Compost Pile

[daddykirbs]

I made this video this weekend. This is me turning and adding leaves to the large pile. STEAMY!

 

[bluenkimchi]

I believe it's the heat build up from the organic material breaking down. I could be wrong, but i've read of spontaneous combustion from compost pile before. I think it's methane gas that builds up?? And such cold days like yours, the steam could be easily seen.

 

[canesisters]

(HIJACK WARNING - sorry

)

Compost newbie here.
I am (was) hoping to compost all winter right on the area that I'm going to use as a garden. Well, here it is mid Feb and I've still got a large pile of mostly sawdust...

Here's what I did - can someone tell me how to rescue this for spring planting - if it's possible.

- mid November - cleared a 15' circle by scraping the grass off and piling it up around the edge
- piled a HUGE pile of leaves on the bare dirt and burned them (hoping to kill left over grass)
- piled more leaves (only about 2-3" deep) on the ashes and then covered with about 8" hay (really old hay)
- added a LOT of sawdust with a little shavings (thinking the smaller bits in sawdust would go faster than regular shavings)
- chicken poo / coffee grounds / dead plant (flower arraignments from church) tossed in and scattered over

We've had a LOT of rain this year - a LOT.. And the weather has been pretty mild, so no extended freezing temps. Up until yesterday, it has just sat as it was dumped. Yesterday I went in and used a hoe to stir it from the ground up. It had a sort of nice, earthy smell and when I got to the layer of hay/leaves it was still hay, but very soft and dark.

I'm thinking that I need much more plant material like leaves or hay or both - from what I understand, shavings don't count like that.
Do I need to stir it regularly from now on?? Weekly?
Maybe cover it with a tarp to help it heat up??
Would dumping dirt on it help?? I have a ditch project to do in the paddock and could use some of that dirt.

Or should I just store my seeds and expect a whiz-bang garden NEXT year....

 

[cmcanallen]

Covering it with dirt and turning it regularly will help it break down faster. It sounds like you've got a good pile going. If you can work it for the next few weeks, you should be able to ready it for your garden this year.

Adding items will just give the pile more to break down. If you have the room, I would start another pile to start the cycle for next year's compost.

 

[daddykirbs]

(HIJACK WARNING - sorry

)

Compost newbie here.
I am (was) hoping to compost all winter right on the area that I'm going to use as a garden. Well, here it is mid Feb and I've still got a large pile of mostly sawdust...

Here's what I did - can someone tell me how to rescue this for spring planting - if it's possible.

- mid November - cleared a 15' circle by scraping the grass off and piling it up around the edge
- piled a HUGE pile of leaves on the bare dirt and burned them (hoping to kill left over grass)
- piled more leaves (only about 2-3" deep) on the ashes and then covered with about 8" hay (really old hay)
- added a LOT of sawdust with a little shavings (thinking the smaller bits in sawdust would go faster than regular shavings)
- chicken poo / coffee grounds / dead plant (flower arraignments from church) tossed in and scattered over

We've had a LOT of rain this year - a LOT.. And the weather has been pretty mild, so no extended freezing temps. Up until yesterday, it has just sat as it was dumped. Yesterday I went in and used a hoe to stir it from the ground up. It had a sort of nice, earthy smell and when I got to the layer of hay/leaves it was still hay, but very soft and dark.

I'm thinking that I need much more plant material like leaves or hay or both - from what I understand, shavings don't count like that.
Do I need to stir it regularly from now on?? Weekly?
Maybe cover it with a tarp to help it heat up??
Would dumping dirt on it help?? I have a ditch project to do in the paddock and could use some of that dirt.

Or should I just store my seeds and expect a whiz-bang garden NEXT year....

It sounds to me like you may need more nitrogen or "greens". You can encourage the pile by peeing on it... yep, I said it. Add some more manure or green grass clipping and pile it up, cover it and wait a month or two. It should heat up nice.

 

[kelseysfowl]

i put dairy in my composting pile i don't have any problems

 

[kelseysfowl]

i put dairy in my composting pile i don't have any problems

 

[canesisters]

Update on Mr. Rotmore.

I hate to admit it but I missed a key part in composting..... the PILE.

My compost was the site of my garden-to-be and was 15'wide but only about 1' deep....


This past Satuday, I picked up about 150lbs of Donkey/chicken/bunny poo. Then cleared a spot in the middle of the 'non-pile' and dumped it and a little bit more of the old hay. Once the new poo and the hay were mixed up real good, I raked up the rest of it and piled it on top. The idea being that the new poo will heat the older stuff from below.

From this:


to this:

 

[Arielle]

Nice pile-- let us know how soon it heats up!!

 

[canesisters]

Update - that thing is COOKING!!!
I've torn down the outer layers and re-piled them - maybe 3 times - over the past few weeks. Every time I do it's hotter inside. I'm planning to tear it down completely this weekend, mix it up real good and pile it back up. Since my plan is to actually plant right on the site, I think that I should soon spread it out and add some soil. I've been told that adding soil will slow down or even nearly stop the 'hot' composting and I want to raise it slightly above the surrounding ground level for better drainage.