INCUBATING w/FRIENDS! w/Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs No problem!

[Akrnaf2]

 
They should be turned weekly but they don't get that much attention unless I have gardening apprentices here.
I added some more info to the previous post you may want to look at.

Typically how long does it take for it to be ready to use?

It depends on 4 factors
1 the kind of material you put in
2. The ambient temp
3. The ventilation =AKA how many times you turn them
4. The humidity in the pile

 

[ChickenCanoe]

My first car was the '59 Ford convertible I've posted pictures of before. It liked gas pretty well, but it was a real chick magnet.

I always loved convertibles. If not counting trucks, at least half my cars were convertibles.
The biggest gas hog was my '62 Oldsmobile Super 88. I didn't drive it much. If I floored it, I could watch the gas gauge drop.
After the free '55 chevy, the first car I bought was a '50 Dodge convertible Wayfarer Sportabout. It had been parked behind a hardware store for years. The store owner wanted $50 for it. By the time I scraped the $50 together, he apparently felt sorry for me and gave it to me for $25.
I must have been a pathetic individual back then.

Mine wasn't in this good of condition but the color was the same.

Typically how long does it take for it to be ready to use?

Assuming the pile is big enough (the bigger the pile the quicker it will break down), if turned frequently and kept at the appropriate moisture content, it could be ready for the garden in 3 months but because I'm not diligent enough, it takes more like 5 or 6 months.
A pile can easily get too wet or too dry. Most years I have to water it in mid summer and fall. I have gutter on one of my chicken coops and pipe the water to the first 2 piles so they in effect get about twice the rain than would normally fall on them. If we're getting a lot of rain, I cover them with tarps so they don't get saturated.
When saturated, the aerobic bacteria (the kind you want) dies off and is replaced by anaerobic bacteria and that is what causes it to stink. The more you turn, the more air you bring into the pile. That air, a good mix of green to brown matter and the right moisture creates a perfect environment for bacteria and rapid breakdown.
On occasions, in the middle of winter when they're covered with snow, I can stick my thermometer in there and it will be 150F.

 

[BullChick]

For most of it but you'd still need to get out the dustpan or shovel and broom.


How do you like your dual coffee maker?
Ours is a Hamilton Beach with the single on the left and pot on the right but basically the same thing. It works well.


When my wife's younger brother had bad acne, she read that a remedy was to wash one's face with baby pee. She offered him some of the babies diapers.

Quote:
They are commonly called ducks but in the science of ornithology, they are hens.

How do I like it?! I'm in love with him! Westley is so wonderful! I smile each morning when I smell the coffee he has prepared for me! I can't believe I wanted another Keurig!
Funny about the diapers!
I am going to relax about calling ducks hens, but thanks for saying I'm right!

I am mobile so most of my edits are typos too.

 

[casportpony]

Quote: What a cool car!

-Kathy

 

[kwhites634]

Quote: My first car was the '59 Ford convertible I've posted pictures of before. It liked gas pretty well, but it was a real chick magnet.
Can you post a picture?

-Kathy

Little fuzzy...sorry

 

[casportpony]

Great car!

-Kathy

 

[kwhites634]

Quote: Great car!

-Kathy
Thanks; she was my baby; wish I still had her

 

[ChickenCanoe]

@chaos

Sorry I don't have a better picture of the compost bins but here's the piping from the coop.
pictured is part of the third bin. The pile in it is usually pretty small both because I pull compost from it to fill garden beds but also because it really shrinks as bacteria consume it.

Keep in mind that no matter how much high nitrogen material goes into the compost, nitrogen flushes rapidly so even using fresh compost, you'll still need to add nitrogen for heavy feeders like brassicas.
I have my killing cone on the post so blood flows into the first compost bin. However, given what I just stated about nitrogen, I'm thinking about moving it to the third pile.




This is my auto nipple water system in that building. It holds almost 10 gallons.
The high exit pipe is so water won't leave the system till it is full.



The right fitting takes a female hose fitting. The left fitting has a filtered vent that allows air into the system when unpressurized.


When I fill the system, I hook up the hose with low flow and run a tube into the gutter drain that goes to the compost. In case I don't catch it when it is full, it will just flow onto the compost pile.

 

[Akrnaf2]

My first car was the '59 Ford convertible I've posted pictures of before. It liked gas pretty well, but it was a real chick magnet.

I always loved convertibles. If not counting trucks, at least half my cars were convertibles. The biggest gas hog was my '62 Oldsmobile Super 88. I didn't drive it much. If I floored it, I could watch the gas gauge drop. After the free '55 chevy, the first car I bought was a '50 Dodge convertible Wayfarer Sportabout. It had been parked behind a hardware store for years. The store owner wanted $50 for it. By the time I scraped the $50 together, he apparently felt sorry for me and gave it to me for $25. I must have been a pathetic individual back then. Mine wasn't in this good of condition but the color was the same.

Typically how long does it take for it to be ready to use?

Assuming the pile is big enough (the bigger the pile the quicker it will break down), if turned frequently and kept at the appropriate moisture content, it could be ready for the garden in 3 months but because I'm not diligent enough, it takes more like 5 or 6 months. A pile can easily get too wet or too dry. Most years I have to water it in mid summer and fall. I have gutter on one of my chicken coops and pipe the water to the first 2 piles so they in effect get about twice the rain than would normally fall on them. If we're getting a lot of rain, I cover them with tarps so they don't get saturated. When saturated, the aerobic bacteria (the kind you want) dies off and is replaced by anaerobic bacteria and that is what causes it to stink. The more you turn, the more air you bring into the pile. That air, a good mix of green to brown matter and the right moisture creates a perfect environment for bacteria and rapid breakdown. On occasions, in the middle of winter when they're covered with snow, I can stick my thermometer in there and it will be 150F.

Some people even COOK in the compost pile https://www.houselogic.com/by-room/yard-patio/cooking-in-compost/

 

[kwhites634]

Quote: Some people even COOK in the compost pile
https://www.houselogic.com/by-room/yard-patio/cooking-in-compost/
I've heard of people cooking meals wrapped in foil sitting on the top of the engine while they tool along the highway.