Johanna update

Shortly before leaving on vacation, I noticed that the temperature inside Johanna had dropped, and that it seemed too “brown” from all the wood shavings. So, I added some more greens and a few other items (no-no’s). I’m happy to report that upon our return, I added some additional kitchen scraps, and stirred it with the pitchfork and found a multitude of earthworms squishing around. And it’s steaming again. Yay! It’s active again and we should have a good crop by October, I hope.

UPDATE 8/19/09:  I’ve been adding coffee grounds, banana peels, fruit peels etc. since our return from vacation, and stirring the contents to mix the juicy stuff downward.  Not only are there a lot of worms, the wood shavings I had used in excess this spring to minimize flies is now visibly transforming into compost.  Woo hoo!

This is getting OLD.

flies.

Update 3/21:  I covered the compost mix (fruit flies like you would not believe!) with about 1/2 cu. yard of topsoil.  I also finally figured out where to get saw dust – the pet store.

Got a 4.0 cubic ft. bag of pine bedding.  I already decided that this first crop would go on non-edible plants since I’ve done so much experimenting.  I don’t know if pine bedding is made from wood that has bad stuff – probably not because it’s for animals, but just to be safe, I won’t be calling this “organic” compost.

Update 3/25: I added the dirt, then a load of kitchen waste, with a generous layer of pine bedding.  This morning, I checked, and the fruit flies were unabated.  At lunch, the flies were buzzing happily.  I have a fly haven.

It took a month, but the flies are gone

I noticed, and posted a couple of times that I had flies.  They are tough to get rid of.  The booklet and online faqs all recommend covering the offending items thoroughly and adjusting the air flow of the lid.

I first covered with dirt.  Not enough dirt, I guess.  No luck, lots of flies.

Then, I tried ripped paper bags.  No luck.

Then, we tried egg carton.  No luck.

Then, I got a dry root fruit tree and found that the roots had been packed in wood shavings.  hmmmm.

This finally worked.  But there are still flies inside – just far fewer.

The lesson:  don’t get flies.  Cover your weekly kitchen scraps, especially the meat/bones stuff thoroughly with sawdust or bron yard waste, and a lot of it.

Questions, questions

I found a great faq on the johanna. Bookmark this faq if you use the Green Johanna.

Practical Johanna Tip

When you dump your kitchen waste, immediately cover it up with “browns” whether that be a torn up paper bag, sawdust, dry leaves etc.

This may seem obvious to some, but we didn’t realize that creating the layer instantly will help supress odor, flies and over-wetness.

Johanna Update – 6 weeks in

I haven’t updated the progress on the hot composting lately – so here goes.

We’ve had the Johanna for just over 6 weeks.  Everything from egg crate to raw chicken fat goes in there.  The vast majority is coffee grounds, fruit/vegetable scraps and uneaten milk/cereal.  I’ve made many mistakes (even though I read the directions three times and have composted before) .  Too much water, not enough “brown” matter etc. 

My observations so far…

• the compost is hot – I haven’t purchased a thermometer yet, but it is steamy and warm when you put your hand close;
• I let it get too wet a few weeks ago, and it made things slimy and fungus and mold really kicked in – not good, but it continues to be hot in there;
• The smell is musty, but so far, not bad – except for in the beginning.  I turned it today, and notice a faint sulfurous smell, so I know I have too much anaerobic activity happening.  I aerated and will monitor it to see if the odor improves as it dries out – otherwise, I have to get something drier inside like sawdust;
• We have little flies on the inside but not the outside;
• A rodent tried once to get in, but didn’t really make any progress, and we’ve had no evidence it’s been back since.

All in all, the Johanna appears to be performing as promised, even though I haven’t been the best compost practitioner. 

Can I recommend the Johanna?  Yes, I can – but only if you have  enough browns to keep your kitchen waste covered.  Otherwise, you’ll have to be creative there.

Flies, Flies, Flies!

I walked out to put more compost in the Johanna, and was greeted by a small army of little flies, buzzing around. I opened the top and everything looked too wet. I added some more browns and a little more compost, all thankfully pretty dry. No water for a while! I will check again in a few days to see if I should add some peat moss just to soak up that extra moisture.

Fortunately, there was no nasty smell.

With Johanna, You Poke, Not Turn

One big difference between the Johanna and my other composter is that you don’t turn…you poke.

I am used to turning for aeration, but I now realize that Johanna does it’s work when you layer brown and green layers (carbon and nitrogen). Then, instead of turning and mixing, you poke and twist for aeration.

Going forward, we’ll be doing that. Since we have a dearth of browns, I’ll have to use unbleached paper towels and unused brown grocery bags (all ripped up).

Gollee!

Green Johanna is tested again…by a rodent

This afternoon, we all went into the back yard. I glanced over at my un-covered raised bed and noticed that again, something had rooted around to get every last seed I had tried to start. Then, I also noticed that it had attempted to find a way into the Johanna.

I became worried. There was a slight depression at the base of the composter where the creature (rat, racoon, possum?) had tried to gain access. But we saw that it was an aborted attempt. Good heavens! The Johanna repelled a rodent.

Let’s see what the next few weeks bring us.

I really am a nerd for compost

Earlier, I mused about “What Kind of Nerd Loves Compost”.  I present my case:  I went to a birthday party out on Chrissy Field Saturday morning, and walked over to get coffee for the hostess and myself at the Warming Hut.  They gave me a nice “egg crate” carrier, which I carried around ALL WEEKEND in my purse to take home to my Johanna.  What a nut.