Why I Oughta...

It was just 12 days ago that I posted a Fall 2024 update on our compost bins.  In that post, I showed the decomposition and compaction that had occurred over this season with all three bins just about leveling-out.  The 'finished bin' was spilling material out and the 'hold' bin was (surprisingly) decomposing despite not being properly mixed. #14 on my 2024 to-do list was to 'keep going on compost' .  And, over the past few months, we'd *mostly* done that.  We were certainly ADDING to the bins, but when I did my September check-in on my list, I marked this one as 'incomplete' because I had NOT (yet) turned the bins over for the season .  That changed this past weekend, when I went to work on all three bins plus our tumbler.   I started by looking at the tumbler - where I found BLACK GOLD.  I've emptied this tumbler each year after getting that lovely loam-y black gold.  This year is no different.  Below are a few photos showing the output of the

The leaves are falling from our trees, which means I have to start thinking about what to do with them.  My thoughts naturally turn to our compost bins.  We have a three-bin setup plus a tumbler to finish that I've used over the years.  In normal years, I turn the compost once per year and move it along in the process.   The three-bin setup is (from left-to-right) a storage bin (mostly leaves), a semi-mixed bin and a mixed bin.  I normally move the finished compost out of the tumbler and re-fill it with the material from the right mixed bin.  This year...I didn't do any of that.   What is normally pretty 'lazy compost' was even more lazy this year.  How did it work out?   What do they say?  "Nature finds a way."  And that's the case with our compost bins.  We've seen compression and decomposition in all three bins.  And, a full load of BLACK GOLD in our tumbler.   Below is the current state of the bins:  the finished bin on the right has shrunk and is

I mentioned a few days ago that I had begun to empty the compost tumbler and spreading the black gold out in the beds out front as a soil amendment .  Having that tumbler empty means that I can begin to tackle the other two bins.  Below is a photo showing the current state (early September) of the two bins.  Of note, you'll see in the bin on the left AND in the wheelbarrow, I have recently added a big batch of grass clippings and thatch that I removed from our backyard.  Both bins are full up to the top. I began to turn these piles by starting to empty the bins.  The bin on the right is a proper mix of greens and browns.  And has passive aeration in it.  The bin on the left was empty up until last Fall when I filled it up with mulched-up leaves.  It was (then) mostly browns.  And now, it is topped with grass - mostly greens.   So, these bins need three things:  first...pulling out of the most-done compost material that I can fill up the tumbler to get a batch of 'finished'