r/composting • u/Loiro_MF • Aug 17 '25
Cold/Slow Compost Apples, so many apples…
We bought a house a couple of years ago with an apple tree that obviously needs some pruning and care based on the many many small apples it produces, but the real question is, what do I do with the 40+Kg of rotting apples, can I just pile them in a corner like I’m doing in the back, should I add all of them to my cold compost pile? Any ideas are welcome as right now the box of apples is becoming wasp heaven…
20
u/shitForBrains1776 Aug 17 '25
if you have a neighbor with chickens they’ll go to town on old apples. especially if they have worms!
10
14
12
u/FamouslyGreen Aug 18 '25
Horses. Check if there are some horse owners nearby. My folks had an apple tree and the horse folk helped with clean up regularly.
6
u/MightyKittenEmpire2 Aug 18 '25 edited Aug 18 '25
or cattle. The biggest danger of feeding my cattle apples is that they push and shove trying to get to the front of the line. If you ever want to be licked and loved on by 1300 lb beasts, go out in my field with apples.
3
u/FamouslyGreen Aug 18 '25
See I didn’t know about cattle! I assumed they liked them but I didn’t want to recommend something I had no knowledge on.
The idea of cows cozying up to get apples is such a cute image. 😁
3
Aug 18 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/MightyKittenEmpire2 Aug 18 '25
yes, we cut them into quarters if they are large and firm. Whole apples can be a chocking hazard if you cattle are not used to them.
8
u/Few-Candidate-1223 Aug 18 '25
I mixed someone’s waste apples in with my leaf mold pile and it has broken down very nicely.
5
u/the_other_paul Aug 17 '25
The best way to minimize wasp activity would probably be to put the apples at the bottom of your cold pile so they’re totally covered by the compost you already have
6
u/CosplayPokemonFan Aug 18 '25
I layer my trash pears with woodchips and make fabulous compost. My pear tree makes 1000 inedible to human’s pears that the squirrels will gnaw a little on then abandon to the bugs
5
u/TinyRedBison Aug 18 '25
..... but what about making apple vinegar 😭. But seriously that'll be good for the soil and worm food.
4
u/Loiro_MF Aug 18 '25
Can you do that with the damaged / rotting ones aswell? Next season we definitely will give them a purpose
3
u/TinyRedBison Aug 18 '25
Nope to the rotten, but damaged/bruised ones if salvageable (aka you can cut those parts off and still have good parts) yes, you can make apple cider vinegar from that 😁
There's recipes for apple scape jellies too.
If youre worried thats its just too much vinegar , I find gifting anything shelf stable to friends/family, especially near the holidays, is a hit. People find it endearing to know it was grown and made from you.
3
u/LongVegetable4102 Aug 17 '25
Cider press, then compost. You might be able to rent one locally if you dont want to buy one
6
Aug 17 '25
Dig a hole and bury it.
20
u/Ashamed-Plantain7315 Aug 18 '25
Don’t do this.
I like to give analogies to help connect the dots to natures systems. I teach my clients every day about this.
When a fruit falls from a tree does it land on top of the soil or below the soil? Ok now, if I lay on the ground I can still breathe. However, if I bury my head I can no longer breathe.
Microbes that decompose these apples want plenty of oxygen. Creating an anaerobic condition can create conditions that host pathogens such as fusarium wilts, rhizoctonia, nematodes and more. Instead of becoming nitrogen, it converts into alcohol.
Mimic nature. Compost with apples, leaves and sticks above ground
Better yet, remove the grass ring around your tree. Add mulch over the apples every year. This would be best for the tree as creeping grass grows in an early ecosystem before a forest. That’s why you find these grasses in open fields, and never within the forest
8
u/Loiro_MF Aug 18 '25
This is a very informative response, and it does make total sense! than you very much. I dont like the apples being left to rot around the tree because my toddler loves to play with the rotten ones and we have had incidents with wasps… but i will try to keep them in the open with mulch on top in the back side of the garden then!
3
u/Ashamed-Plantain7315 Aug 18 '25
Looks like you have some space. Go get some 1x1 hardware mesh, you’ll need about 10ft.
Roll it into a circle, bungee cord it, and turn it up right. Now you have a circular bin. Fill this bin with your leaves, apples, grass, sticks, shredded newspaper, and/ or other food waste. You now have a compost pile to keep it away from your toddler.
I’ll add that we go a step further and wrap a pallet with 1/4” hardware mesh. We then put the cage on that pallet so we can ensure airflow from the bottom.
Keep a pile of mulch or straw close by. Everytime you put food waste in there or any greens (things that’ll get stinky) cover it with the mulch.
Once that’s full, create another one. By the time the second one is full you could probably spread that compost from the first bin back under the apple tree.
2
8
2
u/louisalollig Aug 19 '25
Apples have a lot of sugar so it's a great source of sweetness. You can make Apple Syrup or even apple sugar. It used to be a really common sugar source back in the day! And it uses up a lot of apples to make, while the end product doesn't take up that much space
1
u/Stewie01 Aug 18 '25
The apples might be smaller this year due to less rainfall, m8ne are smaller this year.
1
u/Loiro_MF Aug 18 '25
These have been small and acid from the beginning… but to be fair we haven’t really cared for it.
1
u/mbeklaut Aug 18 '25
me but with water apple 🥲 I chopped them all and turn it all to my compost along with its dried leaves
1
u/MoistOption7897 Aug 19 '25
Its needs its root flare dug out. It's planted too deep!
1
u/Loiro_MF Aug 19 '25
Oh, how come? I have really no knowledge about trees, so im really curious to know why that would affect the tree? The area where we live was built in the 70s (Denmark) and I guess it was very popular to plant apple trees those days because every house I’ve visited has one… Most of the trees I’ve seen are planted like this though!
2
u/MoistOption7897 Aug 19 '25
A few reasons! The root flare is where the tree stem ends, the stem/bark can rot with moisture from soil/mulch. Soil covering the root flare can cause the tree to send roots upwards which then wrap around base and cut of the flow of nutrients up the trunk - these are called girlding roots. Eventually, this can cause decline, decay, and sometimes even structural instability.
Gently remove the soil around the base until you find the root flare, and keep mulch from covering it - if you add any. If you find girdling roots - it's best to consult an arborist. Or... go to the arborist reddit if they are small - it should be done with care.
1
u/ifeoma08 Aug 19 '25
Have you considered removing apple buds or immature apples? That should increase the size of the apples and decrease the apple tree's yield. We had a harsh rain when my tree was flowering that stripped it of most of its buds, mother nature did the job. Many home growers remove immature fruits.
2
u/Loiro_MF Aug 19 '25
I have but the tree has grown pretty tall and I lack the equipment… I think it would also benefit from a hard prune back, maybe?
2
1
u/FlashyCow1 Aug 17 '25
I would find that yellow jacket nest and have them killed. Just a side note
4
u/PhotographyByAdri Aug 18 '25
Not everything you dislike has to be killed. This nest could be anywhere, including on other properties. And if its destroyed, a new one will take its place somewhere else nearby. Wasps are good for the ecosystem and if you dont want them around your house, you're best off just removing the things that attract them. Which OP is doing.
-1
u/FlashyCow1 Aug 18 '25
Yes but these are deadly aggressive and many are actually invasive. I believe that one specifically is a German Yellowjacket (corrected me if Im wrong on the species)
39
u/RitmoRex Aug 17 '25
I have a very similar setup! I chuck mine into my hot pile, toss a layer of cardboard, toss some grass clippings —- then do it all over again with the next 1000 apples 😂 good problem to have :)
You can always make cider :)