Creating Your Own Compost

If you need compost and you have a space in your yard, here is how to make your own compost. Dig a hole on the ground with a depth of 1 foot and an area of 1 foot in diameter. That will be the compost bin where you will put any perishable item from the kitchen particularly vegetable trimmings and fruit rinds. Leftover food can also be thrown there provided you have a cover so stray animals will not eat the leftover food. And to be sure that what you put in your bin will be converted into compost, find some earthworms and place it in your bin. The earthworms are the natural manufacturer of fertilizer. Good luck.

 

I particularly like the " good luck " part of the above post . True compost can be made as described but in reality one square foot of compost would fertilize maybe three feet of a garden row . Not much food will come from a three foot row . A point I want to make , unless someone happens to be in a delta type super rich soil area , they will need fertilizer and a lot of it . After the collapse running to the store to purchase fertilizer may not be an option and astonishingly enough here in the U.S. purchasing fertilizer for the backyard homestead may soon be illegal if some of the more fanatical behind the U.S. razor wire have their way . Just think about what happened this past spring when garden seeds were hoarded by commercial crop growers and the backyard gardener had to take a back seat and hope to be able to purchase seeds . --- As preppers looking at gardening we are talking about big time gardening for sustainability and that calls for " most folks " a big time fertilizer source . Table scraps from a starving family is not going to make much fertilizer . Those keeping fowl or four legged survival animals will have a big jump on the fertilizer issue .

 

It should perhaps also be added that the sooner you start composting the better. Because this is not an instant process. I have a number of compost heaps in various stages. One I will use in spring. One for later in summer if needed. And one that won't even be ready before next spring. Some things added to compost piles can take a while to become suitable. Some animal manure needs to sit for a long time least you burn your plants.

 

My usual procedure is whenever a 55 gal. barrel I have set under the rain runoff side of my house roof for survival purposes begins to spring leaks from rusty holes , I reuse the barrel to put compost in .

 

I have a 4 foot section of 36 inch drainage tile that I have used for years as a compost bin. Being black lets it heat up well and convert scraps and yard debris into compost quickly. I had to put rat wire on the bottom of it to keep the voles from using it as a winter nest every year. I have had a couple opossums make it there final resting place when the went in for a snack and couldn't get back out.

Dale

 

If you have friends with horses, dried horse manure is simply great fertilizer, ask them "pretty please" and use your own truck; never ask to borrow someone's truck unless you are really good friends. When a kid, that's what we used, horse manure. Cow manure REALLY has to compost for a good long time before I want to be using it.

And as others have said, when composting leaves & ground-up limbs, gotta have lots of worms working in there to break-down the veg. material.

Provide good drainage and remember that the pile has to breathe (oxydation requires oxygen).

https://www.dummies.com/home-garden/green-living/aerating-a-compost-pile-without-turning-it/

https://www.dummies.com/home-garden/green-living/aerobic-versus-anaerobic-composting/

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"Night soil", i.e. human waste, is a spreader of disease ... unless you heat it way past boiling for a protracted period of time or by chemical treatment -- making it cost ineffective. All waste from carnivores should be avoided.

In Japan, the prevalence of stomach cancer is so high that having screening booths in market areas has been justified. Helicobacter pylori is one suspected culprit in stomach cancer . This bacterium can infect the entire length of the digestive system. It can go systemic causing damage to other organs. H.Pylori has been isolated in arterial plaques, thus has become suspect in being one (of several culprits) proximal cause of the arterial inflammation.

Night soil's most widespread villain is Entamoeba histolytica.

https://medcrine.com/amoebiasis

H.pylori link to cancer:
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/h-pylori-fact-sheet

Frighteningly, the use of human waste continues. Seems it is OK for cities to literally take a dump on rural citizens:

https://rense.com/general3/prs.htm

In Canada, the gods of government said that the risk was worth it, therefore it became Holy Truth. Rural people are not as important as the glorious urbanites, apparently.
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A few chickens would solve the fertilizer problem . As I have read from more than one member , their plan was to eat foul stuff like bugs and worms . Why not just prepare and feed those bugs and worms to your chickens and eat eggs instead ? Chicken manure goes a long way and you have reaped double the benefit " eggs and fertilizer ".

 

I have an unusual method of obtaining fertilizer . I keep a bucket under a bat house to collect guano . I would starve to death if I depended on this to fertilize an entire garden after S.h.T.f. but I do collect enough from the bat colony to be worth the effort . My wife doesn't like me collecting guano but tolerates it .

 

I have a large compost area . i put all the leaves from the fall plus all the kitchen scraps and peelings ect. I also throw in any leftover foods even meat . I know that i am not supposed to
but they only pick up that type or garbage every two weeks. I do not want bears or racoons knocking around my garbage bins . I usually get several 5 gal buckets every year.

 

In centuries past, bat guano was used to make gunpowder. Mary did. East Tennessee got caves; limestone gets caves and more caves; bats like caves; bats eat bugs for lots of protein and thus poop some stuff that is HIGH in nitrogenous compounds.

https://www.elizabethton.com/2015/0...sputed-revolutionary-war-hero-historian-says/

Much ado about doo-doo:

https://www.tampabay.com/news/2020/...bird-poop-from-haiti-a-fortune-is-in-dispute/
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I get chicken manure from my brother and have friends that I get horse manure from for my garden. I try not to use cow manure as every time I have I end up with a bunch of new weeds. I've been told to also use feathers if I want to add nitrogen to my garden.

Dale

 

"I've been told to also use feathers if I want to add nitrogen to my garden." -- Dalewick

Concerning aircraft, I've heard the term, "feathering one's props".

I therefore see no reason that one couldn't just feather their crops.

There was once an Age of Reason ... OK, so we are past that and on into the Age of Treason. I don't mean to be a Paine ... nor a doubting Thomas.

When he was young
His poems were far flung
And writ in er'y a'tongue.

But called he the king a hillet'a'dung
And king's company was he among
Upon sad morrow was the poor lad hung.

-- Strateforward-on-Avon, Geezerspeare

 

Good for the garden, good for the gun.
Tinkle in your peepot, it could be fun.

https://timeline.com/civil-war-gunpowder-pee-79f8d21327f0

 

I second this. Sea weed is an excellent addition to the garden. I put it in the compost and use it as mulch (combined with other things) I have noticed a real difference in productivity since I started adding seaweed.

 

I really don't see why not. I did a lot of research on composting a while back and some are adamant that its a sin and others are adamant that as long as you compost properly there is no problem. I think its a knee jerk reaction, they were told don't do it and have never bothered to research or experiment and see if what they have been told is actually correct.

 

This is how the Irish grew their potatoes.

 

Table scraps were tossed into the compost heap. Watched my paternal grandmother perpetually do this.

Unlike in Arctic Bill's family, we never tossed meat scraps and bones save to the dogs. Meat was precious. Beef, when you could get it, was gold.
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Speaking of potatoes....are they best grown in 'smooth' soil or will they just as well in a coarse mix?

 

My 2 cents, potatoes need loose soil with lots of organics. Some people grow them in hay and that's coarse. (How well that works I can't say from personal experience) But you don't want hard compacted soil or lots of rocks.

 

I've had to grow taters in red clay. That is a pain. Busting the soil to keep them aerated is an unhappy task. We used to mix-in as much horse manure and peat moss as we could come by.

(I gotta jump off this computer now. Got stack of work tasks to deal with. One just landed on me.)

 

I like an organic loam but I've grown them in everything from sandy soil to mountain clay. Add as much compost, manure and organics as you can and they will grow. Grow the variety that grows well your region. That always helps.

Dale

 

I prefer to hot compost if possible using the Berkley method. It takes an initial heat up of 3 to 4 days and then a turning of at the least every other day. I like that it kills almost any weed seeds and I can have usable compost in as little as a month.

When I have lots of additives such as when the leaves are falling, when I am cleaning the garden out or cleaning animal pens this makes great weed free usable compost fast and does ot reduce down as much therefore you get more compost for your effort.

Here is a link to a pdf explaining it.

https://kerrcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/hot_composting.pdf

And another from U C Davis

https://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/compost_rapidcompost.pdf

 

Homemade Organic Fertilizer

Complete Organic Fertilizer (COF) Recipe
Mix uniformly, in parts by volume:
4 parts seed meal
1/4 part ordinary agricultural lime, best finely ground
1/4 part gypsum (or double the agricultural lime)
1/2 part dolomite lime
Plus, for best results:
1 part bone meal, rock phosphate or high-phosphate guano
1/2 to 1 part kelp meal (or 1 part basalt dust)

I use Steve Solomon's organic fertilizer recipe. He is a knowledgeable gardener and has written several garden books, and started the Territorial Seed Company in 1979 when he was 37 years old. Seven years later, he sold the business but he continues to garden and grow a large portion of the food he eats. He has been growing most of his family’s food for over 35 years.

Many years ago, he formulated a recipe for a wonderful organic fertilizer. The recipe used to be in the Territorial Seed Catalog before they began mixing and selling their own fertilizer. It is good for all plants, and will make you plants thrive. One should apply 4-6 quarts of this fertilizer per 100 square feet.

I’ve used this recipe for many years and keep it on hand at all times.
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I bought 50 pounds of soybean meal and 50 pounds of cotton seed meal last week at the farm co-op for fall bed prep. 50 pounds cost me $17. This is the place to buy it and not amazon.

 

Garden fertilizer is an area that seems some preppers don't even consider . Without the proper plant feed in the soil plants simply will not do much and will leave someone depending on that garden for survival starving . When the economy falls for enough going out and buying fertilizer from amazon or the feed store will be something that was done somewhere back in history . This is just another reason to keep livestock of some sort for the fertilizer they will provide for the garden . It is amusing but also sad to see some go out and buy those touted survival seeds and consider themselves a prepper and ready for the collapse , without giving one thought on the area of fertilizer . -- I personally know a guy that did this about a year ago . He opened up his survival can and planted his seeds and declared his soil was so good that he didn't need fertilizer . His seeds were good and they came up well , but then without fertilizer they withered away . It was a good thing there wasn't a total economy collapse because he would have starved to death if that garden was his only food source .---- After the collapse I am expecting this scenario as described above to play out over and over all across the globe as people try to grow a garden without fertilizer . At that point it isn't likely neighbors with livestock would give up their fertilizer as they themselves will need it . Rotted table scraps simply will not be enough fertilizer for a survival garden . Reality is those that are depending on a garden for survival but have no way to properly fertilize it will perish .

 

I agree completely on the scenario you described! I stock the ingredients for soil additions that would probably last a couple years. I also compost large amounts of compost and keep chickens, rabbits and ducks myself. People next door have horses and provide me with all the horse manure I could possibly want. I personally think there is a huge learning curve to gardening/farming and many people will starve in a survival situation. The same with pest and disease control and seed saving skills in the garden. So many people lack the proper tools and as soon as the tiller runs out of gas they are doomed.

The survival seed gimmick just kind of makes me mad!

JMHO

 

And if your garden isn't loamy, you just can't dig in it. If you have any clay-like soil it will get as hard as brick. Red clay, I've had to prep red clay. Can't bust it. Next to zero percolation. And you can't weed a brick porch.

In red clay, I've had to start a garden plot using a mattock and pick-axe. Too hard for a shovel and way too hard for a hoe.

Gotta add sand, peat moss, and composted manure. I've found the best manure to be horse manure.

I turn my soil almost black. I try to get it so that I can just walk up to the dirt and stick my hand down into it. The worst beginning soil I've had to work with was in Tennessee. The best beginning soil I've had to work with was in Iowa.
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When germinating seeds, use soil that is specific to this purpose, preferably soil that has been sterilized. Lots of folk just use wet paper towels to germinate seeds.

In the presence of bacteria and fungi, seeds will rot.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=germinating+seeds+in+wet+paper+towels&atb=v140-1&iax=videos&ia=videos
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Never use "night soil", i.e. human waste. Same for the excrement of carnivorous animals. We pass along parasites. I guess one could put it in cans and roast the cans in a fire -- after which one would still have to let it compost / break down. Too much trouble for too little gain. One thing a person can do is stockpile man-made fertilizers. One could put-back bags of turbo-strong fertilizer, then when needed water it down a whole lot.

I was at a stoplight one day and watched two flat-bed 18-wheelers go by, both stacked with ammonium nitrate. Wow! I could have fertilized a good-sized chunk of my county with all that!

Urine (especially from carnivore critters) is too concentrated for fertilizer use -- it will burn plants.

As a rule, just stay away from night soil. There's plenty of rot to go around. In the forests around where I live, there are trees that have rotted into black dirt. Plus the worms have worked the dickens out of that black stuff. Looks yucky but great to put in with compost. Only use deciduous tree rot (gone to dirt) -- not conifers, because they can be too acid (well, they start off too acid, anyway; pine needles start off being too acid and take a good long while to age out of that acidity).

There are some threads on this site concerning the best worms to put in your compost to get it to break down like it should. Worms = good for the soil. Grubs = bad for your plants. Let the worms work your compost. When tilling at beginning of season, I hit the dirt with grub killer chemicals because grubs will destroy your squash plants and that's for sure. I am NOT an organic gardener.

Note that you can't store-back most insecticides these days. Insecticides break-down in less than three months, especially after being deployed. This is one reason we plant marigolds around the periphery of our garden -- they keep many harmful bugs away but NOT the beneficial bees.
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I know that spot. btw there is one thing that the human body can not break down, it is tomatoes seeds. Funny no body goes there to harvest the tomatoes that just appear every year. LOL

 

The answer is quite simple " genetics " . Over thousand of years peoples bodies in certain regions have developed the ability to tolerate eating things that someone from a different genetic make up eating the same thing would make them sick or even kill them .

 

Google a product called Milorganite! That is exactly what it is is humanure. I personally think that if humanure were mixed with other composted product and reduced down and mixed with other organics it could be made safe. Plenty of people put it on bushes and fruit trees.

 

Milorganite is a brand of biosolids fertilizer produced by treating sewage sludge by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.[1] The term is a portmanteau of the term Milwaukee Organic Nitrogen. The sewer system of the District collects municipal wastewater from the Milwaukee metropolitan area. After settling, wastewater is treated with microbes to break down organic matter at the Jones Island sewage treatment plant (also called "Water Reclamation Facility") in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The byproduct sewage sludge is produced. This is heat-dried with hot air in the range of 900–1,200 °F (482–649 °C), which heats the sewage sludge to at least 176 °F (80 °C) to kill pathogens. The material is then pelletized and marketed throughout the United States under the name Milorganite. The result is recycling of the nitrogen and phosphorus from the waste-stream as fertilizer. The treated wastewater is discharged to Lake Michigan.

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District has registered Milorganite as a trademark

 

Great stuff for the lawn!!!

 

https://sustainablefoodtrust.org/articles/human-manure-closing-the-nutrient-loop/

I think this should pretty well answer your question.

 

If one uses night soil, then they had better treat the dickens out of it / boil it / burn it / get all the bacteria out. H.Pylori is found in human waste. The rate of H.Pylori infections in Japan are astronomical ... and thus so is stomach cancer.

In recent history, Japan has had stomach cancer screening clinics in what we would call shopping malls. Really, they should just test for H.Pylori. If you are infected with that bacteria, you'd better get your doctor to treat you for it. It is also the #1 cause of stomach ulcers. Many people have stomach ulcers and do not know it.

I know of a case where an individual had cancer of the lymphatics draining the stomach area. He was tested for H.Pylori and found to be positive. The treatment for the H.Pylori also resulted in a remission of his cancer. H.Pylori = BAD

https://www.livestrong.com/article/361804-japanese-diet-stomach-cancer/

"Japanese Diet & Stomach Cancer"

"Japan has an extremely high stomach cancer rate, with Korea following close behind. On average, the Japanese prevalence is about 60 per 100,000 residents. Japan Cancer Society reports that in 2007, one in every three deaths were attributed to stomach cancer. ...

"Nearly 70 to 90 percent of all stomach cancers begin with the Helicobacter pylori, or H. pylori infection. The H. pylori bacteria spread by unwashed or undercooked foods or contaminated drinking water. According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, infection occurs when an infected person comes into contact with an uninfected person via improper hand washing and exposure to infected fecal matter or vomit. H.pylori is also believed to be found in the saliva of an infected person transmitted through similar contact. Becoming infected can lead to a peptic ulcer and cause damage to the mucosal lining that can become cancerous if left untreated."
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I honestly think it would be difficult. Because....as a general rule they say it has to decompose for like 2 years to be safe. I think compost is the answer. I compost everything I can get my hands on. Food scraps, weeds, paper and some very old gardening systems such as the french bio-intensive system which is hundreds of years old are based on growing carbon to feed the compost piles to feed the soils. For me personally I grow legumes like purple hull peas. They fix nitrogen in the soil from nodules on their roots. I cut the plant off as it provides loads of carbon to compost then allow the roots to naturally rot in the soil. The peas provide high carb food for people and can be ground into a flour or even ground as animal feed once dried.

I would also depend on my small animals. Chickens and rabbits are great. There again your gardens can also help to feed the small stock animals. I use ducks extensively. I have small wading pools located around my property for the ducks. The ducks shyte in their water and then I pour the water on the plants when I empty and clean the pools providing nitrogen to the plants. An instant duck manure tea on top of the insect control they provide and eggs and possibly meat.

I think human urine is a definite additional source and could be diluted and added straight to the garden.

All of the above without ever leaving your property.

JMHO

 

The answer is no . The human fertilizer from two people might provide enough fertilizer over a one year period to feed them for maybe three weeks . That is just my opinion so perhaps someone else might have a different take on this .