Hot composting with chicken bedding and garden waste

[vehve]

Scott, I'm working for a an entertainment/mobile gaming company, mainly focused on games featuring some disgruntled avians.

Compost was running nice and warm again, still keeping the same temps. It was looking rather dry, so I added some more water. The left side has really compressed, it's down to about half of what it was a few weeks ago. And the right side is cooking nice and hot too, the volume stays the same in it even though we keep adding about 5 gallons daily.

Then some pics from the yard, since I haven't shared any lately. I took these last night at around 22, I just love the long days of Finnish summer.

 

[Bugseye]

No other critters than the five hens, if that's what you're asking. I did miss picking up the wild rabbit and deer poops in spring. My pile is litter from the coop, fair amount of cardboard, kitchen scraps and the occasional weed. I get what you mean by the joy of longer days, as it's pretty good here too, though probably not as far north as you. It's just that I run out of energy before I get all the things done that I'd like to do, so the pile isn't getting turned as much as it could. At the top of the list now are completing the tomato trellis (a saga of its own) and adding mulch to the potato patch. Today's an errand day, so not much may happen out there.

 

[scottcaddy]

Scott, I'm working for a an entertainment/mobile gaming company, mainly focused on games featuring some disgruntled avians.

I wonder if you have to force yourself to go to work like so many other people? Or is just one big joy ride building new levels or some-such.
Now I know some that I can complain to about the little things

Nice pic's of the dinner to be.
Scott

 

[vehve]

Well, long time, no update. Numerous emptyings have taken place. The hot box is still going strong. Got about about a cubic yard waiting to get put into use next spring. I really eed to come up with ways to use the stuff.

At the moment, Karin is a bit too enthusiastic about cleaning the bunny coop, so I'm turning out a full load of compost about once a month. Right now I'm working a system where I'm not really turning all that often, but I try to moisten the stuff when adding new things, and once I empty one side, I take the other, and move it into the now empty side, wetting between layers. Seems to be working pretty nicely.

 

[aart]

Sounds good!!
Wish you lived nearby, I could use some of that to fill the new raised beds I'm planning this fall.

 

[vehve]

Sounds like the perfect time to set up your own hot box =)

 

[aart]

Probably not....but.....will probably set the annual fall coop clean out to hot compost again, after I see what the 2 that I did last year look like.

Too many other projects going, front deck falling apart has trumped all other projects at this time.

 

[vehve]

Adding all the green you can get your hands on to that will probably make it cook like crazy, as long as you wet it down properly.

Hope you get the deck fixed up nicely. Next spring I'm going to oil ours again, the trick is to start maintaining it early, and not when it's starting to fall apart.

 

[aart]

The 13 cuft of bedding along with 10 gals of water cooked up to 160F within 24 hours.
Tho I didn't keep it hot all the way thru by turning, try to do better with that this time.

The deck that failed was at least 20 year old cedar or redwood untreated for 15 years that I've had it,
what failed were the nails that held it to the house, only a few areas of the wood were failure level rotten.
Am going to use that old wood to make the raised beds.

 

[scottcaddy]

Did you ever get a proper thermometer for the compost bin?
Thanks for the update, how's the tree?
Scott