Extreme Composting

Yeah...I've never composted a barrel either...

I might have the time but the lichen is pretty much out of the question.

In the meantime, that little cub can pull a ton easy over level ground, just get plenty of weight on the tongue and stay on firm ground.

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http://www.lindsayfarmonsilvercreek.blogspot.com/

I was thinking about Forerunner and the first pages of this thread this morning. I had put some sides on my trailer an built a way of dragging load off of trailer. This morning I hooked the trailer to the tractor and drove 30 minutes to my sawdust source, loaded the trailer with sawdust/shaving mix with loader and drove back home.
Now I need to determine where to dump it and test out my unloader method.

I haven't forgot those pics of my rock composter, either..... it's just under 2 feet of snow.

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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.
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No tree near where I wanted to unload so I drove some commercial tent stakes in the ground, hooked the chain to them and the pile slid right off the trailer when pulled by tractor.

Maybe I'll get enough desire in the future to learn how to post pictures

OK, I have a potential source of used cooking oil from a local restaurant. They currently pay to have it disposed of so it could be a win/win if I haul it away for free and it is good for my piles. I know all the backyard composting advice is to not put vegetable oils in the pile, but I've had no problem getting rid of small amounts in my piles. However, this could be a 55 gal drum once a month or more.

1. What would be clues the piles are getting overloaded and how much pile do you think it would take to balance that much oil?

2. Any reason you think that in the right amounts this would not be a nutrient positive addition to the pile?

3. In my big piles that are nothing but slash and dirt, do you think the oil would be an accelerator or decelerator in pile decomposition?

Downsides are it would probably be a wild hog/coon/other critters attractor.

Don't know about using it in compost but if you could get a drum a month it might be worth getting a diesel pickup. I understand you can burn it in diesel truck with minor effort on your part.

I've looked into biodiesel. I'm burning 75 - 100 gal per week when on the farm and I would love to offset some of that cost. I wouldn't use it in my newish truck, but might experiment with it in the old tractor. The problem is, if I do it right, I save $2/gal (my internet reading says biodiesel still ends up costing in the range of $1 - 2 / gal). If I do it wrong, it cost me hundreds or even thousands of dollars and downed equipment time. Two or 3 drums of oil/month mixed 50/50 with ORD would be a nice bit of money saved.

That's ok, my rocks are covered as well.

My experience with veggie oil.......

Let it sit in a warm place after you get it home, for about a week. The longer the better.
Use the crystal clear stuff off the top for your fuel experiments.
Have the engine at full operating temp before introducing any percentage of veg oil to the fuel.
Switch back to strait diesel for a few minutes before shut-off to get the lines, pump and injectors cleaned out and primed with straight diesel for startup....
It's starting up cold on veg oil that carbons the combustion chamber.
Those steps can be a pain..... but if you're running in warm climates, and all day, it's certainly worth a few minutes prep time to burn free fuel.

As for the compost piles.....

I'm educated guestimating, here....
If you are able to make veg oil fuel work, that will eliminate at least 50% of your oil, and leave you with stuff that has more compost value, anyhow.
I would say one barrel per month, meted out to five gallon bucket portions scattered in light trenches, uniformly across the pile....could be swallowed up in a HOT pile the size of two semi trailer loads.
If I've followed your work, Deke.... you have piles that size....
I would think the oil would be a plus for slash piles, in meted quantities.

I don't know that used veg oil is particularly valuable to the compost pile, over all.....but it would have to feed critters. If they like used motor oil in moderation, well....

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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.
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FR - I had a guy over last week who runs tri-axle dump trucks and excavator. He is doing some work for me and needs some fill dirt. So in my effort to be more and more like you he is digging me a pond. I did a test hole with my LBH and the site is near perfect. It is at the peak of my mountain...all of 105 ft above sea level and I'll be able to have a 30 - 40 ft head and 600 ft run to gravity feed my orchard.

He'll pile the clay to one side for me to use on my roads and haul off about 30 - 40 dumpers of fill dirt. Since it is a short haul for him, saving tanks of diesel, it is a win - win for all.

One of my bigger piles, it's nearest the road and easiest to add to, is in the way of the pond. I asked him to estimate how much material is in that pile and says 10 - 15 dumpers, which translates to 200 - 300 tons. I don't know what that translates to in semi-loads, but it is a lot of slash, dirt, and at least 30 tons of the sludge I hauled in. I have about 20 piles ranging from similar in size to half that big. In addition, I have a dozen piles that have been properly chipped and manured that are in the 5 - 10 ton range and near ready to go into the garden.

It seems to me, I've got plenty of material that could absorb lots of oil. But everything I've read on line says, don't do it, oil in the pile will slow it down. But that goes against my instincts that anything from a plant short of petroleum is good fodder for a big pile.

You're gettin' a free pond?!

If you drown the compost in oil, it will keep oxygen from getting in to the other ingredients. I have no idea what the magic ratio is, but we have never had an issue including pan drippings and skim off soups in small scale composing. You might get away with adding more and more over time as you breed more oil loving microbes.

I don't think Deke is looking at a drown scenario.

Sounds/looks to me like he's got plenty of bulk to make oil disappear with little overall effect on the action.
Like I said, I don't know about the value of straight veg oil to the compost...other than if he were able to make fuel of the clean oil, and compost the dregs.

Incidentally.....those nasty dregs will have value to the compost pile.....

Kudos upon kudos for your growing extremism and resource utilization savvy, Deke.

Mom would be proud.

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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.
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I was hoping Paquebot would chime in on this topic. I'm sure he has some knowledge of the veg oil vs compost issue.

Chemically it would be a carbon? Exact formulas vary, but vegetable oil is defined as a triglyceride, which is defined as an ester, which I believe is all C O and H.

The microbes may convert that hydrocarbon to a carbohydrate.....making it palatable to yet other microbes ?

Any scientists among us care to chime in ?

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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.
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I'm more familiar with the opposite reaction, microbes in the digestive system turn complex carbohydrates into fats. I can only assume they use the fats in some way more directly after going to the trouble of making them. (The host certainly makes good use of them.)

I'm seeing a vision of really fat little microbes, sitting around tables in a bar, beer in one hand, fist full of fries in the other.....discussing the joys of all manner of indulgement....the dangers of living in red wriggler territory ?

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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.
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