Comments on: Compost Advice: Trench Composting – An Explanation. http://www.compostinstructions.com/compost-advice-trench-composting-an-explanation/ A guide to making your own compost. Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:02:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=6331 By: sibel http://www.compostinstructions.com/compost-advice-trench-composting-an-explanation/comment-page-1/#comment-1449 sibel Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:19:24 +0000 http://compostinstructions.com/?p=590#comment-1449 Hi, In collaboration with a local community and an NGO in Cyprus, we try to implement a yard waste composting project which is basically composting of leaves trimmings and wood-chipped branches with trench method. Wastes were pruned, chopped with a wood chipper and buried into the ground in late june. But there has not been a biological progress since then. Drought is a serious problem on this island. Moisture levels might be one of the reasons. But I cannot think of anything else. What do you suggest us to improve? What would be your advise to initiate the composting process inside the trenches. Thanks, ------------- Thank you for your question. I see a couple of things that could be causing your problems. One of them is exactly what you mentioned -- the drought and lack of moisture. Things tend to break down a lot faster if they are damp. But the other thing I noticed is that most of the materials you mention are carbon rich materials. Woody materials in general are very slow to break down. I think you need more nitrogen rich materials in those trenches to really get it to break down faster. (Coffee grounds. Vegetable scraps. Fresh grass clippings.) And if that isn't possible, then I think you'll probably see more breakdown when you get some rain. Is there any source of greywater that you could pour over the trenches? Water from bathtubs, showers, or washing machines? (You can keep a bucket in the shower with you, and then dump it out on the trench, for example.) Hi,
In collaboration with a local community and an NGO in Cyprus, we try to implement a yard waste composting project which is basically composting of leaves trimmings and wood-chipped branches with trench method. Wastes were pruned, chopped with a wood chipper and buried into the ground in late june. But there has not been a biological progress since then. Drought is a serious problem on this island. Moisture levels might be one of the reasons. But I cannot think of anything else. What do you suggest us to improve? What would be your advise to initiate the composting process inside the trenches.

Thanks,

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Thank you for your question.

I see a couple of things that could be causing your problems.

One of them is exactly what you mentioned — the drought and lack of moisture. Things tend to break down a lot faster if they are damp.

But the other thing I noticed is that most of the materials you mention are carbon rich materials. Woody materials in general are very slow to break down.

I think you need more nitrogen rich materials in those trenches to really get it to break down faster. (Coffee grounds. Vegetable scraps. Fresh grass clippings.)

And if that isn’t possible, then I think you’ll probably see more breakdown when you get some rain. Is there any source of greywater that you could pour over the trenches? Water from bathtubs, showers, or washing machines? (You can keep a bucket in the shower with you, and then dump it out on the trench, for example.)

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