Are you a hottie?

Oh I forgot...I used to put weeds and invasives into a black plastic leaf bag and leave them in a sunny spot until the following year. Then I could add the bag contents to the main pile. I guess that works much like the cooker would.

Anyone using or heard about using goose poo in the pile?

Anyone using or heard about using goose poo in the pile?

Funny you should ask, we were out today and came across some goose poop and I was wondering the same thing.
I would think anything would work, I got mine activated with deer poop. I went out to the back 40 behind my house and "gathered" deer poop.

Another thing I got recently that really seemed to get it going was alfalfa pellets, it is quite cheap, sold as food for livestock and seems to be high enough in nitrogen to really get the compost going
I like your idea about the black plastic bag and weeds.

Cautions on using wild bird manure:

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t11065-quail-manure
https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t4299-bird-droppings#33839

OK, I don't have an official temp but when I went out to turn my pile today (56 degree air temp, windy and rainy), it was real hot in the middle and cookin' like a crockpot. The warmth was most welcome since I was getting wet. Part way thru I took a back break and this photo:



But I was surprised by the heat as well as the decomposition since I've only been adding to it and havn't turned it at all this year. I'm sure it's becoz of those annoying sticks I put thru out the piled while building it last fall/winter. They must have help keep it oxyginated (is that even a word?) But I've removed most of them and will rebuild using rebar and fence posts as suggested earlier. Oh, and I have white hat guys, as Mel calls them!

Hope to attain HOTTIE status soon. Finished making my drum composter yesterday afternoon and got it partially filled up. Dang if that thing isn't heavy to spin! I only put one handle on it to pull. Today after work I am going to get a few more so I can place them around the barrel and can grab/tumble/grab/tumble/grab/tumble etc!

Will get a pic of it when I get more handles on it tonight.

GG

CapeCoddess wrote:Anyone using or heard about using goose poo in the pile?

Goose poop is FANTASTIC in the garden! Back when I was first doing my lasagna gardening (pre-SFG) the only poo I could get was cow and goose. My tomatoes LOVED it! Like most poo, make sure it is well composted. I was able to get well-aged goose poo, but if it is fairly fresh make sure it goes in the pile so it won't burn your plants. What I didn't use layered in the lasagna beds I put into the compost pile for later. Good stuff!

Now, here is my newly built drum composter:



Started with only one handle, but too heavy to turn easily with only one. Now there are 3 spaced fairly evenly around the drum. Grab, pull down, grab, pull down, grab, pull down. Amazing how much easier it is to turn now! This was my first attempt. I have one more barrel, so I am hoping to make #2 soon, so I can have one filling while one is cooking.

PS - bought myself a jig saw today so I don't have to cut the door out by hand! This one was cut out starting in a drill hole with a little keyhole saw, then once I could get my miter saw (hand) in there I finished the cuts with that. Next one should go faster with some power behind it!

GooseGirl

Well butter my buns, and call me a bisquit!



Nice job! Congrats on your new toy tool purchase. They come in handy for a lot of things, and you'd have to work hard to seriously hurt yourself with one.

boffer wrote:Well butter my buns, and call me a bisquit!



Nice job! Congrats on your new toy tool purchase. They come in handy for a lot of things, and you'd have to work hard to seriously hurt yourself with one.

Thanks Boffer!

I figure any tool that has the sharp edge pointing AWAY from me is relatively safe! Looking forward to the next barrel. At least now I know to buy 3 handles to start!

GG

Did you put any type of baffle in the barrel to help break up the ingredients as the drum is turning?

has anyone tried this method to heat up the compost?

drunk compost

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjjVRisbjU8

hugs

rose

Family gardening I will have to check out the UTUBE when I have better internet, sounds delicious.
GG, congrats on your tumbler.
I purchased a tumbler about a year ago, and initially did disastrously with it, I think it was poorly aerated and I did not have enough browns to put in.
Everything stuck together.
ONE little thing I have been doing recently is putting in the toilet paper cardboard centres, WHOLE.
I figure that as the tumbler turns over, the space within the centre is being kept well aerated. Just a little thing, but my composter is going great guns now

boffer wrote:Did you put any type of baffle in the barrel to help break up the ingredients as the drum is turning?

No, it is just the hollow barrel. Improvements can be added as necessary, but just started out with the simplest design possible. Lack of skills and lack of tools. Working on both!

GG

GWN wrote:ONE little thing I have been doing recently is putting in the toilet paper cardboard centres, WHOLE.
I figure that as the tumbler turns over, the space within the centre is being kept well aerated. Just a little thing, but my composter is going great guns now

Good to know! I have lots of those saved up, as I was going to use them as the pots for my warm weather crops. However, it warmed up so quickly that I just stuck the seeds in the ground in the boxes. Now I don't have to save them up for next year - Hubby will be very happy about that. And, there will be a steady supply of them to collect in winter to use for next year's seed pots !

GG

there will be a steady supply of them to collect

There IS always a steady supply of them

are we hotties ??.....took the compost temp yesterday and it was at 140

hugs

rose

FamilyGardening wrote:are we hotties ??.....took the compost temp yesterday and it was at 140

hugs

rose

You have a Hottie!

yup Sounds like a hottie
The club I just cannot get into
The highest I could get was 121 and now cannot get over 80. I guess I am resigned to be only a warmy

finally after six bad starts I finally got a "hottie"

Pepper wrote:finally after six bad starts I finally got a "hottie"

GG

Pepper wrote:finally after six bad starts I finally got a "hottie"

Fabulous! now let it be...

I am SOOOO envious
I recently got my pile up to 135 and then after it dropped I turned it and it is not going that high again
You guys make it look easy

GWN I think the LIBIRAL use of blood meal made diff in my pile. Notice it was my sixth pile that worked.

What brand of thermometer is that? It is so easy to read. Is that the Clean Air model?

Pepper wrote:GWN I think to LIBIRAL use of blood made diff in my pile. Notice it was my sixth pile that worked.

he he he, someone's catchin' on

Yes it is the clean air that I posted the link to. On cell phone so can't type very good or much. Pudgy fingers