Shredder/grinder for Green Waste for Composter
Question from Jan:
Back with a question about composting. I’m so amazed that my first garden ever worked out well (and I DID cover it with it’s own house)…will have to send photos.
Now I’m ready to take the remaining stalks, branches and leaves and turn them into compost.
I’m searching everywhere for a shredder under $200 that will handle “soft” or “green” material. Many of them say it just gets stuck in the equipment and clogs it.
However, they seem to have great shredders all over Europe just for this purpose.
Can you suggest a shredder? I don’t have time to cut up even small stacks manually, and I really want them to be in 1″ pieces for the Jora.
Answer from Pat:
Unfortunately I don’t specifically know of a shredder that works exceptionally well in this regard other than to say size is an issue—the bigger the better.Larger shredders cut up wet stuff better and do best of all when the moist is mixed in with the dry. This seems to prevent clogging.
My own experience is that if you have a pile of moist leaves and soft green material you can chop it up by hand pretty quickly by placing the green stuff on a large wooden palette, sheet of plywood, or on the bare ground and chopping it up with a super-sharp machete. A machete is the only tool made for chopping up moist leaves by hand but it needs to be freshly sharpened. This system works well, goes fast, and is an efficient way to get moist leaves into small pieces without clogging a machine, which can be a total annoyance.
Thanks so much Pat!! Just might try that machete. Someone else suggested a bagging lawnmower, but said that doesn’t work well with corn stalks. How’s your Jora doing? Mine drips a lot of brown stuff from the bottom….needs a catch pan of some sort. I haven’t had a problem with rain getting in, though. Cheers!
Years ago I had a shredder and found corn stalks went through my small shredder extremely well—just like tree branches—if I cut off most of the leaves first. Corn cobs take years to disintegrate. Either send them to the dump or bury them deeply, though they might still be there many years hence! To answer your question, my composting endeavors are on temporary hold due to a few current problems beyond my control.
I am still using my home-made anaerobic system, which I have described in detail in an article I wrote about my adventures with composting for the San Diego Reader. The second part was published on August 24, 2011—yesterday. Please look for a copy this week or look up both parts online. My Jora has not dripped during use. Might your mixture have gotten a little too wet? Each of my daughters covers her Jora composter with a tarp when it rains.