New here & new steaming compost bin!

[CitizenOfThePlanet]

Hello everyone. I just signed up because of all the helpful information I see on this site.

I just got a compost bin from Craigslist for twenty bucks two days ago, and it's already steaming.. Just wanted to make sure I am doing it right?

I started off with a deep layer of straw, then added a large wheel barrel full of four month old chicken coop wood shavings filled with poo. I topped that off with 20 boxes of expired grape nuts, including cardboard boxes. Top top that all off I added a large amount of dry leaves.

That was two days ago and the bin is hot and steaming. There is also some sort of gray mold growing on top.

Am I doing good so far?

[SOB]

I cant answer you question but I'm curious as to how you came across 20 boxes of expired grape nuts?!

[CitizenOfThePlanet]

LOL!! Well, good question. My friend Ami and I are huge couponaholics. Every weekend we go on deal hunts, and usually end up getting hundreds of dollars worth of free stuff. Last Summer, there was a coupon for $2 off Grape Nuts. We combined it with a deal at a local supermarket where Grape Nuts was on sale for $1.75, and we got about 100 boxes for FREE (with 100 coupons). We also made a profit because of that extra .25 cents, and used the profit to buy a bunch of bottles of Pino, and needless to say, we had a great time. Most of the cereal was donated to a local shelter, but the other 20 boxes sat in my kitchen, I couldn't eat it all so it went bad

[SOB]

Wow! Quite the story...I didnt know you could MAKE money using coupons. I'm glad you donated most the boxes but it still makes me a little sad so many went to waste.

I would have done the same thing with the savings but would have bought some good beer instead To each their own!

[DoubleDogFarm]

Off Topic,

How did you get around the usual 2 or 3 purchase limit when using the coupons??

Eric

[farmerlon]

Back to your original questions...
it sounds like your compost is doing well. It probably started "cooking" quickly because of the high nitrogen content in the chicken manure.

[DoubleDogFarm]

I prefer milk and maybe strawberries on my Grape-Nuts, not chicken manure.

Eric

[toxcrusadr]

Sounds like you're doing great. It's always good to mix materials before putting into the bin so they balance each other's carbon to nitrogen ratios, but that's about the only suggestion I can think of.

We feed birds at our house and often put stale cereal, bread crumbs, etc. in with the birdseed. The birds love it and it's a 'higher and better use' than composting in my book, although anything is better than the landfill.

[rot]

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When the temps cool down mix it all up again - roughly - and you'll see some more temps.

I'll go with farmerlon and bet the chicken stuff spiked the temperature. If was one big layer then you'll get another good spike when you mix it all up.

Oh. Hot stuff usually drinks a lot of moisture. I'm unclear on your humidity situation there but expect to add some moisture. I'd use a water can to avoid over doing it.

to sense
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[CitizenOfThePlanet]

Most supermarkets don't have a coupon limit that I know of? Here there were no limits anyway. What makes it all even easier is if you go through a self checkout lane. Then you don't need to deal with "confused" employees who are anti-coupon.

I am still seeing spikes in the temperature inside the bin. I added some coffee grinds, and bought a compost aerator to mix it all up, still, I wish I had mixed it up even more at the beginning because it's tough to get inside there.

[toxcrusadr]

So, did you have to scan 100 coupons and 100 boxes of cereal yourself? I guess I would do that for free wine, but I don't know how I'd find the time.

[CitizenOfThePlanet]

Yes, lol. I did have to scan 100 coupons, and 100 boxes of cerial, but I didn't do it alone, I had help. Also, we went really late at night so we wouldnt hold up any lines. The staff at the store were in shock. lol.

We don't just get free food, but free medicine, body products, anything you can think of. I have 40 schick razor's that cost $16 each, and I got them all free. It's just a hobby, I like to stock pile, and more so, I like to get things for FREE. haha.

I do give out a lot to charity, and while some people think it's obsessive, it's just a hobby for me. I spend a lot of $$ buying things online mostly, and I'm not cheap. It's sort of a thrill to go into a store with coupons, and walk out with lot's of free stuff.

[CitizenOfThePlanet]

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When the temps cool down mix it all up again - roughly - and you'll see some more temps.

I'll go with farmerlon and bet the chicken stuff spiked the temperature. If was one big layer then you'll get another good spike when you mix it all up.

Oh. Hot stuff usually drinks a lot of moisture. I'm unclear on your humidity situation there but expect to add some moisture. I'd use a water can to avoid over doing it.

to sense
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I will be sure to mix it up. Will it be OK to keep adding coffee grinds form StarBucks while this whole thing is brewing? I want it to work as fast as possible.

Also, can I add worms from the compost store to it? Would that help it go faster?

[rainbowgardener]

If your compost pile is sitting on the ground (I don't have a mental picture of what kind of bin you have), you don't have to add worms, they will come.

If your compost is enclosed, off the ground, then it depends. If you are running really hot compost, it will just cook the worms.

[CitizenOfThePlanet]

It is sitting on the ground directly. It has been about 100 degrees F consistently. I am sure worms will come, but I figured if I add some it will only help. I don't know if 100 degrees is too much for them

[rainbowgardener]

No 100 degrees isn't too much for them, but really hot compost piles can be 150 or more. You usually have to work for that though.

[CitizenOfThePlanet]

I would love to get it that hot!! haha. What does one need to do to get their compost bin up to 150 degrees?

[toxcrusadr]

Worms don't stay in one place but move up and down in the soil column depending on temperature and moisture conditions. If it's too hot, they go deeper to stay comfy. If it's too wet, they come up to the surface for air. So if you put them in your pile, they'll stay there for awhile if they like it, but if it gets too hot or dry they'll just leave. That's why we don't buy worms except for a dedicated worm bin (usually indoors) where they are captive. The compost store (lucky you to have one!) is probably selling red wigglers for just that purpose.

If you build it, they will come. And BTW you may get great compost w/o never seeing a worm. There are all kinds of microbes and other insects who work on the pile too.

[toxcrusadr]

BTW, yes, add the coffee grounds!

[gardenbean]

(Off Topic)
But TLC is now showing a new series called extreme couponing. I've watched it a couple of times and I have to say it is totally awesome to see someone purchase a thousand dollars worht of groceries and only have to pay like ten dollars for it all

[rot]

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What I like about coffee grounds is that you can apply them directly on the ground if you like so if you add them to your compost and they don't quite decompose when you need some compost - who cares?

I have some slow as you go compost bins that I just add to and then let sit for a year. I'll cap them off with coffee grounds on top to make sure everything underneath stays covered and breaks down. The trouble with that is that the coffee grounds will crust over and then you have to add water real slow to avoid it just running off. The counter to the crusting effect is a layer of grass clippings which will breakdown relatively quickly even if they're on top where things breakdown slower than the core of the heap.

The other problem with coffee grounds is you can over do it and they will smother the process. I'm only capping off a slow cold pile and only after it's been topped finally for a little while. I once made a 17 cu ft bin of 50 percent coffee grounds and I ended up with a dark gooey mess that I worked for months to get into some kind of useful shape. A fun experiment but not so fun that I'd do it again or recommend it.

Follow the ten percent rule and I'm sure the coffee grounds will be a great addition. The excess can go on beds and worms dig it.

When your pile cools off - don't fret, it will - the worms will move in from the ground. They'll leave their cocoons and you'll be spreading worms as you spread the finished product.

to sense
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[toxcrusadr]

I would love to get it that hot!! haha. What does one need to do to get their compost bin up to 150 degrees?

An add-as-you-go pile will not heat up to that extent. The way to do it is to mix up a nice big batch at one time, with fresh greens, and the right moisture content, and pile it up. I used to do big batches during spring grass clipping curb thieving season: Grass, bagged leaves from last fall, and sawdust or wood shavings if I had them. A cubic yard of that would go over 150 in a couple of days.

[swickstrum]

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Follow the ten percent rule and I'm sure the coffee grounds will be a great addition. The excess can go on beds and worms dig it.

When your pile cools off - don't fret, it will - the worms will move in from the ground. They'll leave their cocoons and you'll be spreading worms as you spread the finished product.

to sense
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Speaking of worms, I'm not seeing many at all in my compost piles. I recently pulled about 18" of good composted soil off the bottom of my pile and saw maybe two worms. My pile is on the ground, and I still haven't seen many. Do you think I should invest in some worms and get the process started, or will adding coffee grounds this year do the trick (I've never added them before)?

I would really like to get some good earthworms working through my compost and my garden so I'm willing to try anything.

[bogydave]

Sounds like you got it "cooking".
The center of the pile may get to well over 100°f.
Unless you want to compost cooked worms, I'd either let them
come in when when they are ready of if you add some wait till it's cooled some & put them in the edges/sides.
Great job. Your bugs are spoiled & have plenty of "fiber" in their diet.

[rot]

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Yeah the worms will come as things cool down in the bin. When the rains come, throw a cover over the bin and worms will escape the over saturated soil into your bins.

I've been picking up coffee grounds again from starbucks. I'll be spreading that stuff directly on the soil. If I get some grass clippings I'll cover the cover coffee grounds to counter the crusting of the coffee grounds. If I lay the grounds thick, I'll find worms there in a month or so.

So, yeah, coffee grounds will encourage the worms and if you add them to your bin, you don't really have to worry about the grounds breaking down or finishing because they can go directly on the ground.

I wouldn't buy worms unless I was going to seriously start a worm bin. I just assume feed the natives and encourage their reproduction.

to sense
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[girltropical]

I just started a compost in a tote box, a big one. I put all my ingredients in. it is not getting hot though. it has dirt in it as well as the food waste (not meat which I don't eat anyway, and not any of the things that should not go in there) but I do not know what I am missing to get it cooking. I do not have grass as I havea certified yard that is mulch and native plants. and a wildlife habitat. so what do I need to do to get things cooking? I turn it and I water it.
thanks for your reply.

[rainbowgardener]

Did you make air holes in the tote? Composting is an aerobic process.

Does it have anything besides the food waste and dirt? Check out the sticky on greens / browns at the top of this section. Need a mixture of both. Sounds like you need some browns, something more dry and carbon rich. Perhaps shredded paper? If you use paper towels, paper napkins etc, do you save those for your compost pile?

[bogydave]

Damp (not wet) is key
Air is a must, mixing adds air.

[toxcrusadr]

girltropical, how big is this bin? Length, width and height.