Compost

[Noggin]

This is somewhat pool related actually, but I wasn't sure which forum to place it in so it's going in here

Are leaves and other debris from the pool skimmer compostable? My leaf pile from the pool is about 5 ft tall and I only started making it back in mid-December. Grated, it was a period when the leaves were just leaping off of the trees. In any case, I'm worried that the chlorine level is too high in the leaves to allow bacteria to grow. Or maybe it'll just make composting slower. I dunno...

 

[PaulR]

Whatever chlorine might have soaked into the leaves would be used up pretty quickly. I put all the debris from my pool into the yard-waste bin without a second thought.
--paulr

 

[Casey]

I agree. I know when I remove my leaves, they smell like dead fish.

 

[Noggin]

When I was fiddling with my pool over the weekend, I realized that my "ground" was about 2" higher than my neighbor's yard and it looked like it was all dead leaves! I'm going to need a huge compost box. My wife is trying to get into gardening so hopefully she'll support the compost idea. I guess the other alternative is just to bag em and let Austin compost em.

 

[MikeInTN]

I've got a compost heap at the back of my yard that comes in real handy for around tomato planting time, and the assorted tree or bush that we plant. Best thing to do before putting them on the compost heap is to mulch them up using either a mower with a bagger attachment or a leaf blower with a vaccuum attachment. Then add rain and some grass clippings, and you're off to the races.

 

[geekgranny]

I've got a compost heap at the back of my yard that comes in real handy for around tomato planting time, and the assorted tree or bush that we plant. Best thing to do before putting them on the compost heap is to mulch them up using either a mower with a bagger attachment or a leaf blower with a vaccuum attachment. Then add rain and some grass clippings, and you're off to the races.

A few years ago I purchased a hopper leaf chopper. It was supposed to handle tiny stick but didn't so it was a hassle to use as I had to frequently stop it and partly disassemble to clear the sticks. Anyway, the dry leaves that I did get chopped were placed into my dark shed in big metal wash pans. I did that as a temporary measure until I got a wire frame pile going. Within no time, a few weeks, they became very fine compost. The chopping made a huge difference.

BTW... if anyone plans going the hopper/chopper route be sure it really can handle small sticks and purchase where you can return if it gets stuck doing tiny sticks.

gg=alice

 

[geekgranny]

I've got a compost heap at the back of my yard that comes in real handy for around tomato planting time, and the assorted tree or bush that we plant. Best thing to do before putting them on the compost heap is to mulch them up using either a mower with a bagger attachment or a leaf blower with a vaccuum attachment. Then add rain and some grass clippings, and you're off to the races.

For spring cleanup my yard crew blows them into piles with those doG awful loud blowers (although they have gotten considerably less noisy over the years) and then runs the big mulching mower (the big ones where the driver stands on the back) over them to chop. We leave the chopped leaves on the ground (hidden, country/woodsy so no one sees the yard and we don't have to deal with appearances like one would in a neighborhood) and in no time they are incorporated into the yard.

For debris coming out of pool and PoolSkims, skimmer, Cleaner bags, and Solar Breeze, I keep one of those twist open/close poly barrels near the pool to drop stuff in to; not the giant one but a smaller version. Helps to have it downwind in summer. I make sure there are enough holes in the bottom for water to quickly drain out. Before it gets too heavy or starts stinking too much I'll throw it into the yard compost bin.

We keep a large closed bin in the courtyard for kitchen scraps and occasionally I'll empty some of the Roomba bins in there. The pile likes dander, dust, and hair. We have larger open piles for mostly leaves, yard debris, and pool debris. They are further from the house than the kitchen scrap bin. Compost bins are never supposed to get smelly. The stuff from the pool loses its smell pretty quickly in the yard compost pile (enclosed by wire to contain the debris and keep the dogs out).

gg=alice