Questions Submitted in

I'm interested in composting in the backyard to reduce the amount of food trash in the landfill. I am not able to attend the upcoming composting class next week unfortunately. I am looking into getting a tumble style composter but I'm concerned about not having enough "brown" materials. I live on base where landscaping is done by a company so I have limited brown yard waste to add. I could add cardboard but I'm not sure how to easily achieve a finely shredded consistency. What are some good alternative brown materials that could be used?

When I trash can composted in Rio Rancho for years I had no roaches only red and earthworms. I now live up in Abq. and the entire neighborhood ground is infested with roaches. I am reluctant to compost for concern of providing a nutritious breeding ground for the 3 varieties that I am fighting. How are people avoiding the problem?

I am interested in hot composting due to the fast turnaround. The only shady spots in my yard are currently next to the house. I know it's rare but I hesitate to put the tumbler next to the house in case it catches fire. I could put the tumbler in a corner of a fence and use a tarp to create some shade which as I understand is necessary to avoid overhearing in the summer? Does this sound reasonable?

And with hot composting is it correct that I would not be able to add more materials once I get it started? I generally have a small steady stream of materials so it would take a while to build up a lot.

Thank you again!

I am a current student at NMSU in the College of Engineering. I was curious if there are any community composting facilities or if there is a place to drop off organic material. I don’t have a need for compost but would like to contribute if possible. Would you be able to help me or direct me to someone who may know?

Are there any species of worms frowned upon or not allowed to be used in our area? 87112

I intend to establish trench type composting using Red Wiggler or similar worms. Would like also to introduce "diver" or "mineral feeder" type to existing beds.  Night crawlers. Is this permissible? Thank you.

I recently moved into an apartment. I was living in a house. I collected my kitchen scraps in quart containers, so I could create some compost in my vegetable bed in the spring. I would like to give them away at this point. Do you know where I can take them?

Hi there- Hope this note finds you well. I am looking to drop off my compost at a local farm/place in need - do you know of where I might be able to do this? I do not want to throw away food scraps but I am unable to compost at the moment.

I took a Tumbler composting class and was told that the composter should have some holes.  I have a LifeTime tumbler composter and it does not have any holes.  Do I need to make some holes?

Where do I purchase worm supplies and worms. Thank you.

Me and my brother are raising hogs in the East Mountains. We were doing pasture based production but our herd size has gotten to the point where that is pretty destructive so we have shifted to deep bedding fixed pens with wood mulch. We feed about 20000lbs of commercial feed waste a week. We have large wind rows, big piles, small piles, a few johnson su bio reactors, and I had some vermicompost buckets going but they didnt survive the winter .We need help. I dont really have any idea what I am doing and think that if we could get more dialed in with our compost management we could be producing pretty copious amounts of good stuff but right now I am afraid that we are cooking off a lot of our microbiology and fungi and loosing a lot of potential fertility to bad management. For instance the last pile I made several weeks ago has been turned several times but is cooking at upwards of 140f. Another issue we are running into is how to deal with ridiculous amounts of citrus fruit the pigs wont eat. Sometimes thousands of pounds in a single day. Some of it we sort out and keep separate but a lot of it ends up in the pens and gets incorporated. Worried about ph. No frame of reference and its pretty tough to find any resources that deal with doing things on this scale and with this type of inputs. Would very much appreciate and reading material, advice, etc. Would be happy to host any sort of workshops or volunteer in some way in exchange for guidance on how to tune in our composting operation.

We live part time on about 55 acres just west of Las Vegas in San Miguel county (87701).

We are aggressively thinning trees and creating fire breaks and need non-landfill solutions to deal with the debris (primarily wood chips). One idea is to create a large scale composting area about 20 feet wide by 50 feet long where we can compost wood chips.

We are worried however about creating a fire hazard during the summer as the pile could potentially heat up and spontaneously combust.

Would like to hear your thoughts on how to safely compost !

We use a type of disposable diaper that claims it’s compostable, but only in a commercial facility. Do you have any insight into where such things could be taken in ABQ? Thanks!

I don't have a Tumbler Bin. I just want to compost my food waste without attracting bugs/rodents or creating foul odors. Would the Bokashi method be better? Your next Bokashi method class isn't until
11/20, though. Thanks!

I attended a raised bed and composting workshop at the open space center on Coors several years ago. At that workshop I learned about a resin/plastic type of raised bed available in many colors that had two types of covers so you could extend your growing season. I am really wanting to purchase one of these but can’t remember the name of the local company or the person who offers them. I’m hoping you can help me by providing that information. They were kind of expensive around $300-$500 I think depending upon the size.

Thank you so much for your help.

Years ago I had a fruitless plum tree in my yard that died.  It had borers. I saved the wood to use in the fireplace but never did use it.  Im wondering if I can use it as bulking material in the cold pile I'm trying to get started.  Somewhere it said not to use diseased organic material.  Would that be considered diseased?  Thank you!

Are there any curbside composting programs in Las Cruces, NM? Or any community composting programs for people that do not have time or space to compost at home?

I'm transplanting a peach tree. I have stearman fertilizer mushroom compost and topsoil. What ratio to mushroom compost to topsoil and fertilizer should I use? A response ASAP would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very kindly.

Hi, I live in Corrales. 87048.  I have a tiny yard with no room for a composter.  Is there a community garden or someplace I can bring my food scraps to?

Hi, I'm a third grade teacher and would like to get a compost started at my school.  I have two questions.

1. Are you familiar with, and do you recomend, bokashi style anaerobic composting?  My class gets free breakfast and generates a lot of cheese/fatty food waste.

2. Are you familiar with any programs to get composters, tumblers or other, into schools?

Thanks.

How does meat and dairy get composted?

I have a lbunch of alpaca poop from my pacas, more than I need, I have a scoop on my tractor to load pick up or other such. I would like some ideas on worms although the poop is pretty good on its own no harm in making it better. I see you have classes.

Hello, is it ok to put wood ash in our compost? We’ve read numerous sources online that say it could be beneficial, depending on your soil ph. But we noticed in your flyer, “Composting in the Desert” that we should avoid it. Could you explain further?

We’re just starting our first compost bin. Our zip code is 87043. Our setup is a homemade 40-gallon plastic bin with holes drilled near the bottom. We decided to start with the cold pile method since that seems easier. Your flyer has been very helpful is getting us started!

Looking forward to your response. Thanks in advance!