I've been composting for a long time and I do pretty good. I like to harvest it twice a year in the fall and spring. In the fall I can usually get about 5 good wheelbarrels of sifted compost and about 3 in the spring. A big part of my success was grass clippings. But I stopped using them grass clippings belong in the yard and it is impossible to mow and not get seeds. When I would spread my compost I would also have two spread a premergent. Now can't get my compost to get hot. I was hopeing someone might know a good source of nitrogen I can use other than grass clippings and manure?

Any green growing matter - preferably gathered and added before it sets seed; pulled weeds, trimmings, thinnings, etc. We allow areas for some otherwise unimpressive native, fast-growing plants to grow here; expressly for use in the compost piles. An added bonus is that many of these plants provide a food source for beneficial insects, so leftovers or unharvested plants will still be useful.

Bloodmeal might be used, but you'll have to experiment with amounts. Too much will cause odor issues at the outset.

I think I'm just getting lazy.I collect a lot of leaves in the fall and was hoping to have a green source like that.

Grass clippings have been the "almost perfect' match for all the leaves I collect in the fall. Ample supply in the neighborhood, and they mix so well together. Yes I do get grass and weed seeds, but I get acorns, walnuts, elm seeds etc. in the leaves, but the composting kills the great majority . I think even if there were zero weed and grass seeds left in the compost, by the time it is spread out in the garden it becomes contaminated by wind blown and water carried seeds. My solution is to mulch with shredded leaves over the compost spread in the garden. That pretty much blocks the emerging weeds.
If you think that grass clippings belong on the lawn, then leave yours there and pick up the neighbors who believe they belong in a plastic bag. I pick them up by the truck load.
But for an easy solution, high nitrogen chemical fertilizer is easy to work with, has no grass or weed seeds, and can be measured out in exact quantities, and will certainly heat up a compost pile.

Coffee grounds might help if you can get enough from Starbucks, etc. I had an old container of fish emulsion that I didn't trust to feed to plants due to age. I did dilute it and added it to leaves. Didn't pay enough attention to the results to tell if it helped.

Seedfork, I can't believe I didn't think of that. I work for the sanitation department. I get paid to pick up leaves in the fall.and out of all of the junk that I bring home from work it never even occurred to me to bring home the bag grass clippings.. I don't mind the big seeds it's all the little ones..
For some reason I just can't bring myself to go in Starbucks and ask for coffee grounds. I save the ones at work about 3 to 4 pots a day.

Sometimes Starbucks has a bin (some indoors, some outdoors) where they put the bags of used coffee grounds. You can just walk up and help yourself without bothering anyone.

That would be great. I have never been in a Starbucks. I'll have to check it out. You can never have enough coffee grounds.

There might be other coffee shops in the Sieverville area (since it is a touristy place) that might do the same thing.

Surprisingly there's not. We got Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. I just can't think of any more. But server county is one of very few city's that compost's all of its garbage. And a person can go there and however much compost thay want for free. I don't like it because thay can't get all the glass and plastic out of it. And I don't trust it on my vegetable garden. I have to drive a garbage truck once a week and I see first hand what people throw away and it's not pretty. But it's a good idea and a lot of people use it. You guys should look it up at Sevier County Solid Waste.com

I found this nice article about the composting facility there.
http://www.yesmagazine.org/pla...

Wow - that's quite the article. I'm not big on community compost here but I have materials to make most of my own. I know the mindset of the locals here. We went to Dollywood over 25 years ago - I can't even imagine how all of that's changed.

I know it would be foolish for me to even suggest this, but it just seems the glass should be separated first.

Seven-Elevens and some "gas station convenience stores" have coffee for sale and must have gallons of grounds.

Someone said that she made prior arrangements to stop on the way to work early every morning. The clerk would fill 1-2 5 gallon buckets with grounds and filters, and she would bring back 1-2 more clean buckets each day.

I forget whether she bribed the clerk with flowers or vegetables ...

Seedfork
Ya well that would make too much sense. And thay take pride in saying you don't have to separate anything. Thay do get a lot of it out.but what is left is small and sharp. they also say the small bits of plastic and glass won't hurt your plants. but it does hurt when you pull weeds and grab ahold of one of them buggers.

Rickcorey
I have often thought of doing just that. But I hate to ask people to save stuff for me.Even though I know most people would do it

Pride gets in the way of a lot of a lot of good things.

I understand that feeling.

But if you offer a potted plant or bag of fresh vegetables ...

P.S.

If I plan ahead before going to a Starbucks, I bring a big, very strong plastic bag, like a "contractors bag". Instead of laboriously shoveling spent grounds into 5 pound bags, they just tipped their "grounds" trash can over into my bag.

I had to pick a few things out, no big deal.

I'm really going to have to go to Starbuck's. And see if thay have a grounds can. I know thay would give them to you.but I didn't know thay had can just for the taking.

My Starbucks here puts the grounds in plastic bags specially marked for gardeners and puts those in the bin. Not too messy but plastic on the floor is a must in case there's a "leaker".