Composting resources
Take a look below at our hot composting resources including our column The Compost Conversation from local newspaper Midland Express.
CYLINDER BAY ‘BECKLEY BAYS’
Read and download our step-by-step instructions on how to make a YIMBY Wire Cylinder Compost Bays (aka Beckley Bays) …
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MAY THE BEST BIN WIN
With a dizzying array of compost bins for sale, what should we consider looking for the perfect bin…
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COMPOST IN OUR AUTUMN GARDEN
Autumn in Central Victoria is pretty spectacular. As the rains bring a flush of green…
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YIMBY, EXPANDING IN 2024
As YIMBY dives into its 3rd year, we explore how to service our community, microbes and soil…
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PROFILE OF A COMPOSTER
We take a stroll around the garden of Mt Alexander Shire Councillor Christine Henderson
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LIGHT, DRY AND UNHAPPY
This week we look at what happens when our compost is too light and too full of air pockets.
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COMPOST TOO DENSE?
Discover ways to aerate the deepest layers of your compost heap to give it optimum density.
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FLAT OUT FOR COMPOST
There is one pro-composting tip that sets the serious composters apart from the pack
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BIOCHARGING COMPOST
Biochar improves agricultural soil & yields while also drawing carbon from the atmosphere.
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CURE FOR YOUR COMPOST
It’s tempting to rush the curing of compost. Here’s what to look out for before you spread it.
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THE BIG CHOP
At YIMBY we’ve found the perfect tool to chop our compost finely.
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COMPOST THERMOMETERS
There are a few simple ways to check your compost’s temperature.
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WHO WANTS FREE CARBON?
Paper and cardboard are free and readily available and easy additions to our compost piles.
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VIDEO: MICROBES
Nutrients from our kitchen and garden go into the compost where microbes recycle them.
Watch here…
THE SOIL FOOD WEB
We are celebrating the impressive skills of the bacteria and fungi in our compost piles.
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HOMAGE TO BACTERIA
A look at bacteria, the single-celled organisms at the bottom of the food chain, and our compost.
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COMPOST & HOLIDAYS
What does heading for a holiday mean for our compost, and our kitchen scraps?
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CARBON/ NITROGEN RATIOS
The perfect compost ratio is approx 30-parts carbon to one-part nitrogen.
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SPRING IN YOUR STEP
Spring is here, and weeds all over our gardens are literally ‘making hay while the sun shines.’
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COOL COMPOSTING
The lower temperatures of cool compost mean we can’t stop rodents eating food scraps.
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CARBON CAP & STORE
Finish your composting session by covering your pile with a cap of carbon rich materials.
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COMPOST CONVERSATION
Composting, like farming, we deal with living (and dying) processes.
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COMPOST BAY WATCH
If you’re trying to process large quantities of organic material, it may be time to think about composting in a bay…
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SQUEEZE YOUR COMPOST
Let’s look at how to tell if your compost is wet enough and why moisture content is so important.
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CHOP IT ‘TIL YOU DROP
Make the work of microbes much easier by chopping up big bits of food added to your pile.
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IS YOUR COMPOST COOL?
Most backyard compost piles are cool but can still make good compost with the right steps.
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THE GREAT TURNING
Many people never turn their compost, but there are benefits to turning that are worth the effort.
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SMELLS AND BALANCE
I can tell you that not all compost piles smell the same.
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MICROBES ACTINO-WHAT?
Have you ever discovered an ashy, white, filamentous fungi-looking thing? What is it?
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FUNGI - QUIET PARTY GUEST
Neither a plant or an animal, fungi are unique, misunderstood, and essential to making compost.
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SUMMER COMPOSTING
If your compost has dried out too don’t stand there with the hose running, pre-soak!
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LAYER IT LIKE A LASAGNE
Special attention to your layering technique will help your compost microbes thrive.
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A TREE STOLE MY COMPOST!
Does your compost pile never fill up, is dry and powdery? A tree might be stealing your compost.
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HOT OR WHAT?
Hot compost is a sign that we are getting our compost in balance.
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FORKS FOR COMPOSTING
Forks are the tool of choice when it comes to the work of composting.
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THE COMPOST SCREW
A newcomer on the scene, the compost screw is an indispensable tool at YIMBY.
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COMPOST WORKSHOP
Find out about our Continuous Hot Compost Workshop.
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MELINDA JANE
Melinda Jane reflects on her time as our first community composter.
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Hot and Steamy Compost with Joel Meadows
The video below takes us through the basics, and beyond, of building a Hot Compost. There are two videos below, one is a recording of the workshop, that includes a Q&A session. The other is just the basics.
Joel will guide you through how to make top quality hot compost, the kind teeming with worms, dark and moist, rich smelling – like a forest floor and almost good enough to eat!
You will learn the essential elements of hot compost making; the best combinations of ingredients, gauging moisture content, aerating/oxygenating the pile, building wall structures, balancing nutrients, keeping your microbes happy and pleasing your worms. If you are just starting out with compost making, or have experience, but want to give your compost making a real kick, this online workshop is for you.
There is also a handy Hot Compost Makers Guide – Joel Meadows video notes to accompany this very comprehensive video guide.
At the bottom of the page is a recording of a compost workshop on June 14 2020 organised by the Hub Foundation with a Mount Alexander Shire Community Grant. Includes Q&A – long version! (see short version below).