heating up compost without manure, possible ?!?!?

[rainbowgardener]

tesseract (tĕs′ə-răkt′)

A four-dimensional hypercube, having sixteen corners.




Above is a two-dimensional depiction of a four dimensional tesseract. In a real tesseract, which cannot exist in our three-dimensional space, each edge would be the same length.

[ElizabethB]

Are you tessracting me?

[rainbowgardener]

4 x 4 x 4 x4 = four dimensions = tesseract, hypercube


just teasing you

[toxcrusadr]

Imagine how much compost would fit into that thing! I want one.

[Pathfinder]

Actually, a simple cube will fit more than a tesseract, hypercube <= sounds like a transformers term, but yeah it can be welded and built, not impossible.

Anyway, I returned to my thread to report success, I finally bought the famous blue plastic barrel of 4 foot length by 1 foot width and put it in the sun, drilled holes all around it and at the bottom, tossed everything that was on the ground ...but I couldn't use the finished compost !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My grandma came to visit us and she asked me for them, couldn't say no :-/ to her. last weekend I visited her and saw her tomatoes and peppers booming !!!! I was happy and started a new pile, I think the compost should last her a full season no ?!

[tomc]

I'm not going to re-read this whole thread again. You are squirming in your chair awaiting finished compost. No matter how diligently you pile it up, your need will be greater than your supply right now.

Its probably going to be easier to set a second bin, next to the first and start filling it. or a third or fourth if needed. In time the first bin will have slumped and will no longer heat up no matter of if you turn it or splash on some manure.

Break open the first one and use it on the garden. Repeat with subsequent bins as needed.

Ruth Stouts ghost will be smiling as you do.

[Pathfinder]

you are right tomc, can't argue with what you said, but since you didn't read the whole thread, well, I can tell you this: " I don't live alone !! " my mom will kill me and the neighbors too.

I mostly do container gardening so I have no problem with one bin, if things get leaner and composting becomes acceptable, then I will be adding more bins.

[ChrisC_77]

I am concerned about my compost getting too hot. And I can say without a doubt that manure is not a required ingredient for successful composting. Just the right balance of nitrogen and carbon materials, water and natures creatures. That being said, I do have a concern.

Now mind you my pile is very small right now. About 20" tall and 3 feet diameter. It is composed of spent brewery grains, (about 20 gallons) coffee grounds and filters from a coffee shop (about 10 gallons) paper, kitchen scraps, and some garden scraps. Anyway, It reaches 140 in the core easily. I am measuring this with a meat thermometer. It stops around the 140 on the thermometer. But It could be hotter. When I sift through my compost, I see no worms or grubs. I think it is mainly bacteria that is doing the job. My compost looks good and doesn't smell bad at all. As long as the finished product is what I want, I don't care how it gets there. I know worms are very good players in the compost pile and I am afraid I have it too hot for them. I can turn it a few times a day if I wanted. It generates that amount of heat very quickly. But I am always adding to it so I am sure it is constantly being fueled.

[rainbowgardener]

Sounds like all greens. If you balance it out with browns, it won't run quite as hot and it will be a better environment for earthworms. Earthworms love those browns -- fall leaves, shredded paper, etc.

[toxcrusadr]

I've made hot compost for years, it never gets worms in it until it cools off considerably, but it's great compost. Actually I don't care that much about worms in the compost, I want them in the GARDEN near the plants. And when you add compost to the soil, worms will come.

This is really off topic but someone earlier in this thread said a hypercube can actually be built. I don't think that's possible because it requires 90 degree angles in FOUR dimensions. But I reiterate, if it can be built I want one because you can put way more compost in that than a normal cube.