Hot composting with chicken bedding and garden waste

[topdycke]

I think you shouldn't shock her husband with a truckload of horse poo just yet, he's only getting used to the idea of composting. Might be a bit extreme for him to come home to a mountain of manure in the driveway.

I was thinking could send some also. The one horse makes 3 30 gal trash containers for the week. If I strip the stall... bonus

 

[adventerousone]

I had to move my pile yesterday to the very back corner of our yard... we live next to a trailer park and it was outside my neighbors window :/ oops .. but I was able to mix the new grass clippings from the mower in really well and rewater it ... plus it is in full sun most of the day (under the tarp) so maybe the process will go faster... and I have room for another pile )))

 

[vehve]

Yeah, it's usually a good idea not to place it right in plain view of neighbors out of respect. The clippings should add some nice nitrogen in there, and the shoveling around has aerated it. Being in the sun is necessarily not a good thing though, it makes moisture evaporate more quickly. Although, it will dry quicker if you overwet it too, so I suppose it's a good thing. Just keep an eye on the moisture. Was there heat coming from the center of the pile?

 

[adventerousone]

When I moved it yes.. Lots of heat and steam.. And this morning when I mixed the duck bedding in was REALLY REALLY hot and steamy

 

[vehve]

When I moved it yes.. Lots of heat and steam.. And this morning when I mixed the duck bedding in was REALLY REALLY hot and steamy

Good, I would maybe still add a bit to it for maybe a week (until you've reached about 3x3x3 feet), and then just keep turning it, and you should have some nice dark compost in a month or two. Just remember that the hottest part is in the middle, that's where you want the matter that hasn't broken down yet.

 

[vehve]

I'm a bit worried that batch 2 is a bit low on nitrogen. Since the level had gone down so nicely, I scooped up what was going to be batch 3, and added it to batch 2. I think I'll try to get some more chicken poop in there as well still. The heat had dropped to about 50 deg C, so I think the nitrogen boost will be welcome. The straw has started to turn black though, so there definitely is something going on in there. There was quite a lot of peat and soil together with the straw I threw in there, so it might just be that this batch is going through the different phases more quickly than batch 1.

 

[adventerousone]

My hubby got my push mower running so I could get the spots the rider cant reach.. added quite a bit of fresh grass to the top after I had already turned the pile will mix the other stuff in tonight before it gets dark.. still putting off a TON of heat

 

[vehve]

My hubby got my push mower running so I could get the spots the rider cant reach.. added quite a bit of fresh grass to the top after I had already turned the pile will mix the other stuff in tonight before it gets dark.. still putting off a TON of heat

The hot stage can last from a few days to a few weeks. It's the thermofilic bacteria working. Then come the mesofiles (that also worked until the pile hit 44 deg C). And then lovely worms and creepy crawlies and molds and fungi.

 

[vehve]

Batch 2 was at 57 deg C this morning. I dumped some more greens into it still, to get the nitrogen level up a bit. Yesterday I also repotted an eggplant. I hadn't had much hope for it, but it had suddenly gotten an growth spurt, and started making flowers, so I threw it in a bigger pot and added a lot of compost from batch 1 into it. It will be interesting to see if it kills it or makes it grow like crazy. Our tomatoes have also liked the layer of compost we spread on top of their soil. Next week we can start eating them.

 

[Hershy]

Batch 2 was at 57 deg C this morning. I dumped some more greens into it still, to get the nitrogen level up a bit. Yesterday I also repotted an eggplant. I hadn't had much hope for it, but it had suddenly gotten an growth spurt, and started making flowers, so I threw it in a bigger pot and added a lot of compost from batch 1 into it. It will be interesting to see if it kills it or makes it grow like crazy. Our tomatoes have also liked the layer of compost we spread on top of their soil. Next week we can start eating them.

It's always so exciting to see your hard work pay off, especially in the form of yummy veggies!