Hot Compost

[grandpasrose]

Opa, it's "fur"! - "fir" is a tree.
I never thought of putting the fur from brushing my cat in the compost - thanks for the idea!
VAL

[opabinia51]

Thanks, I new that "fir" was a tree but, for some reason I became confus-ed about fir and fur. "Fur" just looked (and still looks) wrong to me.

Yes, the cat fur (still looks wrong to me) and for that matter human hair thing is really good. First of all, less things to throw away and second of all; more good stuff for the soil.

Though, I will admit that I am still leary about putting human hair into my compost pile. I don't know just a mindset, I guess.

[grandpasrose]

Isn't that wierd when a word you've always used suddenly doesn't look right?
Anyway, I knew about human hair, and have put in compost, but for some reason never went further down the line to the cat fur! Keep the mind open!!!!
VAL

[The Helpful Gardener]

We need to draw the line somewhere before kitchen sinks guys...

I jest; it's been a great thread to get folks thinking about how household waste is utilized and more importantly, how it's not being utilized yet. Keep up the good work!

Scott

[grandpasrose]

How about the kitchen sink? I'm sure it has something to add to the mix!
VAL

[opabinia51]

Hmmmm, Kitchen Sinks. Lots of iron, some aluminum silicates. Could be good. Of course, it would be a really slow decomposition.

(Talk about a thread getting off topic )

Yes, it always amazes me the number of things that can be composted, and not to mention the number of things that people throw away. I've been house sitting for my mother for the past three weeks and I produce about half a can of gabage (if that) per week where, they fill the can each week.

Composting is amazing, and all this stuff that we throw away, can really help our gardens and us. I have another list (that is really inclusive) of NPK values that is a lot longer.

[The Helpful Gardener]

I have been finishing my stuff in a tumbler; I'd say that's hot composting by definition. Or am I missing something here...?

[opabinia51]

Well, by definition a "hot" compost pile is a compost pile with about a 50/50 ratio of greens to browns that is turned every few days. And hot compost piles give off a lot of heat. Hence the name. At one point, mine was so hot that I could hardly stand being next to it.

In fact, my Aunt and Cousin were sunning themselves on the lawn and when I started turning the compost pile, they had to move because of all the heat that was given off. And there is no bad smell.

Of course, think about poor me, they were lucky because they were wearing bikinis but, I had jeans and a shirt hot. Wow, really hot to wear when turning the compost pile.

[opabinia51]

Yes, once your hot compost pile cools down (as mine now has) you can still continue adding things to it. In fact, my once "hot compost' is now teaming with worms. I add leaves and plant matter to it each week. It's going to be great for spreading over my garden next spring!

Be sure to cover any compost piles up within the next month, Fall and Winter rains can leach out vital nutrients. Though, if you hot compost is still HOT, don't put any plastic over it. The plastic may melt or even worse, catch on fire.

Also, I would recommend never ever hot composting next to your house. Many a fire has started with people forgetting about their hot composts.

[Charlie MV]

Great post. I ground up entire corn plants, cobs husks stalks in our chipper yesterday. The pile is 4x4x3. The pile is hot...really hot. I see here that I should turn it about every 3 days and keep it damp and uncovered while it's this hot. We have to leave town for a couple of days next week. If I soak it down the day I leave will there be much fire danger?

[opabinia51]

Ideally a hot compost should be turned everyday, yes and just keep it damp, not soaking wet.

good luck with your compost!

[Charlie MV]

All I can say is wow. It does get hot, it does make a little ash, it is like a pet and I never believed I'd have cooked compost in 3 weeks. I believe now.

[opabinia51]

Yes, I have gotten ash as well with my corn husks et al. With hot composting you can have soil in a month. It's really quite amazing.

[alisios]

I was amazed when I saw my compost pile steaming in the winter.

[chagen]

Everything I've read about hot pile composting say to shred things as small as possible. I will be composting biodegradable diapers (made mainly from corn & sawdust). Do I need to shred them first, and are the considered greens or browns?
Thanks!!!

[chagen]

Everything I've read about hot pile composting say to shred things as small as possible. I will be composting biodegradable diapers (made mainly from corn & sawdust). Do I need to shred them first, and are the considered greens or browns?
Thanks!!!

[rot]

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Decomposition is a function of surface area. The greater the surface area exposed to the process the faster decomposition occurs. Shredding will increase the surface area. The larger the pieces the longer they will take to breakdown.

If the stuff is too small, not enough air gets in between pieces and things will smother. Try adding too much coffee grounds sometime and you will end up with the gooey mess I made once.

I hope you get things really hot throwing in diapers. Could be a pathogen issue if don't get things hot enough. The other path would be a 1 to 2 year cycle letting the worms do all the work.
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[2cents]

Everything I've read about hot pile composting say to shred things as small as possible. I will be composting biodegradable diapers (made mainly from corn & sawdust). Do I need to shred them first, and are the considered greens or browns?
Thanks!!!

Green vs Brown
The urea is the liquid it would be a green or nitrogen source if there is feces I am not sure.
The bio-degradable diaper(corn & sawdust) would be a brown or carbon source.

So I guess it is both a green and brown

These will likely compost in 2-3 months in a hot compost or 6-12 months in an anaerobic or vermicompost compost.

[chagen]

Is it possible to do a hot pile compost in a smaller dimension (say 2x2x3 feet) if you use a hot compost starter?
Thanks!!

[Charlie MV]

My winter rye gives me enough green to heat a pile. Asmall pile will get hot...just not as hot as a larger one.

[rot]

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2 x 2 x 3 is 18 cu ft. My little hot compost bins are 17 cu ft and work fine.

120 F - 130 F seems pretty standard if you fill your bin up all at once with a decent mix. You can get higher temperatures with more work and optimal mixes, minding the moisture, etc. I use what's on hand and don't worry too much about getting the perfect mix of ingredients. My operation these days is geared towards digesting organics as opposed to trying to produce as much compost as possible.

Smaller bins are easier to turn too.
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[jpcvb]

I used to turn my compost once a week but got tired to do so therefore I continued to throw my kitchen scrap in it with a layer of dry leaves gathered in bags in fall for the whole year and to pour some rain water kept aside in a container next to it (gathered also almost once a year since rain is so rare in Southern Cal.) and realized that beautiful worms took over and are doing my job : nothing now to do but waiting for the worms to disapear at the level of the front door at the bottom of my composter which is a sign that this part of the compost is ready to be harvested, wereas I continue to add the kitchen garbage on the top of it in an endless virtuous circle ... I pull all I can and leave it to cure in containers and use it according to need (either diluted in water or as such (humus form) added to soil (in pots or directly in garden).
I didn't by the worms (being from the country side the idea of buying worms was outrageous to me) they just came by themselves ... I don't separate worms from compost either when some remain since they are good for the soil and because they reproduce as fast as their population diminishes, no need to bother ...
Last point I put my composter directly on the ground but on a strong wire netting to prevent rodents to dig tunnels to reach the compost and my delicious worms : yes they tried once ... not anymore ...
Hope it might useful to someone ...

[TZ -OH6]

Are you certain that "ash" wasn't just fungal hyphae and spores? I have 6 ft piles of woodchip compost that get turned only after they cool down (once every 4-6 weeks). The turning starts them cooking again. The interiors of these piles resembles ash and the spores puff up like smoke, and yes, the organic material is a very dark brown because of the humification of the lignin (it is not char), but temps do not get anywhere near what is needed for flame-ash.

[rot]

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Oops. 2 x 2 x 3 is 12 cu ft not the 18 I stated previously. Smaller than my smallish bins. Generally, the smaller the bins the harder it is to get heat. Should only mean a little more care with somewhat lesser temperatures. Doable but I would want something larger. Classic minimal dimensions are 3 x 3 x 3. You can do that with pallets.
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jpcvb, you collect a years worth of rain water in a container? In so cal? Must be a huge container? Hats off. Earth Machine? That would retain moisture better and strikes me as a good basic digesting machine when the worms kick in. Can't imagine getting any heat but with enough worms you don't really need or want that do you?
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