Extreme Composting

The first thing the ice melted off of was my compost piles. Merry Christmas!!!

Me, too.

I've got four hot ones waiting for spring.

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“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Barry Goldwater.
III

I have one cool one, something about daytime high temps at −10 for about a week

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Patriot Guard Riders http://www.patriotguard.org/

”Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed, as they are in almost every country in Europe.”
~Noah Webster

Your pile just ain't big enough, SH.



I just cut and shuffled a pile that had a lot of quirky spots, due to it's haphazard construction over autumn....... and, for drain and access logistics, it needed moved south 75 feet......
There were pockets of dry wood chips, overly saturated manure, fermenting corn fines from a large grain dryer operation, a whole bunch of dead critters, and a nice, hot core.

I trued up the area surrounding with the dozer, cuz I knew temps were going to below zero that night and I wanted a nice concrete finish to operate from over the next few weeks. Sure enough, next morning....-3 and the pile was steaming nicely. There are moist, black patches all over it that won't freeze, except on the immediate surface in places.

__________________
“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Barry Goldwater.
III

First time in a long time without something steaming right now. Plans for another hot pile of shredded oak leaves were nixed when I decided to stash the leaves for direct use next spring. In all, probably equal to 100 bags on hand which otherwise would have been a decent hot pile.

Tumbler went cold in a hurry as expected with minimum moisture added. It held out just long enough to fold in one deer head plus various other offal and remain warm for a few more days. Next 3 months will have only small daily additions but the accumulative NPK value is going to be a high one. Reserve for spring load has 3 more deer heads, dozen lower legs and feet, and other good sources of nitrogen and phosphorus. Composted 7 heads in a pile one time but never more than one at a time in the tumbler so results remain to be seen.

Martin

Martin,I don't recall specifics.....

Do you have some farm ground, or are you on a lot in town ?

__________________
“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Barry Goldwater.
III

Specifics: Live in town, 75x150 lot. Stripped sod off original 25x25 garden on 7-10-63. Since expanded to 25x50 enclosed plus 3x25 outside. Entire area up to a foot higher than in 1963 and every bit manufactured by me. Also beds of about 3x10, 6x50, 8x8, 6x25, plus spaces for containers due to the whole works having a huge black walnut right in the middle. That doesn't leave much space for grass so I don't have many clippings. Nitrogen sources are our pigeons and whatever available green material. That's home.

2011 and 2012 had me gardening in the country at www.wegrowgarlic.com with 6,000 square feet the first year and 10,000 the next. 2013 found me back with the community gardens with 8 plots @ 432 square feet or 3,456 square feet. From start to finish with the plots, I added 33 cubic yards of organic matter to those 8 plots which previously were the worse of the 140 total. The additions consisted of compost from both home and county, shredded leaves, horse manure, and sawdust. In keeping with no good deed going unpunished, I may only be allowed to garden in 4 of them in 2014. At least I will have the pleasure of knowing that the other 4 were left in a lot better condition than when I got them.

Tomorrow will restart an annual project of soil amending. Christmas trees are now just a messy thing to get out of the house as soon as possible after the joy of Christmas is over. I've hauled home at least 25 every January for almost 10 years. At the first good break in the weather between accumulation and spring, the boughs are stripped off with a chain saw and passed several times through a bagging/mulching mower. Some becomes a basis for the spring tumbler batch but most will be reserved for mixing with soil for hilling potatoes. Lot of sweat but worth it and makes super soil later. The bare trunks will become bean tepee poles.

Note on the above for everyone. Laws prohibit Christmas trees in landfills. Most municipalities are now set up with chippers and the results are often available to gardeners. Grab all you can get, especially if the chippers are the newer ones which make a fine product instead of wooden hockey pucks. The C:N ratio is such that you need to add nothing else to it to create a very hot cycle. So hot, in fact, that such piles have been known to ignite! You've got about 3 weeks to take advantage of it. Not the best time on the year in the northern areas but nothing wrong with stockpiling it for spring use.

Martin

Excellent.



If I was "restricted" to town type acreage, I'd be doing the same.

__________________
“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Barry Goldwater.
III

I might have under exaggerated the temp of my pile. The center and top of the pile are still heating, but he sides are frozen in about 8 −10 inches. I am guessing I have about 10 pickup loads of stuff in the pile; it is hard to say because most of it was brought in by yard-carts from myself and my neighbor behind our lawnmowers. This spring when the snowbirds come back, I will be getting the sawdust from a one-man cabinet shop about a half mile down the road. I don't know why I did of his sawdust when I first started composting.

__________________
Patriot Guard Riders http://www.patriotguard.org/

”Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed, as they are in almost every country in Europe.”
~Noah Webster

Frozen 8-10 inches in isn't uncommon for us arctic, semi-arctic types, nor is it a detriment.
Any time you've got heat in a winter pile, you know you've definitely graduated Compost 101.

Soon as the spring thaw hits, that outside layer will be doing double time.

__________________
“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Barry Goldwater.
III

I might get more on top of it yet this winter.

__________________
Patriot Guard Riders http://www.patriotguard.org/

”Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed, as they are in almost every country in Europe.”
~Noah Webster

If your pile is like a dome, throw an old tarp or plastic over the top where it is now venting. That will keep the heat in and only allow it to seep out through the sides. I often used deer hides for that. Hair side up looked better but a mess to deal with in the spring. With hair down, that's just more green.

Martin

Mine's a little soggy at the moment. But fear not this is Oklahoma - 60 at 8am snow by noon and 50 by 5pm. We just look out the window if we want to know about the weather.

I should move and add lots of dry matter to mine. Its really wet.

Now ready for Compost 101.1 or is that 102?

I am on pile number 5.2 so I think I am ready for Compost 201 with Professor Forerunner, and I hope calling him professor isn't an insult.

__________________
Patriot Guard Riders http://www.patriotguard.org/

”Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed, as they are in almost every country in Europe.”
~Noah Webster

Naw.

Just so none of the collegiate variety don't take offense.


The information is all here, I think.

The final exam is getting a 1500 pound steer to reduce to clean bones and stomach contents in three weeks.

If you can do that, you've pretty much mastered the process.

__________________
“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Barry Goldwater.
III

__________________
Patriot Guard Riders http://www.patriotguard.org/

”Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed, as they are in almost every country in Europe.”
~Noah Webster

I did that I DID THAT! Wow I gradumawated! Yeah me. Well but mine was 3 full sized goats and a 500lbs calf. Do I still get a deploma? But the only things I found was the skull.

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I'm so done here.

Three weeks ?

Just skull ?

You weren't looking very hard...........


The test still stands..... one animal, 1500 pounds....... three weeks in the pile......clean bones and stomach contents.


I'll be waiting for the reports to roll in.

__________________
“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Barry Goldwater.
III