I hack my hostas with a shovel, and so far, they've always forgiven me. As everyone else has said, get them early, before the leaves unfurl.
The easiest way to turn compost is to have two composters. Then you just shovel the contents of one composter into the other composter. But if you just have one, open up the bottom door, and shovel the half-composted stuff from there into the top of the composter until you've gone full circle and you see stuff coming out the bottom that you know you've already turned. Then water it and put the lid on. If you do this every weekend, you'll have usable compost every month.
If there is a clear bifurcation in your compost layers, it's better to get all the compost out, stir everything together, and then fork it back in. A single type of input does not compost very well - the more combined it is, the faster it breaks down, so long as you get a good carbon: nitrogen ratio.
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Date: 2007-04-23 06:49 pm (UTC)The easiest way to turn compost is to have two composters. Then you just shovel the contents of one composter into the other composter. But if you just have one, open up the bottom door, and shovel the half-composted stuff from there into the top of the composter until you've gone full circle and you see stuff coming out the bottom that you know you've already turned. Then water it and put the lid on. If you do this every weekend, you'll have usable compost every month.
If there is a clear bifurcation in your compost layers, it's better to get all the compost out, stir everything together, and then fork it back in. A single type of input does not compost very well - the more combined it is, the faster it breaks down, so long as you get a good carbon: nitrogen ratio.