Compost Monday

Having a small yard limits me to a small area for composting. When turning the compost I have to move it from one side to the other. Since I have let this pile sit for most of the summer not adding much to it I wanted to sift out the finished compost. I have three ten gallon continers I use to store the compost until needed.

Photos below are of my turning and sifting process and as always click on the photos for a larger view.



From the looks of these healthy seedlings poking out of the bin I would have to say the compost is fertile.



Photo below: All this uncomposted (is that even a word?) material will go to the bottom...



I remove the first layer of the bin and place it next to the composter...



Once I started digging I found lots and lots of worms...

I placed one of my 10 gallon containers into the compost bin and covered it with a piece of wire fencing to use as a screen.



Photo Below: I place small amounts of compost onto the screen and run my hand over it to allow the finished compost and some worms to fall into the container leaving the larger pieces to be placed back into the composter to continue to break down.







Photo Below: Black Gold... if you look closely you will see some worms.



Photo Below: All done...

Photo Below: 30 gallons of compost ready for the garden. The worms in the containers will continue to work the soil.



In another two weeks I will repeat this process... by then I will have used up at least one of my 10 gallon containers. I also want to try starting seeds in my home made compost in February for my 2010 garden.



Happy Composting...