Indoor compost machine

[llucky20]

Good morning! Since starting the raw food lifestyle...my garbage has increased ten fold. I was curious..anyone own a indoor compost machine?...is it smelly? I have some lawn outside...but I am not willing to do any out door composting. This indoor machine..looks like a good alternative.. any thoughts...also...will too much compost affect my lawn? I am not sure how much it makes per batch..and can I apply compost to the same area more then once per season?

[oceanluv]

try worm composting. you can find info on line. look for vermicomposting. I don't know exactly what you mean by a composting machine??

[spicyfull]

I invested in one of those Big Green Round Composter a few years back but now I use My indoor Composter. I take all Orange Rinds and anything else I can find and add Water and give them a turn in the Vita-Mix and pour it wherever I need it and everything is coming up Roses, even the Roses.

[sprouts2go]

I invested in one of those Big Green Round Composter a few years back but now I use My indoor Composter. I take all Orange Rinds and anything else I can find and add Water and give them a turn in the Vita-Mix and pour it wherever I need it and everything is coming up Roses, even the Roses.

Not sure I understand. Are you just blending up your food waste and pouring it on your plants outside?
Or do you have a special composter?
I just got a large spin composter for outside and will start that as soon as bear season ends LOL.

[FloridaPatty]

Just put your odds and ends in their machine with water, turn it on and puree. Pour over your plants or lawn or whatever.

[spicyfull]

Yes that's all I do Now.....My Neighbor told me last year that she watered up something in My yard the dogs left. She thought a dog threw up........I had a GOOD laugh and told her what it was.

But yes....Blend and Put it wherever you need it. I mostly put mine around plants and trees but if you put it on your Lawn I would water it in. My unused composter costed as much as the Vita-Mix, that's My World.

[papiyonmov]

llucky20,

Hi -- I have an indoor automatic composter, from Nature Mill (is that the one you're referring to?) and I finally like it. I bought it a year ago and it had a defect where it wouldn't properly transfer the compost down to the finished tray, one they claimed was very rare and took a while to identify, but they sent me a part to install, I put it in, and now it works like a charm. It's pretty cool. I tried to make compost outside several times, different ways and am apparently compost-challenged, but this finally is a way I can compost. I think the Nature Mill site gives guidelines for how often to apply the compost. If you don't apply much, you can apply it to the same spot twice in the same year. I've done that and it's worked fine. However, I found the hard way how important it is to rinse it off leaves and make sure it gets down to the soil level. I accidentally killed some strawberry plants that way (sprinkled a bunch on, didn't get around to rinsing it off until much later...it sort of mulched them to death). However, the surrounding strawberry plants look gorgeous! Hope that helps!

[llucky20]

Thank-you so much every one for the advice. I am really considering getting one. I have one question through...after talking to a family member..
My family member stated that adding compost to the lawn increases the amount of rodents in your yard? Is this true...I already have a lot of racons..bunny..and other creatures in my yard daily (not by choice). I don't want my neighbors to complain.

I am really trying to look for ways to decrease the amount of trash I produce per year...

[papiyonmov]

I haven't noticed anything like that (increase in rodents or anything detrimental really).

[kaybee]

if the compost is properly aged/decomposed, it should turn out like crumbly black soil, and shouldnt attract rodents to your yard. if its not "finished' when you apply it, and there are seeds/food/and/or chunks of veggie matter in it, then yes, the rats will seek it out. properly aged compost will be all broken down into soil though and shouldnt attract rodents.

[Veronica01]

my first attempt at composting was 17 when i tried raw, all i did was throw all my fruits and veggie peels into a compost bin, and we had a massive amount of flies and bees around the composter in the summer. Obviously i never got compost out of that. How much do you have to "prepare" the things you put in your composter? I go through so many orange and banana and zuchini peels i don't know how much i'd have to chop them up to be able to have compost for my garden. Do you have to go and buy any worms for outside compost?

[oceanluv]

you have to have a certain amount of dry matter to add to your kitchen scraps, which are usually wet. (peels, seeds, greens, etc.) you can use shredded newspapers, or dry leaves, or something of that sort. if your compost pile is on the ground, the worms will be attracted, you don't have to add them. Also, once the pile heats up, it is too hot for worms
so they would stay underground or around the perimeter. it help to turn your pile every now and then. if your pile is balanced with wet and dry, you shouldn't have problems with insects or rodents. But I do remember when I was turning my compost pile many many years ago, i thought I saw a snake tail, so I picked it up -this was in MI, and no venomous snakes there, to speak of- turns out it was a mouse, lol. we were both very surprised!!! I love playing in the dirt.

[Veronica01]

I guess i'm just nervous about screwing it up again and don't want a big mess and a lot of trouble if i don't do it right lol. Not sure where i could get leaves or grass from, our backyard is cement and garden, there is no grass. :)

[RawSar]

Ok I never thought of this. Just blending up peels and food scraps in vitamix and then just dumping it in the garden.... hmmm...
Spicyfull is this all you do?
If I did this is there any other steps I would need to do? This composting stuff confuses me.

Even though my 'gardens' are right by the house I'm still worried this way will attract the bears... ?? Maybe If I just chuck the blended food in the forest ??

[apb1172]

Trench Composting
http://http://www.instructables.com/id/Trench-compost/ (http://www.instructables.com/id/Trench-compost/)

Can-O-Wroms
http://http://www.abundantearth.com/store/canoworms.html (http://www.abundantearth.com/store/canoworms.html)

Unfortunatley, I have no backyard to dig a trench and just reading about worms makes my skin crawl. So till later, no composting for moi! HTH

[Thick]

I Not sure where i could get leaves or grass from, our backyard is cement and garden, there is no grass. :)

It's easy to find bags of grass/leaf cuttings in the summer along neighborhood streets and raked/blown leaves in the autumn.