Tuesday, April 30, 2013

New compost bin, and sifting compost from it.

 Above: my new compost bin.  The right one has composted that has not yet been sifted.  The left one contains the larger chunks of pieces that were too large to fit through the screen and need further time to decompose.
 Above: wheelbarrow, with my new compost screen, which Steve Isser built for me this week; I just retrieved it today and it's my first time using it.  We stapled hardware cloth with 1/2" squares on it.
 Above: a couple shovelfuls from the bin.  I then slide the screen back and forward, until all the finer pieces fall through.
 Above:  the larger chunks that didn't go through, which I will now dump back into the compost bin to continue their decomposition.
 Above: the good stuff!  sifted compost, complete with worms and other insects that are continuing to break the soil down.  This has the general texture of soil, but with more humus, microbes and nutrients.
Above: a closer look at the good stuff! I got about 20 gallons of great compost sifted this time around.