134048 [...] varieties too. All aided by the compost I’ve been preparing. Remember? (See here, here and here for fun with microorganisms. Now I come to think of it, the go nicely with the yeast series - here, [...] [...] varieties too. All aided by the compost I’ve been preparing. Remember? (See here, here and here for fun with microorganisms. Now I come to think of it, the go nicely with the yeast series - here, [...]

]]> By: Some of What Matters - Asymptotia http://asymptotia.com/2007/09/30/composing-compost-fun-with-microorganisms/comment-page-1/#comment-83165 Some of What Matters - Asymptotia Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:59:47 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/09/30/composing-compost-fun-with-bacteria/#comment-83165 [...] Composing Compost: Fun With Microorganisms In which I describe my project to start composting rather than throw away so much of the organic material I produce in the garden and the kitchen. There’s step-by-step descriptions of the construction from chicken wire of the containment for the compost making on the one hand, and of the mixing of various types of leaves and other organic matter on the other. The role of microorganisms in the composting process is also mentioned. [...] [...] Composing Compost: Fun With Microorganisms In which I describe my project to start composting rather than throw away so much of the organic material I produce in the garden and the kitchen. There’s step-by-step descriptions of the construction from chicken wire of the containment for the compost making on the one hand, and of the mixing of various types of leaves and other organic matter on the other. The role of microorganisms in the composting process is also mentioned. [...]

]]> By: What Matters? - Asymptotia http://asymptotia.com/2007/09/30/composing-compost-fun-with-microorganisms/comment-page-1/#comment-82861 What Matters? - Asymptotia Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:04:51 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/09/30/composing-compost-fun-with-bacteria/#comment-82861 [...] I jokingly thought a few months ago that I ought to just look at my last few blog posts the day before and just talk about what’s in those. What can I see… Well, there’s public transport, community and the environment, composting and gardening, science and television (and scientific honesty). Not bad. (Good thing I did not do that post on dating. Probably not a good topic for WMMW…) I can probably weave something out of those. Do I blog about those things by accident, or because there are some themes there that are being brought out? What are the big themes in those then? Random scattered thoughts follow…. Access. [...] [...] I jokingly thought a few months ago that I ought to just look at my last few blog posts the day before and just talk about what’s in those. What can I see… Well, there’s public transport, community and the environment, composting and gardening, science and television (and scientific honesty). Not bad. (Good thing I did not do that post on dating. Probably not a good topic for WMMW…) I can probably weave something out of those. Do I blog about those things by accident, or because there are some themes there that are being brought out? What are the big themes in those then? Random scattered thoughts follow…. Access. [...]

]]> By: More Encounters On the Road Less Travelled - Asymptotia http://asymptotia.com/2007/09/30/composing-compost-fun-with-microorganisms/comment-page-1/#comment-82779 More Encounters On the Road Less Travelled - Asymptotia Tue, 02 Oct 2007 05:28:34 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/09/30/composing-compost-fun-with-bacteria/#comment-82779 [...] « Composing Compost: Fun with Microorganisms [...] [...] « Composing Compost: Fun with Microorganisms [...]

]]> By: Carl Brannen http://asymptotia.com/2007/09/30/composing-compost-fun-with-microorganisms/comment-page-1/#comment-82707 Carl Brannen Mon, 01 Oct 2007 22:17:36 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/09/30/composing-compost-fun-with-bacteria/#comment-82707 In the biofuels industry, there has been a <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/05/25/landfill.gas/index.html" rel="nofollow">surprising amount of progress</a> in collecting gasses from garbage and separating out the natural gas. This is becoming a fairly common industrialized process, and chemical engineers are considering it as a method of disposing of various things that otherwise would be harmful to the environment. Given that methane is a greenhouse gas, if one's city garbage is used as landfill with a natural gas collection system, I suppose one could decrease one's greenhouse footprint by putting the food scraps out with the trash. But I don't know if there is an easy way to find out if this is done in one's own neighborhood. In the biofuels industry, there has been a surprising amount of progress in collecting gasses from garbage and separating out the natural gas. This is becoming a fairly common industrialized process, and chemical engineers are considering it as a method of disposing of various things that otherwise would be harmful to the environment.

Given that methane is a greenhouse gas, if one’s city garbage is used as landfill with a natural gas collection system, I suppose one could decrease one’s greenhouse footprint by putting the food scraps out with the trash. But I don’t know if there is an easy way to find out if this is done in one’s own neighborhood.

]]> By: Clifford http://asymptotia.com/2007/09/30/composing-compost-fun-with-microorganisms/comment-page-1/#comment-82662 Clifford Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:45:35 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/09/30/composing-compost-fun-with-bacteria/#comment-82662 I'm entirely staying away from meat products (cooked or uncooked) in my compost. Using all veggie matter. Cheers, -cvj I’m entirely staying away from meat products (cooked or uncooked) in my compost. Using all veggie matter.

Cheers,

-cvj

]]> By: spyder http://asymptotia.com/2007/09/30/composing-compost-fun-with-microorganisms/comment-page-1/#comment-82661 spyder Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:34:38 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/09/30/composing-compost-fun-with-bacteria/#comment-82661 There is always the aroma to consider. This is controllable by choosing what constitutes compost from the kitchen scrapings. The more complex of my organic gardening friends tend to run two or three different piles--and variations on those as the piles tend towards humus--for different "substrates" of decomposition. The most common example would be to have a veggie (preferred vegan and raw materials) only unit, and then a high-end nitrogen one (stinky but cooks pretty hot) where meat and other table scraps go. Odors (some offensive, some not so bad) arise from the choices of how to use coffee grounds, egg shells, seafood calcium remnants (shells or bones), and can be quite complicated. Likewise the acceptance of how many legumes you want a pile to breakdown at one time determines the "flavor." Obviously meat in its various forms (fat, bones, leftovers, no longer safe, etc.) is a consideration (yes even for organic farmers) that affects tremendously the sanctity of the neighbors deodorizers. I know people who throw in a variety of animal feces (from poultry through dogs), and even those (a surprisingly high number) who add urine (keeping it out of the outhouses for the most part). One note, if you do choose to compost different bases put up some signs, so that when friends house-sit and/or visit, they put the right stuff in with the right stuff. There is always the aroma to consider. This is controllable by choosing what constitutes compost from the kitchen scrapings. The more complex of my organic gardening friends tend to run two or three different piles–and variations on those as the piles tend towards humus–for different “substrates” of decomposition. The most common example would be to have a veggie (preferred vegan and raw materials) only unit, and then a high-end nitrogen one (stinky but cooks pretty hot) where meat and other table scraps go.

Odors (some offensive, some not so bad) arise from the choices of how to use coffee grounds, egg shells, seafood calcium remnants (shells or bones), and can be quite complicated. Likewise the acceptance of how many legumes you want a pile to breakdown at one time determines the “flavor.” Obviously meat in its various forms (fat, bones, leftovers, no longer safe, etc.) is a consideration (yes even for organic farmers) that affects tremendously the sanctity of the neighbors deodorizers. I know people who throw in a variety of animal feces (from poultry through dogs), and even those (a surprisingly high number) who add urine (keeping it out of the outhouses for the most part). One note, if you do choose to compost different bases put up some signs, so that when friends house-sit and/or visit, they put the right stuff in with the right stuff.

]]> By: pedant http://asymptotia.com/2007/09/30/composing-compost-fun-with-microorganisms/comment-page-1/#comment-82482 pedant Sun, 30 Sep 2007 11:45:32 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/09/30/composing-compost-fun-with-bacteria/#comment-82482 You have got to watch out for the little visitors. I recall a compost bin that was sequestered by English Nature after a colony of yellow necked mice took up residence, and all re-cycling came to an abrupt halt. Yellow necked mice are (in the UK at least) rare, and rather pretty, so this was hardly a bad thing. They became quite renowned locally for a while then, tiring of celebrity, moved on to pastures new after a few months. You have got to watch out for the little visitors. I recall a compost bin that was sequestered by English Nature after a colony of yellow necked mice took up residence, and all re-cycling came to an abrupt halt. Yellow necked mice are (in the UK at least) rare, and rather pretty, so this was hardly a bad thing. They became quite renowned locally for a while then, tiring of celebrity, moved on to pastures new after a few months.

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