no turn HoT Hot compost!!

[top_dollar_bread]

in this [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17562&start=30]thread[/url] I made compost bin out of a old laundry basket and a trash can. the compost bin I made came from [url=https://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/chapter2.pdf]this link[/url] were they called it a bio reactor??
so when I finally filled my bin to the top I left it alone. After 3 days I already noticed a decrease of material in the bin.
So I put my hand on the organic matter and wow
it felt like a black car sitting out in the California summer heat. So I decided to get a thermometer to take a few readings..
the top middle of the compost were I put my hand, read 124!!
[img]https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3453/3878758252_a53f7cc2a1.jpg[/img]
the top side of the compost read [url=https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2554/3877963317_86529e2960.jpg]110![/url]
and the [url=https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3487/3877963283_ae9b72f230_o.jpg]sides of the compost[/url] [url=https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2642/3877963259_7471a726c0_o.jpg]read 105-120![/url]
this a No-turn composting method but still getting the heat of a turned compost
whats my secret, well besides the bio reactor it comes down to C/N ratio.
A healthy compost pile should have more carbon than nitrogen. A simple rule of thumb is to use one-third green and two-thirds brown materials. This gets the ratio for healthy fast heating compost and allows oxygen to penetrate and nourish the organisms that reside ther.
the compost should cool down after a few weeks but for now it is really cooking

[rainbowgardener]

Wow! Very impressive.... I know part of why mine doesn't run hotter is especially this time of year I don't have enough browns. Soon there will be more fall leaves and I can balance it better.

Thanks for the info!

[a0c8c]

I do someting kinda umm... "similar" in order to get quick compost. I have a small blue trash can, probably a 5 gallon, that I filled with partly finished compost, dry leaves, grass clippings and weeds, and fully finished compos. Oh, and about half a cup of brown sugar I mixed it all up with a hand trowel(its only half full right now) and poured two bottles of spring water to get it all wet. It usually takes just a couple days for it all to be nice and black and nutient rich. It heats up quickly and breaks down nicely. This time around I even through in some tree bark pieces as my goal is to make a potting soil type mix. Once I get some extra cash I'm gonna make a bio reactor like yours and then a true compost tea setup(mine didn't work so well).

[gixxerific]

Yet another good read from TDB. You da man!

I have a single trash can that I keep filling cause I have no where else to put it right now. It is half compost half not so much compost. Mainly what hasn't composted is heavy vines of plants (cucumber etc). I suppose I could sift it haven't really felt the need yet.

But the bio reactor looks like another idea (as I look around the basement to see if there is anything I could rig one with).

[Diane]

Very nice TDB.
I've started putting more browns in mine thanks to reading here. I put in napkins, paper towels and newspaper. The newspaper takes a while. I'm going to try bunching it up instead of cutting or tearing it because it stays in clumps.

Dono, can you tip your barrel upside down or on it's side and roll it? That would mix it up.

[applestar]

WOW. That would sure kill the weed seeds and pathogens. Good work!
I guess the thing to do would be to keep the resulting compost separate from the others. Keep us posted on how this batch goes and how long it takes to fully finished compost.

[gixxerific]

Very nice TDB.
I've started putting more browns in mine thanks to reading here. I put in napkins, paper towels and newspaper. The newspaper takes a while. I'm going to try bunching it up instead of cutting or tearing it because it stays in clumps.

Dono, can you tip your barrel upside down or on it's side and roll it? That would mix it up.

Yes I tie the lid on and do exactly that.

[jayaprada]

hello This information is really good

[Gary350]

Heat really makes the compost speed up. I use to have an old 55 gallon metal barrel with both ends cut out. I painted it flat black with a piece of black plywood on top and placed it in full sun. I filled it with grass clipping and other stuff and it would compost to 1/2 the volume in a month. Pretty fast.