Yard waste can indeed be used for compost. I was raised by my grandparents. When my grandfather built their home in 1919 and 1920, he dug a compost pit. By the 1950's, it had become a compost pile, and was about two feet above suface level. This meant that there was a four-foot deep area of compost, about six feet by six feet. All yard and garden "trash" went on it, weeds were allowed to grown there, and in autumn, just before winter, my grandfather would "burn it over," which, of course, one cannot do these days, due to public burning regulations.
However, putting the yard waste directly onto the garden plot is not composting, as i came to understand it as a child. That is "bedding." We did this with the asparagus, and asparagus beds are difficult to start, and require a great deal of maintenance. In the spring, we would rake the refuse from the asparagus bed, and put it on the compost pile.
Unless they're itty-bitty, skinny mini, and/or cut up - twigs aren't usually put into compost bins. They take too long to be digested by the bacteria, and use up space that 'good' compost material could take.
fishin's plan is the most like the info i got from hamburger -he gave me a video on composting - to go with my composter. He's got a little village of composters and digesters in his backyard (2 of 1 and 1 of the other).
I've seen, in a couple of gardening mags and forums, people suggesting that you take up the over-wintered ground cover - put it in a plastic garbage can, and then use a weed-eater (through a hole in the lid) like a giant stick blender to break the stuff up. Then, you take stuff out of the bottom of your composter - work it into the soil, and put the new cut-up compost material into the composter. It seems to work quite effectively. I need a new weed-eater, and then I'm going to try this approach.
Quote:I think you don't have a very good understanding of this thread, Gus ol' boy.
Geeesh, just trying to be helpful, Soz. No reason to get into a huff.
