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Google
My compost was HOT!
+7
BackyardBirdGardner
buttaflie143
walshevak
Bec
camprn
AZDYJ2K
Aub
11 posters
Page 1 of 1
My compost was HOT!
For the first time ever my compost was HOT! I started a 2nd pile in a sunny area. It has grass clippings, chicken poop and pine shavings, and a little bit of kitchen scraps.
Madame Heap never got hot. I think it's because she's under a tree and doesn't get any sun. I think I will slowly start mixing the old pile into the new one.
Madame Heap never got hot. I think it's because she's under a tree and doesn't get any sun. I think I will slowly start mixing the old pile into the new one.
Aub- Posts : 283
Join date : 2010-08-07
Age : 43
Location : Central Illinois (near Peoria) 5a
Re: My compost was HOT!
I had a compost pile last year and it never really got "hot". Granted, I did have it under a tree also,however, I live in scorching Chandler, AZ. This year, I have it in the sun and hope it get's hot. I want to make sure all the nasty bad things get killed off.
AZDYJ2K- Posts : 169
Join date : 2010-05-28
Location : Chandler, AZ USDA Zone 9A
Re: My compost was HOT!
Congrats on hot compost! The reason your compost is hot though is because of the ingredients. It can be in the shade and if it has the right ingredients it will still get hot. Mine is in the sun too but is currently not hot - because of the ingredients. It also has worms though, which I am thrilled about. If it was hot the worms would be killed off (which has happened before). Heat is good for killing off weed seeds but worms are good for lots of other things, including worm castings. Grass clippings will make your compost hot in a flash. (That is what killed of my worms last year.) I think chicken poo will create the heat too. Regardless - you're on the way to some good compost!
Bec
Certified SFG Instructor- Posts : 247
Join date : 2010-03-23
Location : Western NC - Zone 6a (mountains)
Re: My compost was HOT!
After reading this, decided to check mine this morning. It was warm in the center for the first time. I poured a gallon of compost tea in it last Thu.
Kay
Kay
A WEED IS A FLOWER GROWING IN THE WRONG PLACE
Elizabeth City, NC
Click for weather forecast
walshevak
Certified SFG Instructor- Posts : 4374
Join date : 2010-10-17
Age : 81
Location : wilmington, nc zone 8
Re: My compost was HOT!
Bec wrote:Congrats on hot compost! The reason your compost is hot though is because of the ingredients. It can be in the shade and if it has the right ingredients it will still get hot. Mine is in the sun too but is currently not hot - because of the ingredients. It also has worms though, which I am thrilled about. If it was hot the worms would be killed off (which has happened before). Heat is good for killing off weed seeds but worms are good for lots of other things, including worm castings. Grass clippings will make your compost hot in a flash. (That is what killed of my worms last year.) I think chicken poo will create the heat too. Regardless - you're on the way to some good compost!
How long does it take for compost to get hot? What can I do to get my compost to get hot? Should I not turn it as much? I have been turning it 5-6 times a day.
buttaflie143- Posts : 356
Join date : 2011-04-07
Location : Raleigh, NC - EST
Re: My compost was HOT!
Congrats on Madame Heap's twin! You need to take note of what you did right.
When it comes to mulch, there is a such thing as spontaneous combustion. Rare, but it can happen. Spread it out for awhile or really wet it before putting it near your house. Just sayin'.
When it comes to mulch, there is a such thing as spontaneous combustion. Rare, but it can happen. Spread it out for awhile or really wet it before putting it near your house. Just sayin'.
BackyardBirdGardner- Posts : 2727
Join date : 2010-12-25
Age : 50
Location : St. Louis, MO
Re: My compost was HOT!
Once when I was a kid I went to throw something in to my dad's compost pile, which was just all of the lawn clippings and sticks we picked up, and it BLEW UP! It was scary! I don't remember what I put in but I know it wasn't a match. Just as I turned my back the whole thing went up.
My garden and compost piles (and various other piles) are at the end of our yard next to the chain link fence. It's a good stretch to the house. Plus we have had a lot of rain.
My garden and compost piles (and various other piles) are at the end of our yard next to the chain link fence. It's a good stretch to the house. Plus we have had a lot of rain.
Aub- Posts : 283
Join date : 2010-08-07
Age : 43
Location : Central Illinois (near Peoria) 5a
Make use of it
I think I saw a post in here about a guy in France or Begium back in the 70's that was in charge of a forest and had to keep the brush trimmed to avoid flash fires.
He turned the brush into a "fine" mulch, and then created big piles of it to compost into soil, but he did two really cool things...
1. He ran a coil of hose throughout the piles that he used to heat the water for his house.
2. He fermented a compost tea and trapped the methane it produced in old inner tubes. He then was able to transfer that to a pressurized cylinder that powered his jeep for the trips into town.
Seriously fun stuff. I love this place.
He turned the brush into a "fine" mulch, and then created big piles of it to compost into soil, but he did two really cool things...
1. He ran a coil of hose throughout the piles that he used to heat the water for his house.
2. He fermented a compost tea and trapped the methane it produced in old inner tubes. He then was able to transfer that to a pressurized cylinder that powered his jeep for the trips into town.
Seriously fun stuff. I love this place.
NaturesApprentice- Posts : 53
Join date : 2011-02-22
Age : 53
Location : South Orange County, CA
Re: My compost was HOT!
5-6 times a day is a little too much turning! Lots of oxygen in there, which is a Good Thing(tm) but too much for you to sustain. I'd leave it be and give it a turn once a week at the most. Oh, things like manure and grass get hot, and keeping it covered traps the heat in.buttaflie143 wrote:
How long does it take for compost to get hot? What can I do to get my compost to get hot? Should I not turn it as much? I have been turning it 5-6 times a day.
The rest of the time you have just saved, spend admiring your sfg.
All the best from Blighty
Y
Yaffley- Posts : 6
Join date : 2011-04-16
Age : 54
Location : West Midlands, UK
Re: My compost was HOT!
Yaffley, to the SFG Forum!! I agree with you about the amount of turning. I tend my compost pile about once a week. LOL, No worries Buttaflie, Compost is a process, not an event. Hang in there Woman!!
OH Yaf, I love your avatar!!!
OH Yaf, I love your avatar!!!
Re: My compost was HOT!
Welcome to Yaffley. Don't be a stranger, ya here? Jump over into the Welcome Mat so we can welcome you properly.
BackyardBirdGardner- Posts : 2727
Join date : 2010-12-25
Age : 50
Location : St. Louis, MO
Re: My compost was HOT!
buttaflie143 wrote:
How long does it take for compost to get hot? What can I do to get my compost to get hot? Should I not turn it as much? I have been turning it 5-6 times a day.
I can read this question two ways: One- you rotate the drum once a day five or six revolutions, or,
Two- you rotate the drum one revolution 5 or 6 times a day.
First statement is okay, it will be fine. Second probably is too many times to get really nice colonies of bacteria working together.
Mark
fiddleman- Posts : 121
Join date : 2011-03-21
Location : Mid Michigan
Re: My compost was HOT!
I built my first compost pile of the year this past weekend. It is an open bin type. I just went out to check to see if it is heating up... sure enough, about 6" down the temp is about 135*F, or so my ancient meat thermometer says. I am going to pick up a digital thermometer this weekend because I want to get an accurate reading of the pile's internal temperature.
Re: My compost was HOT!
camprn wrote:I built my first compost pile of the year this past weekend. It is an open bin type. I just went out to check to see if it is heating up... sure enough, about 6" down the temp is about 135*F, or so my ancient meat thermometer says. I am going to pick up a digital thermometer this weekend because I want to get an accurate reading of the pile's internal temperature.
I sit here laughing, all the years Ive had thermometers, for the children, for the adults, for the meat, for the candy and now I need one for the compost. I love it!!! Thats being well rounded thermometer wise dont you think?
Ha-v-v
Ha-v-v- Posts : 1123
Join date : 2010-03-12
Age : 64
Location : Southwest Ms. Zone 8A (I like to think I get a little bit of Zone 9 too )
Re: My compost was HOT!
fiddleman wrote:buttaflie143 wrote:
How long does it take for compost to get hot? What can I do to get my compost to get hot? Should I not turn it as much? I have been turning it 5-6 times a day.
you rotate the drum once a day five or six revolutions
Mark
You got it right the first time, sorry my post was so ambiguous. I rotate the drum once a day five or six revolutions and I was thinking that maybe I should let it sit awhile before giving it a whirl.
buttaflie143- Posts : 356
Join date : 2011-04-07
Location : Raleigh, NC - EST
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