To chop up stuff like stems and long grass, I place a cross-sectional slab of a log on an upturned milk crate and mince the material with a machete. Better exercise than cramming it into a chipper, and there's a primal thrill in wielding a machete. Now if you're an inaccurate machete-wielder, I recommend thick gloves to keep from severely injuring the hand that feeds the material onto the slab. If you're a hopelessly inaccurate machete-wielder, you can make a wooden rectangle and attach a side of it to the slab so that you have to feed the stems, etc.
This will keep the feeding hand far enough away from the machete to insure safety. Having grown up in a rural area where more than a few farmers lost fingers, limbs, and life in accidents, I'm a stickler for agricultural safety.
And by the way, the agricultural-injury rate is higher than in mining, and while we rightly decry the coal industry for cutting corners on worker safety, the number of fatalities among agricultural laborers is 12 times as high. Finally, since you are a composter, let me share a fine poem about composting. I recommend affixing a copy of it to your compost box for inspiration. Something went wrong. Please email webmaster sierraclub. By signing up, you are opting in to receive periodic communications from the Sierra Club.
Got a question? Ask Mr. Newspaper is considered to be a brown composting material and will add carbon to your compost pile. Also, make sure to shred the newspaper first. You can use scissors and cut it in small pieces. The compost pile needs oxygen to decompose, and if the newspaper is not shredded it will not decompose. Finally, make sure to mix it with a fair amount of greens, to have a good balance in your compost pile, and get a good fertilizer.
Seriously, several websites suggest using newsprint is fine as long as it's shredded and used in the proper ratio. As far as our newspaper, it's printed in Greenville, South Carolina, and one of our production folks said of our printed paper, "Generally, it's considered safe because of the low content of ink per tons of newsprint.
The color ink is soy-based. The black ink is not. The slick advertising inserts are not printed in house, and our production person said we "cannot vouch for what content their ink or paper contains.
Alison Arnold, an extension agent with the Buncombe County Cooperative Extension Service, checked in with the main office in Raleigh and was told, "It's best to recycle it curbside or convenience center. That expert also noted that "printing inks are no longer made from toxic chemicals, so newsprint ink should not be a problem in compost bins.
However, a better use of paper is for it to be recycled. But, searching online, multiple sources suggest that using newspapers for compost is just fine, including Gardening Know How gardeningknowhow. It notes that, "Today, the majority of newspaper print is composed of soy ink. It can raise some questions about genetic modifications, though, depending on what kinds of soybeans are used to make the ink.
Also, the manner of bleaching is another consideration, as some places use chlorine bleach to lighten the color. Then they got real technical, noting that the National Center for Appropriate Technology mandated a program called the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas, "which specifically targets sustainable agriculture issues.
The website wrote: "In short, it states 'Regarding the use of newspaper and cardboard, both can be useful materials used in organic crop production for suppressing weeds, retaining moisture and adding organic matter to your soil.
Question: Why do people insist on calling that barrel in the basement a "hot water heater? It's a cold water heater.
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