Composting Question

[submon]

Hi, I've gotten into composting and I like to get everything in there. During XMas we had tonnes of nuts and I have gone to the trouble of using an old blender to take the shells of the nuts and get them down to a smaller consistency. I just wonder if my enthusiasm got the better of me and is this wise? I've ground hazelnuts, pecan, walnut. Now I've read in this group that walnut trees can affect other plants, but what about the shells? Will I have to toss my compost?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Phisherman]

Several handfuls of walnut shells won't have much impact on a 30-cubic foot compost heap. Just stay away from adding animal products and oils.

[Oxymel of Squill]

no prob, but why waste time and electricity grinding the shells?

[submon]

Thanks, I was worried about wasting all my compost. No animal or oil in my compost....I've tried to be careful.

[submon]

Thanks,

I've only been grinding the shells of stuff since it just seems to speed up the "breakdown" time. I guess I've been getting too impatient since I keep coming across 4 year old peanut shells in the soil when I turn the soil in spring. Every time I come across a shell now it goes into the blender for "size reduction". If I don't see it it won't bother me so much.

And yes, I've stood in front of a microwave on occasion and yelled...faster, faster! I've really been thinking of getting one of the turning compost bins if it can make it faster....although I tend to stir it regularly it still takes too long.

I blend all those nice hard banana peels, orange rinds, egg shells and nut shells. Maybe I just like reducing things from big to small pieces? If I had a method to do this without using electricity that didn't involve a windmill or something laboriously difficult I would love to. Any ideas?

Thanks aga>no prob, but why waste time and electricity grinding the shells?

[Phisherman]

[George.com]

if you are really worried about your compost you need not necessarily use it as soil food in say a vege garden. I use alot of compost as weed supressant under hedges and shrubs and it works fine. If it is not ideal compost it doesn't matter too much as it does a job anyway. Another way is water based composting to produce a continuous compost tea. One die hard even thorws road kill into his liquid compost barrell.

rob

[Laura at theGardenPages]

I turn my compost about once a week. I use a pitch fork to sort of fluff it (like a salad). And if it's dry a little water should help get things cooking. It wants oxygen and moisture. I toss in peanut shells and I still find a few shells uncooked at the end of the process too. Just toss them back in for another round. I think it's just the roots of walnuts that inhibit other plants. And I agree, it's only a few handfulls.. Good luck

[submon]

The only thing I grow that I can't eat is grass. I suppose I could eat that too if I tried. ;-) Which is why I want my compost to be as perfect as possible with what I have to fill it with. I've read of the compost tea and opted out of that. As far as the road kill goes...well that's just icky! I've thought about indoor worm composting but that got vetoed by the wife. I keep telling her they won't get out!

[submon]

[Travis M.]

That is a different group.

[Laura at theGardenPages]

Yikes, I forgot sometimes men hear that word entirely differently... I was going for salad metaphors but it's difficult to toss a compost pile. Best to leave it at that or we will get sent to another group!

subm> Thanks. I'll work on more "fluffing"

[Doug Kanter]

Tell her the worms are just as worried that people might get into their soil.

[Doug Kanter]

It helps to make layers if possible. Ideally, you'd alternate layers of leaves, kitchen scraps, grass & garden clippings (assuming you don't poison your lawn).

[submon]

No poison on my lawn. I don't even use the grass the dog craps on in my compost. Maybe a bit excessively paranoid...I don't know. Every time I compost in layers though I think, "What's the point, since I'm always stirring the stuff?"