http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=268x1501Oh my.
Who would have thought natural composting would be so difficult?
Journalgrrl Donating Member (367 posts) Thu Mar-27-08 03:56 AM
Original message
Bear-Proof composting...is it possible?
I want to start composting and thought I had an easy way to make a normal plastic trash can into a starter bin...BUT I am deep in Bear country and it would just be a nightmare
so should I invest in a "screw-top" can and use that as my bin? or does anyone else have any ideas?
It will have to be something cheap and easy to make, because at this point all I have for resources are scrap wood and what ever else I can salvage from my folks' backyard, thrift store, etc..
I need a Rube-Goldberg solution! lol
I dunno about this composting thing; it seems complicated.
Where I live, there's gardens; both flower and vegetable.
I'm no botanist, and so while I can identify vegetables, flowers are flowers to me.
During the course of the year, no matter the season, if I have something that looks as if it would be good for the soil, I just take it outdoors and dump it on the ground. Eggshells, coffee grounds, those sorts of things.
That's how I compost, and it seems to work.
The grass cuttings, of which there's always a lot, given the size of this property, have since the late 1940s been dumped into the ravine at the base of the William Rivers Pitt.
I think primitives make living the rural life more complicated than it needs to be.
lapfog_1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Thu Mar-27-08 04:09 AM
Response to Original message
1. Might try these suggestions...
"are there bear-proof composters? Unfortunately, we are aware of no bear-proof compost bin on the market. Your best bet is to move your compost bin indoors, choose an indoor composter from our wide selection, or use a worm compost bin."
http://www.compostmanual.com/index.php?id=57&p=49
dgibby Donating Member (52 posts) Mon Mar-31-08 04:12 PM
Response to Reply #1
13. maybe this will work
google "bear proof trash/garbage containers". I saw something the other day, thought I'd saved it, but guess not. Hope this helps.
ConcernedCanuk Donating Member (1000+ posts) Thu Mar-27-08 05:39 AM
Response to Original message
2. Out of the box solution - male urine
Go ahead, google it - but you won't find it on any government site.
Yeah I'm a guy, so it's easy
To the point
Bears won't hang around if they smell male urine
We had bears hanging around the farm last summer, and had heard that they robbed the garden from the previous owners years ago
I saved my urine daily (well, some of it) and spread it around the yard every day or two in the direction the bears were coming from
no more bears
I presume by your nic you are female -
female urine neither attracts or repels bears.
So if'n ya don't have a boyfriend
Invite some girlfriends with guys for some beer,
and show them where to pee!
BeanCounting (42 posts) Thu Mar-27-08 09:57 AM
Response to Reply #2
3. Bottled Ammonia works also
We have the same problem, solved it with pouring bottled ammonia (don't use the lemon scented) into some old coffee cans and setting them around the compost bin. Bears are really put off by this scent apparently. It may be cheaper than supplying the beer for you friends, but not as much fun either.
Journalgrrl Donating Member (367 posts) Thu Mar-27-08 10:37 AM
Response to Reply #2
4. I love it! what a crackup..but I have no doubt it works...
Hmmm...I have a male teenager, I should ask him to mark his territory! lol
ConcernedCanuk Donating Member (1000+ posts) Thu Mar-27-08 10:57 AM
Response to Reply #4
5. Oh it works alright, over 20 years of camping in bear country, no bears in my campsite
I picked different spots to splash it around on the bushes, the higher the better,
as the higher it is, the larger the bears think the human is.
And it's not a problem to convince guys to pee outside!
I took kids camping on occasion, even as young as 6 years old, and they quite gleefully declared that they were off "to scare the bears away" as I phrased it.
So yup - ask him to "mark his territory"
or just go
"scare the bears away"
formercia Donating Member (1000+ posts) Thu Mar-27-08 12:31 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. P-mail
they got the message.
ConcernedCanuk Donating Member (1000+ posts) Thu Mar-27-08 01:42 PM
Response to Reply #6
7. No profile, PLUS an obtuse response - what the hell is P-mail?
Am I supposed to know?
I don't do "ignore" on anyone
So I'll wait for your response
formercia Donating Member (1000+ posts) Thu Mar-27-08 01:47 PM
Response to Reply #7
8. Let me explain it...
Pee-Pee-Mail.
Animals communicate with each other via P-Mail.
My parents were Canucks, so I can understand where you're coming from.
AZDemDist6 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Thu Mar-27-08 05:58 PM
Response to Reply #8
9. LOL, i got the reference. When our old dog stands and sniffs the wind
we always ask her "Any good smell mail today?"
formercia Donating Member (1000+ posts) Thu Mar-27-08 07:12 PM
Response to Reply #9
10. Changing behavior
There was a pack of dogs that used to make the rounds of the neighborhood on a regular basis. One of their routes happened to be right through the middle of my garden.
I watched them and they would always stop at the Elm tree at the end of the driveway to sniff and leave their mark before proceeding through the yard and garden.
I saved up a couple of quarts of pee and let it ferment for a day or so before carefully covering the base of the trunk with a hefty dose.
What happened next was quite comical. I rose before dawn so I could watch the results of the experiment and when the dog pack arrived at the tree, they froze in their tracks, looked around, appearing quite concerned, and then headed off in a completely different direction than their usual path. They never returned.
ConcernedCanuk Donating Member (1000+ posts) Thu Mar-27-08 10:26 PM
Response to Reply #10
11. Well that's cool, never thought of using my urine to keep wandering dogs away
I got a new place to place my pee now!
Let you know how it works out.
Journalgrrl Donating Member (367 posts) Wed Apr-16-08 12:27 AM
Response to Reply #5
14. Well, it has been a while, and it is working like a charm!
he "marks" about every other evening, and I have a half a can of compost bubbling in the proofed can (holes on the sides for airflow) and it's working!
*fingers crossed*
TheBorealAvenger Donating Member (1000+ posts) Fri Mar-28-08 10:52 AM
Response to Original message
12. Vermiculture in a tub in your kitchen
Get some red wrigglers. I would like to start one next month.
