Questions and Answers

Answer by WR: Questions about roaches might be the number one question we get, so you are not alone in your concern!  Yes, roaches are creepy but they are not harming your compost. They are actually beneficial in the decomposition process.  We understand that you might not to want to put up with the creepiness. The information on the following page on our website might be helpful (scroll down to the section on "Roaches" near the end): https://www.nmcomposters.org/critters

You probably do not need to worry about them coming into your house. In case this story might reassure you a little, I'll tell you my cockroach story:  I bought a small miniature greenhouse off of Craig's List.  It had dirt and rocks in the bottom.  I decided to dump the dirt and rocks out onto my patio and clean the greenhouse up a bit.  To my horror, when I did this, hundreds (it seemed like thousands) of cockroaches streamed out of the dirt and rocks.  This was right next to my house.  I was sure I'd start seeing huge numbers of these inside my house.  But to my surprise, the number of cockroaches in my house didn't increase.  (Over the years, I've probably seen an average of one roach every couple of months in my house. This average didn't go up.) The roaches scattered everywhere but, evidently, didn't want to go into my house.

Please don't bag and take the unfinished compost to the dump.  If you do decide to give up on the 96 gallon bin, do you have a garden or lawn where you can spread the unfinished compost? I'm pretty sure that as soon as you do so, the roaches will flee.  Of, perhaps you can dig a trench and put the unfinished compost in that.  Or use it to do sheet mulching (https://www.nmcomposters.org/sheet-mulching).

Some of the other people who will receive your email via our compost-question list might also respond.  Please keep writing and talking with us until you feel comfortable with your situation.  We don't want you to give up on composting in New Mexico! Best of luck and let us know how it is going.

Response from original questioner: Thank you so much! I'm sorry you had a rough go of it with your greenhouse but I'm glad the roaches went elsewhere. I appreciate all the ideas in here and I've signed up for a composting class on the 14th as well, to improve what I'm doing.

Response from WR: It's great to hear from you.  I'm glad you will attend the class on the 14th.  It sounds like you have a lot of experience composting but perhaps not in a high desert environment?  So I think you'll learn some new things and I think you'll be able to discuss the roach issue as well.

Response from JZ: You might enjoy reading the composting in the desert brochure, prior to the class: https://www.nmcomposters.org/_files/ugd/9ed432_2efaef3fb0404de2b74b646940ed51ac.pdf

See you then.

Answer by JZ:  Your question will be received by a few master composters who also may comment.  Here are my thoughts. Great to hear that you are home composting. Roly polys are insects which help decompose the organic material so they are benefitting the decomposition process, so all is well. Your composting setup should be 50% moist (damp) at all times – this moisture level is similar to the residual moisture in brewed coffee grounds. Your setup, if possible, should be in the shade in summer to decrease evaporation of moisture. If you have no shade, then you could cover the whole setup with 2 layers of shade fabric or large pieces of cardboard. During the summer months you may have to add water more often to maintain moisture.   Keep up.  Compost on. Hope that this is helpful.

From original questioner: Thank you! I’ve taken your classes in the past and follow all your recommendations. I water the bin about once a week but will up that. Thanks again!

Answer by RR: One note of caution, Ava. Before you use your finished compost as a soil amendment, make sure it is indeed finished and the roly polies (sow bugs) are gone.  They do a fine job of aiding the decomposition process, but if the process is not complete, and there are still sow bugs active in your compost, they will find nice tender green seedlings more appetizing than the undecomposed organic matter in your compost.  I speak from experience.

From original questioner: Thank you! So are the sow bugs “done” in below freezing weather? How many consecutive cold nights does it take? How do I die them off for useable compost? I’m glad I didn’t put my compost down this fall. I’m ok waiting till Spring.

Answer from WR: I’m not sure about the life cycle of roly polys or pretty much any other insect (was just wondering about ants recently) but, you can look through your finished compost for the bugs.  Maybe shovel it into a bucket or barrel before putting it in your garden and look through it there. (If the compost is “done” it should be pleasant to touch and run your hands through looking for the bugs.) If you find many bugs, your compost is probably not yet be ready to put on your garden.  I’m going to copy this to the compost-questions group and you might hear from others.

Answer by RR: This is in fact a good time to put compost on your garden, even if it is not “finished.” The months between now and when you are ready to plant will be plenty of time for your compost to do its thing. Just remember, compost is not like mulch; you don’t need 3-4” of compost. Just ½-1” is plenty.

Answer by JZ: Sand is our local soil, that’s what we have to work with.  So the answer is to add copious amounts for organic matter to the sand, firstly in the form of compost, possibly manure, then water, then mulch it.  An added option would be a green manure cover crop.  I will discuss all of these and more methods in a a public class on Feb. 6, 2016, 10 AM at the extension office.  All of the Southwest Gardeners class series will eventually  be posted on our website: http://sandovalmastergardeners.org/   –  sign up for our free newsletter.

If you have a truck you can purchase finished compost at the Sandoval Co. Composting facility  on Iris Rd. Rio Rancho. Call ahead to check availability:   http://www.sandovalcounty.com/departments/public-works/solid-waste   >> scroll down to bottom.   

Bagged compost is available at the Santa Ana Garden Center.   Horse Manure by truckload is available in Corrales  from Pine Ridge Arabians:  call  263.4316

What you may be interested in is a basic home composting class. We offer these courses frequently.  We our website main menu under Activities.

Answer by JZ: Other master composters may also respond to your question.  Here are my thoughts.The straw is exposed to air, so lots of evaporation of moisture plus lower ambient air temps. = slow decomposition. An option just now would be an experiment.  Choose one bed, then wet the whole bed till moist, then cover the whole bed with a tarp.  Put some rocks around edge of tarp to hold it in place. By maintaining moisture in the straw, decomposition will improve. Uncover monthly, add moisture as necessary, then recover.  Totally uncover, when ready to plant.In the spring, the straw may be moved aside for your planting.  Put in your plants/seeds, then use the straw as a mulch, about 4” deep around your new plantings in the beds and elsewhere in your garden.Another thought for the future.  You could chop your straw into smaller pieces. Smaller organics absorb water well, thendecompose better (faster).And of course you could chop up the residual straw, combine it with some greens then add to your compost bin, then in duetime use the humus to amend your garden soil.Lots of choices.  Compost on !   Hope that this is helpful. Ask more questions if you need more info.

From original questioner:  Thank you!  I’ll be taking a trip to Harbor Freight tomorrow. Tarps are very reasonable there.  We will keep you posted. Do you have any information on the program where you receive a free rain barrel upon completion? Thanks again.

Answer by JZ: Yes, let us know how the experiment proceeds.  (I think you will be pleased). I find this BernCo. site about rain barrels: Rain Barrel Program

From original questioner:  So...   We chose a clear 4 mil plastic over the suggested tarps.  We thought the plastic would create a better greenhouse effect.  Wondering if before we wet and cover, if it would make sense to get some spent coffee grounds from Starbucks for some additional nitrogen to get the piles cooking.  What do you think?

Answer from JH: More nitrogen always a good option in my opinion.

Answer from JZ: Coffee, vegetarian animal manures, alfalfa pellets, fish emulsion, fruit &veg.scraps, feather meal, urine, blood meal,green weeds - London Rocket is growing in some places now - all sources of nitrogen which when mixed with browns would improve microbial growth, thus improve decomposition. Careful as the weather warms up, it will get hot under plastic,  you may have to move it on a sunny,warm day, then cover at nite. You do not need to “cook” the microbes .Planning ahead, you might consider: In the early spring you could gently till in the decomposed stuff, then plant a green manure cover crop, whichwould help add nutrients, nitrogen to the soil.  Then gently turn in the crop 12 days or more before you put in bedding plants. Useful cover crop info.: NMSU: Principles of Cover Cropping for Arid and Semi-arid Farming Systems This is exciting… Keep up.

From original questioner: With the rise of microbreweries in the area, what are your thoughts on spent grains in compost.  I’m sure there is an abundance of them.   Shame to see them wasted if they can provide value. Just a thought.

Answer from MR: I would not hesitate to use either the spent grains or the hops in my compost bins, and I'm certain the worms would love them in a vermicompost setup. And I'd certainly incorporate them strategically in a sheet composting application, balanced with plenty of browns, like leaves or spoiled hay or straw. My gut tells me that fermented grains and worms could probably create miracles.

Answer by JZ: Yes, we are in the grip of winter.  Other colleagues may respond to your question.

"Cold" composting operations in a tumbler will have temperature swings with the ambient air temps. Cold composting operations do not necessarily generate heat internally and are usually not of sufficient volume (see below) to insulate the heat that may develop. Adding greens to browns would be useful, e.g. manures, fruit/vegetable scrap, coffee grounds, alfalfa pellets - these provide protein for microbial proliferation.

You could consider your tumbler method  as part of a 12 month cycle - decomposition will slow now, but will pick up as the season changes.  Keep up, decomposition is happening.  Be sure to maintain 50% moisture in the bin. If your tumbler is in a sunny location during the day - and adding some greens, that is the best you can do for now. Leave it uncovered at night if that is not convenient. Sure, covering at night would be useful - the blanket you mentioned would be helpful. Surrounding the tumbler with straw bales and/or cardboard may be helpful too.

If you would like to do "hot" composting in a tumbler, then you would need one that holds about 170 gallons - 3/4 full with 50/50 greens/browns with coarse bulking material.  This volume would keep in/insulate the heat that develops internally. This weight/volume of wet organics becomes difficult to tumble due to the weight.

Hope that this is helpful.  Let us know if you have more questions.

Answer by YW:   Thank you for reaching out. Glad to hear your wormies are happy! I have several composting bins in my backyard, and I have noticed a large population of flies appeared in/around the bins since the beginning of last month. My question to you is: Do they bother you? For example, do they follow you into the house? Do they bite? Are they causing any issues outside of the compost bin? The reason I’m asking is that flies are great decomposers. When the compost pile conditions meet their needs, these hungry creatures can always find their way to food. With the temperature being in the mid 50s and 60s during the day recently, they are thriving. That said, acceptance is one approach.  Alternatively, you can try a few things to reduce the flies population: 1) aerate your pile - something could be rotting inside which is attracting the flies. Airing the pile could speed up the decomposition process. (I recently turned all my piles, and it seems that the the flies population has reduced a lot already.) 2) reduce feeding - looks like there are still plenty of food for the worms to consume in your video. Wait it out. 3) add blankets on top of the piles. Cardboard or trash bags would work great. (Looks like you might already have one) 4) when you are ready to add scraps in again, cut them into smaller pieces and mix in some browns (leaves, paper, etc).

Hope it’s helpful, I’m curious if other MCs have any suggestions. BTW, what’s the brand of your bin? Is it Subpod?

Happy composting!

Response from Original Questioner: Thank you!

They aren’t biting or following me inside - mostly just bothering me by swarming up into my face when I open the bin. But I’m glad to know they aren’t hurting anything and are potentially helping!

I started composting in the fall, so I haven’t yet done a full year yet. I mostly wanted to make sure it wasn’t something I needed to get under control before it got (more) out of hand. But since it sounds like it shouldn’t be an issue worth worrying about, I will wait it out.

On the subject of waiting it out, do I need to do anything specific with my bin once it is full? Do I need to continue adding browns occasionally? Or just aerate it every now and then until it is finished?

And yes, it is indeed subpod! I’m glad I was able to snag one before they went out of business.

Thank you for your insight!

Answer by MG: The small flies sound like fungus gnats, but I have always had a hard time identifying those flying critters.

YW is correct -- it looks like you have a whole lot of food in your bin, so you will, of course, attract lots of "visitors" to your bin.  I have gotten fungus gnats even in my indoors bins and have, pretty much, beaten them by using two approaches.  The vinegar traps with a drop of soap in them like you mentioned, and a vacuum hose, always plugged in, always standing by.  That would probably not be practical for an outdoor bin like yours, which, by the way, looks wonderfully productive!

What should help, over time, is to always have a thick layer of DRY shredded cardboard (or some other dry mulch not attractive to bugs) on top of your worm habitat.  It's amazing how much a 6 or 8" layer of dry material will discourage visitors.  They are always going to be attracted to anything moist, especially in our climate.  Having to burrow thru a lot of dry stuff will cut way back on your visitors.  But keeping the material dry means a heavy lid will always be required, or thick sheets of plastic always held down with bricks or boards.

The sad, but natural, bottom line is that a worm bin outdoors is ALWAYS going to have uninvited guests, which is part of the reason I stopped using my outdoor bins.  Like YW said, many of them are doing some composting on their own, but it's not much fun to deal with them as you built your accommodations for worms.  And this disappointing fact is true even for indoor bins, because there are always teeny eggs laid on the skins of fruits and vegetables that you feed to your worms.  You usually just have to decide what you can live with and what you can't.  (I couldn't deal with the zillions of rolly bugs and earwigs outdoors!)  One thing to look forward to is that when you next harvest your worm castings, that will be a good opportunity to start over with fresh, uninhabited bedding material for your worms.  The only way to MAYBE keep your bin somewhat critter-free is to use something like an old freezer as a bin, with its hinged door kept closed, to raise your worms in.  This will keep the visitor population way down.  And normally, there is enough oxygen for your wormies, provided you never allow the worm habitat to go anaerobic.

Your worms look healthy & productive, so don't get discouraged!  Just choose your battles.  If visitors to the bin aren't hurting your worms (or you), you might just have to live and let live.

Worm regards ...

Response by Original Questioner: Thank you, MG! That is also very helpful information. I’ll definitely try adding more dry material! Your suggestion of the cooler also made me think to check on the settling of my subpod - and sure enough, the side worm holes had become exposed over the soil. I think that’s likely how more guests were able to move in, since the subpod has a pretty firm closing lid like a cooler.

I appreciate all your guys’ help! Very beneficial. Also I just saw the Composting with Worms class coming up this month, so I went ahead and registered. Thanks again!

Response by YW: I’ve been following Subpod for years, and I really enjoyed their educational content and the composting advocacy. Their products are definitely not designed for NM climate, since they are based in Australia. Yes, way too many holes! 

I forgot to mention the class in my last email, but glad you signed up! See you then. :)

Answer by JZ: Your question will be received by a few BernCo. Master composters, who may also respond to you. Here are my thoughts. Red worms are great partners in the composting process. With any composting process annoying issues may come up. We deal with them and learn from them. Any holes in your bin for drainage & air flow could be covered with pieces of screen glued over them, this will deny entry for certain critters, yet allow for airflow & drainage.

Not all snakes lay eggs, some have live births. You would have to ID the snake, then go from there.

Suggest that in an outdoor location, empty the bin, harvest, your worms with a gloved hand, allow the snake to escape. Set the worms aside. Clean the bin with water, cover the holes with glued- on screen pieces.  Add 4-6” of moist bedding: shredded paper, shredded leaves or straw, then add worms. Put a lid on the bin, then place in a cool location.

There are various options / containers for red worms.  My particular choice is to have my containers outdoors with protection from extremes of temperature. This methods gets the worms closer to a natural environment and critters, mostly insects will come and go. Insects are helpful to the decomposition process. We have a webpage which presents an in-soil container which may be used for worms: simple, easy, close to nature. The soil around the container will insulate the

contents from heat and cold.  This is truly a “Dump& Run” composting method.  See“ Bucket in a hole” on our Homemade Bins page under Composting Info on our website.

You may enjoy this presentation: Bachechi Open Space - Home | Facebook

Let us know if you have questions.  Keep up: Compost on !

From original questioner: Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate your observations and suggestions.We are using a wooden box - it’s open on top but maybe a screen is a good idea.An acquaintance helped me identify the snake - it’s probably one of two kinds of garter snakes, so that’s not super worrying. Still, I’d like it to move on, so maybe I’ll try your suggestion to take some of the bedding and material out and see if it’ll leave. It’s kind of a big box so it could be kind of a pain, but maybe good to see what’s going on at deeper layers. Thanks again for your helpful email!

Answer by JZ: Your questions will be received by other master composter colleagues who may also respond. Here are my thoughts:

Soil test kits will be available at the BernCo. Extension Office, when it reopens, ( ? when?). The kit is free. The test costs about $35.00. We use the soil test lab at Colorado State Univ..  Of course you may use another soil test lab of your choice.  BernCo. Extension Office, 1510 Menaul Blvd., Ext. NW.  505.243.1386.

Finished compost outperforms any other high desert soil amendment. If you purchase compost, I’d suggest that you buy one which is locally made.

Wood chip mulch may be used on top of the soil around perennials, do not dig them into the soil, just place on top, then you will avoid the “nitrogen steal” situation. The chips will slowly decompose over time. As a mulch (3-4”deep) they will help decrease evaporation of moisture from the soil around plants.

You may also use the chips as a bulking agent in your composting setup. When you harvest the finished compost, just sift out the chips and use them again. 

All the manures you mention are useful.  The best thing you can do with any manure is to decompose it in a composting setup, before putting in garden soil. A fine composting method for manures is the hot process which destroys weed seeds and pathogens. This is described in our brochure Desert Composting under Composting Info in our website menu.

Fresh manure may be added to garden soil in the late fall, then allowed to decompose over winter months. Some fresh manures have a high nitrogen content which may chemically burn tender plant roots.  Best thing compost them first. 

Consider attending any of our composting / soil classes when we get the go-ahead to hold classes again. All will be posted on our website. 

Hope that this is helpful. This is a fine time to be gardening and composting.  Enjoy it. Let us know if you have questions.     Best.

Answer by WR: You might contact master gardener help line and they can give you details about how to go about this. Here are links to the websites of the Master Gardener organizations in our area:

https://abqmastergardeners.org/

https://sandovalmastergardeners.org/

It's great that you are interested in the quality of your soil and probably improving it.

Answer by JZ: There are many soil test labs available. This page from our website may provide some useful info. for you.:

Soil Matters | Bernalillo County Extension Master Composters | New Mexico

Answer by JZ: To the best of my knowledge, soldier fly larvae are not harmful to the composting process. They are detritivores, actually helping the process.

Answer by RR: Thanks for your question.  Others of our group may also answer your question.

If you have a paper shredder, that would probably be your best bet.  I work on base, and virtually every office or work section also has a paper shredder if you don’t have one. So you or your spouse likely have ready access to shredded paper. Some people worry about whether or not certain types of paper can be composted….don’t worry.  If it decomposes, great; if it doesn’t, you can just pick out the leftover pieces.  Newspaper will work even better as a brown.  You should rip it into strips before throwing it into your compost…just make sure you don’t put too much of it together because newspaper tends to clump into a ball when it gets wet.  Other household paper products, like paper towels, tissues, paper plates (shredded), can also be used. Good luck, and thank you for caring enough to try to avoid sending compostable materials to the landfill.

I hope you get a chance to take one of our free composting classes soon.  We hold them throughout the year in many different places.

Answer by WR: RR gave you excellent advice.  I want to be sure you know about these documents on our website.  They might be helpful if you aren't able to do a class:

Composting in Tumbler Bins

Composting in the Desert (the brochure gives a good list of browns)

Feedstock sources

Good luck and feel free to keep asking questions.

Answer by WR: I'm not sure if you've already heard from anyone on this, but our website lists some sources on this page: https://www.nmcomposters.org/worm-sources. Hope this helps.

Answer from JZ: As you screen the sow bugs will scatter to safety. They prefer damp, dark places, so from my point of view, not a problem.

If your setup was a hot process pile, then the compost ought to go through a 4-6wk., finishing / curing process. You could cure in a trash can composter as described in Homemade Bins under Composting Info on our website.

That would also, give the insects time to scatter.

Answer by JZ: Hopefully your weather changes soon.  Your question will be received by a few of my colleagues who may also respond. Here are my thoughts. Spontaneous combustion in a composting setup is rare. Your reasoning is correct, when there are pockets of dry  ingredients surrounded by by moist organics which are actively decomposing thus creating heat from the breakdown of carbohydrates may reach “flashpoint” temperatures. Compacted decomposing organics may also produce methane gas which may “flash” if surrounding temps. are high enough.

Suggest:  Aerate your pile by gently turning / churning at the same time add snow or water to moisten the whole setup.  

If there is uniform moisture, then it will be less likely to “flash”.   Hope that this is helpful.

Answer by WR: Also see Spontaneous Combustion under Composting Info in our website menu.

Answer by JZ: Great to hear that you are going to be home composting.  Your question will be received by other colleagues who may also reply. A tower bin is a fine choice.  I usually do not recommend a specific bin, but I’ll share some comments. If you were to make a bin from a plastic trash can, then you could choose the gallon size which works for you and get that started while you are seeking a manufactured bin. See Homemade Bins under Composting Info in our main menu. You decide how many holes to drill as in the pics.  This bin would not have a harvesting door, so you would scoop out the finished compost at the bottom with a hand tool or dump the contents on a tarp, reserve the fished compost, then put back in the bin what is not yet decomposed, then continue the process.  This set up works well for me.

A standing plastic manufactured composter bin, called a tower bin, may have too many holes, allowing for too much evaporation. A bin which has too many holes may “fixed” so that it is less porous by simply tapeing over the holes with a quality duct tape or plugging them with caulk.

I have experience with the Tumbleweed 240 L ( may be viewed on Amazon.com).  It is a very snug bin.  There are only air spaces on the sliding door at the bottom.  The plastic is fairly durable. Very easy to assemble.  There are cracks where the sides (3 pieces) are bolted together, which I taped closed.   Works well for me.  See first photo attached.

Any bin in our area should be in the shade in the summer months.  If you have no shade then you may drape the entire bin with two layers of shade fabric, held in place with a brick OR you could cover with appropriately cut pieces of cardboard.

You might also consider a tumbler bin, they are usually quite snug. Some are elevated and have wheels, so they are movable.

I have some experience with the Lifetime compost tumbler.  It’s snug, sturdy, elevated and movable. See second photo attached.

Hope that this info. is helpful.  Get back if you have further questions. Best. Compost on. Oh yes, also see Tumbler Bins under Composting Info in our menu.

Answer by JZ: Excellent idea. I personally have no experience with management of large scale composting operations. The composting formula / recipe is the same for both small and large operations. I’ll suggest the following as outfits / people with whom you might consult:

Large scale operation run ABCWUA on the far West Mesa. I do not know who currently manages the facility: Compost

Sandoval Co. Composting Rio Rancho: Green Waste, compost & mulch | The Official Site of Rio Rancho, NM

Soilutions: Bates Rd, South Valley: Recycling – Soilutions    Walter Dods is the manager:  walter@soliutions.net

Paynes Nuseries, Santa Fe:  Organic Soil Yard – Payne’s Nurseries

Santa Fe City Composting:  Purchase compost | City of Santa Fe, New Mexico

Food Scrap collection service in ABQ:  Home | Little Green Bucket

Perhaps this helpful.     Keep up !     Let me know if you have further questions.

From original questioner: This was SUPER super helpful, thank you! Do you all have any community composters working with schools, churches, etc?

Answer from JZ: Yes, in recent past we have had composting classes specifically for school teachers and one member has a grammar school teaching site. We’ve also had info. tables at a variety of community events. We have active outdoor composting demo sites at the BernCo. Extension office, The ABQ Garden Center and the Open Space Visitor Center.  We are not limited by zip code.  We try to honor all requests anywhere. We sometimes get requests for on-site composting consultations. We usually respond as best we can to anyone who asks for help.

Some activities are curtailed by the pandemic.  To see a list of our classes since 2010, go to our website menu and under "About Us" see "History". 

Answer by JZ: I will do my best to answer your questions.  Other colleagues may reply too.

Garden clippings & leaves are fine additions.

Unpleasant scents in a composting operation often come from compaction of wet organic material, which obviates spaces for air, then anaerobic bacteria proliferate, then produce odiferous gases. So, if you bulk your pile as you build you will eliminate that issue. Coarse bulking is described in the brochure noted in the below link.

A well managed hot ( thermophilic) composting set will destroy pathogens and seeds. If well managed, then you could expect a fished product in 3 - 6 months.  The hot process would be a useful choice for your garden. 

There are are specific guidelines for the hot process which are summarized at this link.

Containers (bins) for a hot process may be of various construction, but at a minimum need to hold at least a cubic yard of organics. You may see various types of bin possibilities at this link - Wire round & NZ box.

If you have time/ money/supplies, then consider the New Zealand Box, which is very snug

and visually attractive, neat & tidy!  Having three bins, hot process management is facilitated.

Inexpensively, you could make a bin from fencing wire then lined with a tarp - which is shown

at the above link. You could get started inexpensively, then move on, eventually to a better quality bin.

A cold process setup, will fluctuate with the ambient air temp, so it would take longer for

decomposition to occur 6 - 12 months and it is a valid/useful composting process.

Surely you and your staff are welcome to attend any of our free classes.

Let us know if this has been helpful and/or if you have more questions. Keep up   Compost on.   You are doing a fine thing.

Response from Questioner: Thank you so much for all of that information! I really like the design of the New Zealand Box. Being a large garden we do collect a lot of plant material relatively quickly, and I like how the NZ box keeps the compost at different stages so it will be easier for our volunteers to understand how our system will work. Also, thank you for the additional sources - I will try to plan a time to go to one of the Home Composting Basics classes in November to get more information. Again, thank you very much for responding to my inquiry!

Answer by JE: It sounds like you have some good composting materials so I would suggest you look at composting methods to see which ones might work the best for your circumstances. I have included a flyer to help with that decision.

In addition to kitchen food scraps you can also look at adding paper napkins, paper towels, cardboard boxes and shredded paper if you need more carbon sources that will also absorb moisture.

Please contact us if you have more questions.

Answer by JZ: Here are my thoughts.

1. Where is the facility where the composting will be done ?

2. It is a good idea to recycle food scraps by composting them. Is the prison administration

in favor of and supportive of this proposal?  How will you use the finished compost?

3. We are a group  composting educators so you may want to set up a composting class for your group. We could work that out if you are interested.  Then you would have the information that would answer your original question.

Let us know how you would like to proceed.

Answer by JZ: Thanks for your inquiry. I’m copying to one of our masters who lives in Bosque Farms and may be able to consult with you on the situation.

Some people smell with their eyes! Some composting is unpleasantly fragrant when an operation goes anaerobic and produces methane and hydrogen sulfide gases. This may be related to inadequate aeration due to compaction and/or increased amounts of nitrogenous material which is moist and easily compacts. The question is is the “offending” home owner open to advice on the situation? One would have to contact that person to find out, then go from there.

The Bernco Master Composter group is always available to you for consultation and teaching: nmcomposters.org

* We could present a basic home composting class (s) in your community in the future- free/open to the public.

* We could encourage Kyle Tater, the Valencia Co. horticultural agent to identify/encourage some from the community to take our master composter training in the future, so that you would have help locally.

I will follow up our Valencia Master Composter then get back to you. Let me know if this is helpful to you so far.

Answer by JZ: Other master composter colleagues may also send you their thoughts.

Bravo ! Your composting efforts are productive. No matter how you store your finished compost it will always be decomposed organic matter. A partially closed container which allows for air would be fine, which you have suggested. Container configured in the same way as a home made trash can composter should work well for storage purposes.   Any size which suits your needs.   See pics of plastic container bins on our website under Homemade Bins under Composting Info in our main menu. As the residual nitrogen in your finished product is volatile, a lid on the container is useful. If the contents are moist, then microbial action will continue. If you are so motivated, you may add red wiggler worms to the finished product, in which case you must keep the contents moist - about the same moisture level as freshly brewed coffee grounds, saturated but not dripping. The compost passing thru the worm digestive system will produce “rich” castings which are a useful soil amendment which will be ready for spring.  Worms not required, just sharing a thought. If compost is stored on the dry side then continued microbial activity will be slowed down. The trash can bin may be used for “dry” storage too, providing some aeration.

Insects are part of the compost food web. They ingest organic material “digest” it, then defecate

the residual into the pile, where microorganisms then continue the decomposition process. Consider a variety of insects as your co-workers.

Let me know if this is helpful and if you have more questions.   Compost on !

Answer by JH: Thank you for your question, and congrats on your composting success! One place to put your compost is on top of your raised beds. You could turn it into the existing soil a couple inches or just spread it on top. You could also top dress the soil around the base of your trees or spread it in the grass. But if you just want to store it, pretty much any covered spot will do - the plastic pail is a good option. The key is to avoid it being blown away or drying out.

Bugs are not a problem in the compost pile - as you mention, they help break down the feedstock and eventually become part of the feedstock.

Best wishes as you continue your backyard composting,

Answer by JZ: Here are some of my ideas reference your situation.  Other colleagues may have other ideas.

In my opinion you could sprinkle / distribute your castings on your garden space right now / anytime. Spread out 1-3” of castings in your garden, then scratch them into the soil, about 3” deep with a tine rake. Then sprinkle with water. Then cover the whole amended area with 4” of organic mulch: leaves, straw,  pine needles, shredded paper or a combination of those mulches. By doing this you put the castings to work in your soil. Yes, microbial activity in winter is slow, but come spring you’ll be ready for increased microbial activity in your already amended soil.

Storage of castings: When you purchase worm casts or compost from a supplier, they are often quite dry. So, spread out the castings on newspaper or tarp to allow some evaporation of moisture.  Once they are somewhat dry you may store them in paper bags or plastic bags which are punctured with small holes for some air intake. Dried castings will store for several months as decomposition will be very slow due to dryness.

For me an ideal storage container would be a homemade trash can bin.  Pick a size which suits your needs.  In our website main menu, see our Homemade Bins under Composting Information and then look for “plastic container bin”.

If you store the castings at their current moisture level, then they may compact, thus reducing airflow, possibly becoming anaerobic, then unpleasantly odiferous. If you do choose to store them as moist as they are, then some of the residual eggs may hatch in the castings and you’ll have more worms! For moist storage, I’d suggest the above mentioned trash can bin, this method allows for some airflow in the container.   Worms are superfine!

Just some ideas for you.    Best.

Answer by JH: I am not currently a vermicomposter but I do put a lot of straw in my compost pile and the worms seem to appreciate it. So I just did a google search and I see lots of information about how to use straw in vermicomposting. One point - straw is difficult to saturate so the problem would be keeping it at an acceptable moisture level. I don't know that chopping is necessary but in my experience by the time my chickens get through with their bedding straw and it goes to the compost pile, it's in varying lengths up to 10 inches.

The short answer then is yes, straw can be used in vermicomposting. For additional insight, you can await other responses, check out a google search for "using straw in vermicomposting", and/or go ahead and conduct your own experiment and adjust your recipe based on how your worms react.

Answer by JZ: Here is my response.  Straw is organic, it will decompose, so yes it could be used as bedding for composting worms. Chop to 1/2 - 1”, then soak in water, ’till its soft. Squeeze out the water, so that the straw no longer drips, then spread out in worm bin. You may also use, mix with straw- shredded leaves & newspaperk, moisturized just like the straw.

Hope this is helpful.   Let us know if we can be of further help to you

Answer by JZ: Here is a resource list from a previous workshop.

Surely, you may find other sources specifically for vermicomposting with kids. Compost on!   Best.

Answer by JE: I’ve been giving your email a lot of thought and I would refer you to environmental labs if your feel this is what you want to do compost testing. Just look under laboratories/environmental in the yellow pages or you can contact Universities that have an agricultural department such as NMSU. However, I feel an obligation to provide you with some further advice before you go through the expense of testing the soil. First you should ask yourself why you want to test for these organisms. Did you have some sort of contamination that you are worried about?

* Testing soil is very tricky and can be expensive. First you need to consider how are you going to sample it to make sure you get a true sample and not just a pocket. A good lab will provide you will detailed instructions. When I worked as a microbiologist, we would always say the test in only as good as the sample. If you don’t sample and transport it correctly the results are worthless.

* E. Coli is a huge family of bacteria and not all E. Coli is pathogenic (disease causing). All mammals have E. Coli in our GI system as they provide us vitamins and have other essential roles. They are a part of the “natural flora” of our GI system. Also E. Coli can be found in almost all dirt samples. If I tested a 100 shoes for E. Coli I bet everyone will be positive but very few will be shiga-toxin producing (this one cause the most trouble in GI problems) As an aside, E. Coli is the number one organism in urinary tract infections but are usually from the person’s own GI tract not from other sources.

* Salmonella is a water loving organism so you can save yourself a lot of money from testing by just letting your compost dry out completely for several months.

* Also if you are doing hot composting, any pathogens present will be destroyed by the heat. Pathogens do best at body temperature and will die above 120 degrees F. In addition, most pathogens can’t stand UV light so if you are in a place with lot of sun light it will also destroy pathogens.

Answer by JH: Here is a local lab that might perform the requested testing. If not they would know which local labs offer the service:

Geo Test Inc.
8528 Calle Alameda NE
Albuquerque, NM 87113
505/431-1104

Their advertising indicates they perform soil and material testing & environmental services

Answer by WR: Is it possible that you added some horse manure to your compost? If horses have been de-wormed, the medicine can go into their manure and can kill worms in a compost. Also manure can really heat up a compost, good for the compost but bad news for the worms. Another thought, did you buy actual earth worms or red worms (aka fishing worms, red wrigglers)? The latter are happy in compost but earth worms are not. If the above doesn’t explain what happened to the worms, if your compost is not covered and / or is in a hot/dry spot and not getting enough water, that might explain why the worms are dying (too hot and dry). Or, if you are making hot compost, again, this is a good thing but not a good place for worms.

In general, if compost is smelly and gross, one or more of the following is probably true: (1) needs more browns (high carbon materials) to balance your greens (high nitrogen materials), (2) needs less water, and / or (3) needs to be stirred more. On our handouts page (under Resources in our website menu), you can click on “What Can I Compost” to get a list of browns and greens. The page also has link to our new flyer “Composting in the Desert” with some good information.

If your cucumbers got a fungus from the compost it could be that the compost was not finished when you put it on your plants. Could it have been a virus? If you have put previous plants in the compost that had a virus, unless your compost gets hot enough, the virus can be transmitted to new plants planted in the compost. In general it is best to not to put diseased plants into a compost.
You’re welcome to attend any of our free classes. We have several on the schedule in upcoming months. See Classes under Activities in our website menu.

 I hope this helps. Feel free to write back if you still have questions or feel free to call me if you’d rather discuss this by phone. Also will you let us know how it goes? We want to help you get your compost back on track and we’ll continue to work with you on that.

Answer by CS: My sense is that the pile is too rich in kitchen waste, nitrogen, the clue being smell, rots. Find some good dry leaves and turn them into the pile along with some sticks cut up branches for bulk and if nothing else, some cut up newspapers to add carbon. Keep moist, cover. Add worms when the pile becomes balanced. Note workshops on the nmcomposter.org web site as noted earlier. An overall picture of the composting process could be helpful.

Answer by JZ: A few master composters will also receive your question.  So you may get other responses.  Here are my thoughts. You have a fine idea as this is a fine setup for any composting process. To the best of my knowledge we do do not have a building design nor a materials list for a New Zealand Box. A search revealed this website: How to Build A New Zealand Compost Bin My only caveat is that the pictured finished bin is too porous for the high desert. The lateral slats should fit snugly together, no gaps in the sidewalls. In due time, you could check the NZB at the north east end of the parking lot at the BernCo. Extension Office. Hope that this is helpful.   Best.

Answer by WR: We have some instructions on our website for building a three-bin system here: https://www.nmcomposters.org/homemade-bin-new-zealand-box  Several people in our organization have experience building this system and could answer questions you might have.   I am forwarding your message to our Compost Questions group.  Someone in that group might respond directly to this and, if you have any specific questions about it, you can send email to compost-questions@nmcomposters.org.  You can also respond (group reply) to this email with any questions. It sounds like a great project!

Answer by JZ: Great to hear about your project. Other colleagues in addition to me and WR may respond to your question. We are a group of educators and consultants, but we are not a hands-on workforce.

I have had recent success with raised bed blocks for my large compost bin. It could have as many compartments of any size /dimension as you wish.  Raised bed blocks are available at the the big box stores, etc.

Another method would be to construct the compartments from pallets, wired together, then held in place with steel fence posts.

Lining the inside of this type of bin with a tarp or pond liner would decrease evaporation.  See videos on youtube.com.

Answer by JZ: Great that you have been so successful with your worm composting setup. Here are my thoughts: You could spread out a small tarp, then scoop out small amounts, about 2 cups at a time, of your worm castings.  With gloved hands spread out the small pile, remove the worms and set them aside for “re-use”. This is a bit of a tedious process, which may done over many days / when you have the time.  You will be rewarded with a fine soil amendment.

After that, If you wish to screen the castings then you would have to expose them to air for a few days.  Once dry, they will easily pass thru a 1/4 “ hardware cloth screen, available at most hardware stores.  I would not recommend using window screen as the holes are too small and will plug up quite easily.

Hope that this helpful.   Get back if you have further questions.

Answer by MR: I second JZ’s advice and would simply suggest that you think of it as a “meditative” rather than a “tedious” process. Then you can celebrate, because one can never have too many worms. Congratulations!

Answer by JH: This is a very good and timely question so thank you for asking. Everyone has their preferred ways of doing things but caution is advised due to the fact that manure has a high salt content and tomatoes are sensitive to salt as are many vegetable plants. Also if the soil isn't watered sufficiently for the entire time the manure is "hot", you might burn your plants. Additionally, if the animal supplying the manure was dewormed, the manure might kill the worms in your soil.

You do have time to compost the manure prior to use by mixing it with shredded paper or cardboard or fall leaves or other carbon sources. Nmcomposters.org has more information about the proper mix for specific materials used to compost.

And in the future if you want to use manure, apply it to the soil in the late  fall when plants are dormant, then water it well to leach out the salts. Also be aware that some manures may contain weed seeds.

Additional information on this subject can be found in the Bernalillo County Master Gardeners publication Down to Earth, pp 11-18. It is available at local nurseries.

Answer by JZ:  Great that you are considering home composting. Other master composter colleagues may have responses to your question.  Here are my thoughts. I would encourage you to read our web pages about purchasing and using a tumbler bin, first thing. see Tumbler Bins under Composting Info in our website menu.

May I suggest that you look at several tumbler bins on amazon.com. This will give you some ideas of what is on the market, sizes and prices. Some local nurseries may sell tumblers.  You’d have to call them and check. Hope that this is helpful.

Answer by JZ: Your questions will be received by a few of my colleagues, who may also respond. Great to hear that you have a fine composting setup.

1&2. Hot composting piles may be turned every 7- 14 days, if you have time to do that. If the setup is already bulked with coarse material, then more bulking does not need to be added, it will be blended in as you turn. When you turn, then the top becomes the bottom and the sides become the inside, so then as you continue the process all areas will be exposed to the core heat. You turn them with a pitch fork, flipping from the full bin to the empty bin.

Add water as necessary. If pile is below 130F, then you may add more nitrogenous material - greens which will encourage microbial growth, producing more enzymes to break up the carbohydrates thus releasing heat energy.

2. Cold composting is a useful decomposition method, high heat is not necessary for decomposition to occur as long as moisture is maintained and you bulk as you build your cold set up will decompose to humus.

3. A pile is sifted after the main portion has decomposed to humus, which looks like coffee grounds and is mostly at the bottom of the bin.

4. If you have afternoon sun, then you could double drape the whole setup with 2 layers of shade fabric, or large cuts of cardboard.

5. Wire bins may be from 1 cubic yard or bigger for hot composting, for cold composting they  could be any convenient size. So you could keep your bins as they are or reduce their size to 3' x 3’x3’.

6. You elevate any bin by putting an appropriate sized palette under it. The top of pallets may be covered with weed barrier fabric, which would allow for drainage, but keep the contents from dropping thru the slots.

You are welcome to read our desert composting brochure, which I think would be helpful.  See Desert Composting under Composting Info in our website menu. 

I have been to your garden a few times in the past to discuss composting with volunteers.  I could do that again if you are interested - outdoors, with face masks, socially distant. Hope this is helpful.  Best.

Answer by JZ: Good for you.  Your description of your efforts would be, at this point in time - cold /cool static, dump & run composting, which is fine. Turning organic material is not required for  decomposition to occur as you may observe in your current setup, as long as you continue to bulk as you build for convective air flow and maintain moisture all will be fine. If you were to turn it, then you could sprinkle water to add moisture - if needed.  What you are doing now is described  under Desert Composting under Composting Info on our website.

In May you could harvest the finished humus, you may sift it, if you like or use it as it is as a top dressing around your fruit trees, in which case you would not have to “cure” the finished product.   Hope this is helpful.

Answer by RR: One thing to note is that your finished compost will be at the bottom of your pile. If you keep adding material, the new stuff will not be decomposed by May. That’s OK though, especially if you screen your compost, you can just use the unfinished material to start a new pile.

I know JZ and I both have an enclosed plastic composter that allows us to do exactly as you have been doing, dump and run.  But it has a sliding door near the bottom that allows you to harvest just the finished compost without having to tear your whole pile apart. Enjoy your finished compost in May, and thanks for composting!

Answer by JZ: Thanks for sharing your home composting experience. Hopefully other master composter colleagues will comment on your questions. Here are my thoughts.

My experience is that when you sift your compost outdoors the roaches will scatter (run) into the local environment, they will disappear from view. My opinion is that any roach eggs in the compost may eventually (?) hatch, then complete their life cycle. But I have no particular experience with this issue. Personally it is not a worry for me.

From a distance, the picture which you sent may be a young June Beetle larva https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=556766949&rls=en&q=june+beetle+larvae+identification&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjp… 

If so, it will complete its cycle. Not at all harmful, but usually helpful to the decomposition process. If you wish, you might euthanize them and return the carcass to the pile. Grubs, are white, smaller, C-shaped. Should be removed/euthanized before adding compost to garden soil.

Let us know if this is helpful and compost on !    Best.

Answer by JH: Add water – the microbes that will break these particles down require moisture.

Answer by JZ: Great to hear about your composting efforts.  You ask an important environmental question. Other master composter colleagues may also send you their responses. Here are my personal comments. This is complicated discussion as there are unknowns to be considered. All paper products are made from wood pulp which is brown in color, so paper products which are bright white have been bleached. What chemicals which were used in the bleaching is often unknown to the consumer. So there may be residual dioxins (possible carcinogens) in some products - tissue, paper towels, menstrual products and more. At this moment I have no info. as to how red wigglers may process environmental carcinogens or other novel chemicals. More research necessary. My personal suggestion for bleached paper products would be to add them sparingly, but mostly add to recycle bin. Junk mail, may contain colored inks, dyes and bleached paper; put in recycle bin, not worm bin. Printer paper with unknown inks (more research); put in recycle bin. Newspaper, in USA is printed with vegetable dyes, small amounts of black on white print could be added to worm bin. Glossy, wax coated magazine paper, with inks, dyes; put in recycle bin. Brown paper products: bags, egg carton, filters, towels, wrapping paper etc., in my opinion are OK to add to worm setup. Cardboard (boxes) products, tho not labeled as such may have PFAS - (possible carcinogens, forever chemicals, which do not biodegrade in the environment) chemical coatings to make them water proof.  Sometimes they create a shiny coating on the cardboard product. My only suggestions is, if in doubt then leave them out or add sparingly to a compost setup, recycle the rest. Does this help ?