Ok - slightly gross but still on topic I think. We have recently acquired two great danes who consume ~6cups each of dog chow daily. They make lots of uhh...compost (like 2 full kroger bags a week). Would this not be a fantastic manure to compost with grass, food, lawn clippings? I'm doubtful it would ever be food safe for a garden but maybe everything else?
In reply to RevRico :
You should be fine as long as there is enough drainage. If not, you can use tarps and rotation. Don't use too much peat moss unless it's well deteriorated as it can slow down the decomposition process. Smelling it will tell you a lot. If it doesn't smell good you need to adjust moisture, rotation, ingredients, etc. The finished product has a sweetish appealing scent. As someone mentioned, don't over think it and just go for it.
4 years ago we recycled some old damaged oak doors from the farmhouse for our initial pile. roughly 60x30 with foodstuffs and ash. The doors eventually began to break down and now the pile will become two side by side cinder block stalls both about 48x96
In reply to 84FSP :
Definitely definitely NOT for anything your going to eat.
Otherwise, I keep being told my dogs are bad for the yard, but the greenest, nicest looking, thickest growing parts of my yard are where my dogs go, aside from around my truck.
I think the general rule is that plant eating animal feces is ok (horses, rabbit, cow), but meat eaters--including dogs--is not.
The concern is that if there are parasites in the dog droppings, they might end up in your food.
Are hardwood ashes considered "browns"?
In reply to RevRico :
At that point, I don't think they are anything compostable- they are already broken down into smaller chemical stuff. Still good to add, as most of those chemicals are quite good for growing.
Ashes will raise pH, though, which your plants may not like.
In reply to alfadriver :
I know them help on their own. I've just been tipping them into the garden bed to be tilled in the spring.
I was more wondering if they'd be a good base for a compost bin.
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