Hot composting with chicken bedding and garden waste

[vehve]

Thank you Scott, same to you!

PS, posted a pic for you on Ben's thread again. And I hope you saw the skiing pics somewhere too.

 

[vehve]

Finally got the compost emptied this morning. I got a good three wheelbarrows full of it.



The left cage contains stuff from the fall, I'm going to use that first. The right side is what we've accumulated with these two batches that I've emptied out lately. They're maybe 12 cubic feet on the left, and 9 on the right.


A rare look at the bottom. I rinsed it with about 5 gallons of water, there seems to be some build up in the pipe. I might try to hose it out with some pressure later in the spring. Also, the bottom doesn't seem to be draining all the well, but that's not an issue either. There was completely dry matter right under that pipe.

 

[scottcaddy]

Looking good!! yes I seen your skiing pic's someplace.
Scott

 

[vehve]

Finally made a coop page for the bunny pen.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-nordic-hare-pen

 

[HennyPennyCO]

Hi Lazy G!
Try researching seed-saving. It's an up-and-coming area of interest, like permaculture. Just recently I've even seen "Instructions to Seed-savers" listed on a seed packet!

Now, instead of the collection of seed packets being evidence of your mental instability, it becomes, like permaculture, a noble research project essential to the future survival of the planet.

Go polish up that halo!
Penny
(Back to tax preparation, sigh)

 

[hennible]

Yup
Seed saving is a blast... Been doing it, I think more than 7 years now...

 

[lazy gardener]

Hi Lazy G!
Try researching seed-saving. It's an up-and-coming area of interest, like permaculture. Just recently I've even seen "Instructions to Seed-savers" listed on a seed packet!

Now, instead of the collection of seed packets being evidence of your mental instability, it becomes, like permaculture, a noble research project essential to the future survival of the planet.

Go polish up that halo!
Penny
(Back to tax preparation, sigh)

I didn't know that seed saving was "trendy". But, I'm sure that lofty endeavor, similar to many of my others, is simply a matter of "throwing my pearls before swine" in the face of an unappreciative public: all manner of composting, gardening, raising poultry, building incubators and stone walls, planting trees, are more likely to just get some puzzling looks. Best to keep that halo well hidden under an old floppy granny hat!

 

[vehve]

Some updates:

Hilma seems to have given birth two days ago. Haven't seen the kits yet, they're tucked away in her underground lair. It looks like she feeds them around noon and midnight. So far I've only caught her closing up the hole, haven't actually seen her going in. I hope she's taking good care of them, and that we get many. Not knowing anything is making me a bit skeptic though. I borrowed a construction endoscope from the neighbor, I might try to take a look inside if I catch her with the nest open.

Nothing much happening in the compost. I did buy another cheapo thermometer today, just something to monitor the temp in the air inside the bin with. I'll install it tomorrow. Then I can just start taking pics of the temp, this one has both a Celsius and Fahrenheit scale. Goes to 50 C.

I also re-potted some of my chilis. I filled the new pots a third of the way with my earlier rested compost from last fall. Will be interesting to see how they do.

 

[Amberjem]

you can sprinkle cinnoman into the dirt to prevent damping off fungal issues

 

[vehve]

Jem, I'll have to read up on that.

Chilis are still alive after two days, so I re-potted the rest as well, again with about a third of my own compost on the bottom.



The chilis get to grow on natural light now, because I needed the growlight for tomatoes. The 'maters are tanning under two fluorescent 24W bulbs right now, which they seem to think is a huge improvement from the 13W light they were previously under.