Are you a hottie?

Floyd, I think mine may have been hot a few days ago and cooled down. My mind wasn't on that at the time, but it is cool now. Pepper wrote that putting liberal amounts of blood meal helped get her pile hot. I have heard of using rabbit food. Maybe the experts will help us. I probably have too much browns also.

The way I see it blood meal, OR alfalfa pellets OR rabbit food are all high sources of nitrogen, and I think that the nitrogen "ignites" the pile, and like any other fire starter, it runs out fast.
At least that is how it seems to me, Isn't nitrogen used in bombs?....
Seems to me on some cop show on TV, some terrorist group was using fertilizer to make a bomb, perhaps we are just making teensy weensy bombs...

"At least that is how it seems to me, Isn't nitrogen used in bombs?....
Seems to me on some cop show on TV, some terrorist group was using fertilizer to make a bomb, perhaps we are just making teensy weensy bombs... "

Smile for the camera, Department of Homeland Security is now reading our posts

WAY TO GO toledobend hottie



Triciasgarden; I had to use the rabbit food, coffee grounds, and blood meal because my pile is exclusively shreaded leaves.... well almost exclusively. Oh yea the last time I looked I was a guy

That was my first thought too!

You're thinking of fertilizer and diesel fuel that go boom in the right combination. It's a common theme on cop shows, because unfortunately, it has been used on our country with devastating results that I don't need to go into.

Little bombs in compost?!

Question! While we are on the topic of nitrogen...I told my 5 yr old nephew that he could, erm, "water" the compost pile whenever he felt the need. Needless to say, he's very excited about..."watering"...anyway, this is my first compost pile ever, so I'm still learning, but can it ever be over..."watered"...? I ask because hubby has contributed to the "watering" as well.



Thank God my property is adjacent to woods.

There's a new breed of little boys being raised to do the same thing that could really spark a home gardening movement when they grow up!

It will break down just fine; not to worry.

If applied directly to MM to fertilize, it's recommended to dilute 20:1 with water.

Yes Belle
I have even trained my DOG to water the compost.
Mother Earth news had a great article recently where they commissioned someone to compare the various liquid fertilizers, and their findings were that PEE was the very best.

So keep directing your boys where to "go"

Triciasgarden wrote:Floyd, I think mine may have been hot a few days ago and cooled down. My mind wasn't on that at the time, but it is cool now. Pepper wrote that putting liberal amounts of blood meal helped get her pile hot. I have heard of using rabbit food. Maybe the experts will help us. I probably have too much browns also.

I turned my pile and added 25 pounds of rabbit food and also wet in down. When I turned the pile there was so gray material and have a question.

How do you know when it is done? I have heard "when it smells earth" but visuallly it has been 3 monthes and there is not much in the way of big pieces left but a few clumps, mainly grass that is matted up from last year.

i will let it go for a couple of days and check the temp and perhaps send some pics.

Pepper wrote:WAY TO GO toledobend hottie



Triciasgarden; I had to use the rabbit food, coffee grounds, and blood meal because my pile is exclusively shreaded leaves.... well almost exclusively. Oh yea the last time I looked I was a guy

Boy I need to read better and get some notes written and read the notes! I had forgotten you had posted about your pile being almost exclusively shreaded leaves. I am so sorry Pepper, that was so rude of me and I sure appreciate you taking my blunder so well! I did check your profile and it didn't give me a clue and, boy I messed up!

Belle87ad wrote:Question! While we are on the topic of nitrogen...I told my 5 yr old nephew that he could, erm, "water" the compost pile whenever he felt the need. Needless to say, he's very excited about..."watering"...anyway, this is my first compost pile ever, so I'm still learning, but can it ever be over..."watered"...? I ask because hubby has contributed to the "watering" as well.



Thank God my property is adjacent to woods.

Welp...I got my thermometer today, and I guess I am a hottie!! woot woot!. Also got the moisture gauge. It works really fast and easy. The top of the soil read "dry" middle was "moist" and the deepest part said "wet", so I think the beds sound pretty good. Here's my temp!!

Sweet! Congrats!!

I checked my pile today and it is almost 110 degrees; not were I want it but it was only 24 hours since I put in the rabbit food. I am pleased with the pile but it needs a little more "push" to get it to completetion.

Looking forward to having some for my fall crops and will build a nice pile for the winter. Having never made compost over the winter, any ideas as to the ratio of browns to greens or more brown than grrens until early spring?

Am NEW at this.............

Don't think it matters one way or the other , it is the internal temp that makes the compost though to keep the heat up and cold rain out cover the heap.

If you feel like being kind to the bacteria , insulate it from the cold as well to keep that heat in & the pile going .

Check out that Berkley 18 day hot composting site again ..there is all sorts of new stuff to discover each time you re read it even when you printed it off three weeks or so more . The links are very very helpful .

plantoid wrote:Don't think it matters one way or the other , it is the internal temp that makes the compost though to keep the heat up and cold rain out cover the heap.

If you feel like being kind to the bacteria , insulate it from the cold as well to keep that heat in & the pile going .

Check out that Berkley 18 day hot composting site again ..there is all sorts of new stuff to discover each time you re read it even when you printed it off three weeks or so more . The links are very very helpful .

Never heard of the Berkley site...I will check it out.

I found this link for a compost calculator, it shows how many "browns to greens" ratio you are supposed to have. I was surprised to see what greens and browns actually are. wow!!

http://www.klickitatcounty.org/SolidWaste/ContentROne.asp?fContentIdSelected=993887739&fCategoryIdSelected=948111261

southern gardener wrote:I found this link for a compost calculator, it shows how many "browns to greens" ratio you are supposed to have. I was surprised to see what greens and browns actually are. wow!!

http://www.klickitatcounty.org/SolidWaste/ContentROne.asp?fContentIdSelected=993887739&fCategoryIdSelected=948111261

Nice find!

I decided to build a new compost pile. Yesterday, with the temperature in the upper 90s. What kind of an idiot does that??? But I got my new compost thermometer(still waiting on my moisture meter) and wanted to try it out. I did a few layers in the morning, then more in late afternoon. It is not yet full – plan to top it off(another foot or so) today.
I found I had a piece of the 2x4 wire that several of you recommended. Set it up an proceeded to layer stuff in it. Layered in waste alfalfa hay and pellets, then a layer from my pile that was dry & neglected. I had put some cow manure in this along with kitchen & garden wastes (that the goats don’t eat) plus one muck bucket of shavings with goat manure cleaned out of the trailor. Then a layer of goat manure. Goat manure, sort of like rabbit manure, is small enough especially when dry & powdery, falls right thru the wire. So torn up cardboard went around the sides. At one point I was too hot & tired to go get more hay so I threw in a small handful of bloodmeal. When I ran out of stuff from the neglected pile, I layered in a little of the coarser stuff from my finished pile.
I watered the pile only a couple of times while building. Then last night after chores around 9pm I added a bucket of milk (about 2 gallons) and a bucket of water. Then put in piece of PVC and my metal rod that I have in the past used as a crude thermometer – if it is hot the pile it hot.
My pile may not be pretty:


Here it is this morning with the piece of PVC(I take it out & re insert daily to aerate) and the metal rod and my new thermometer(you can see it is not full yet):


But here is a close up of the thermometer:


I didn't expect it to be any wheres near hot yet. Guess I am a hottie.

HOTTIE Lindacol

Thanks, I was just out adding leaves and goat manure to the pile. The temp is now 160! I will be checking it several times a day for a few days. Don't want it to catch on fire.

Ashes are good for the garden, too! LOL

camprn wrote:

southern gardener wrote:I found this link for a compost calculator, it shows how many "browns to greens" ratio you are supposed to have. I was surprised to see what greens and browns actually are. wow!!

http://www.klickitatcounty.org/SolidWaste/ContentROne.asp?fContentIdSelected=993887739&fCategoryIdSelected=948111261

Nice find!

Very nice and helpful!

You did great Lindacol!

This morning: