Hot composting with chicken bedding and garden waste

[aart]

I don't do heat either. When other folks are just comfortable, I'm checking to see how many layers I can go down without causing a social horror show.

LOL! Ditto!

 

[Sabz]

Hi guys

Just a quick word how hot composting is nice..
I live in Quebec, is still below freezing these days. Our last frost date in my area is around june 1st.
Normally we can start the garden around mid-april, with resistant varieties.

Well! I have 3 plants surviving outside right now, even though we have about 3 feet of snow
I made a little greenhouse, which works fine during the day since the sun (or daylight) will heat it.
At night, I suppose my plants would die since it still 4-10 degrees below 0 (celcius).

I dug a pit in the middle of the greenhouse. Filled with compost. I placed a plastic tarp above the compost as well as the soil.
I made tiny holes in the plastic to plant my plants.

It's working!!!
I think the heat from the compost keeps the plants a little warmer at night.

Science and nature are so fun. I am gardening about 6 weeks ahead of the EARLY stages of any type of gardening in my area

Now I just need to hope the plants survive another 2-3 weeks, until it's a little warmer

 

[hennible]

Hi guys

Just a quick word how hot composting is nice..
I live in Quebec, is still below freezing these days. Our last frost date in my area is around june 1st.
Normally we can start the garden around mid-april, with resistant varieties.

Well! I have 3 plants surviving outside right now, even though we have about 3 feet of snow
I made a little greenhouse, which works fine during the day since the sun (or daylight) will heat it.
At night, I suppose my plants would die since it still 4-10 degrees below 0 (celcius).

I dug a pit in the middle of the greenhouse. Filled with compost. I placed a plastic tarp above the compost as well as the soil.
I made tiny holes in the plastic to plant my plants.

It's working!!!
I think the heat from the compost keeps the plants a little warmer at night.

Science and nature are so fun. I am gardening about 6 weeks ahead of the EARLY stages of any type of gardening in my area

Now I just need to hope the plants survive another 2-3 weeks, until it's a little warmer

Very cool!
I'm in BC, hi there! Welcome to the tread.

 

[Sabz]

Thanks! I was here a few pages ago lol. Discussing pee to add N in the compost

I didn't participate much lately, mine is frozen solid and I am jealous of most of your warmer temps lol

 

[vehve]

Sabz, that's neat. You could post some pics too.

Here's how the bunny pen is looking at the moment:

 

[hennible]

Thanks! I was here a few pages ago lol. Discussing pee to add N in the compost

I didn't participate much lately, mine is frozen solid and I am jealous of most of your warmer temps lol

Oops I hear "I'm Canadian" and go all loopy for some reason

 

[Sabz]

Nice job Vehve . I missed the part about the rabbit pen. Are you building it with those blocks to keep more wamth in the pen or just because you had those already?

Yes will post pictures sure Next week. I don't want to open the greenhouse after work since I am afraid it will lose it's heat and not warm up enough before night falls. I'll open it up saturday morning. From the outside we can't see anything, too much condensation.

What do you do with your hot compost when its done? Do you move it to another compost bin and leave it there until you need it or you have something ingenious that you do?

 

[vehve]

I'm building with the blocks because I wanted a sturdy foundation, and possibly cause I seem to be a bit of a sadist (A lot more digging involved than I first thought).

I let the cooked compost rest in a compost cage, grab some when needed from it.





If you get issues with it getting too cold in the greenhouse, you can light a couple of long burning candles in there. They will raise the heat a bit.

 

[Sabz]

Quite a nice pile you have there. I am bringing home compost from my work place (14 employees) since october and my pile isn't even that large haha. I tried the DLM in the coop for winter, so I didn't clean it yet. I suppose that in 2-3 weeks, when I fully empty it, my pile will grow a lot!

Oh. You are the first one to even mention candles to me.I was aiming for cheap and no electricity. Candles are cheap enough and they will generate a fair amount of heat. Good point, thanks

 

[vehve]

They work in fall too, if the weather is a couple degrees below freezing. Just enough to take the edge off.