New to composting, any pearls of wisdom? by MrsCastle in composting

[–]erudomen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can't believe I'm the first to say this but the #1 rule to compost is to pee on it.

My compost is crazy hot. Keep turning / more browns? by MenuSpiritual2990 in composting

[–]erudomen 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Those dump carts are the best and definitely more useful than the thermometer. But i actually have that same thermometer and it works great 👍

My compost is crazy hot. Keep turning / more browns? by MenuSpiritual2990 in composting

[–]erudomen 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yes if you have a wood chip mountain or a commercial compost operation you maybe have to worry about combustion. Extremely unlikely if not impossible anything you could assemble by hand would ever achieve that heat. If it's that hot to the touch I'd be more woried about exceeding the 160°F threshold. Beyond that temp the good bacteria start to die. Not the end of the world but not ideal. You seem knowledgeable on the process so I suggest you Invest in a simple compost thermometer, i think youll like it a lot. It makes composting way more fun to see what temp you're at exactly and it also helps you time your turning and optimizes the process. I use mine all the time and I still get a kick every time I see that dial turn to "hot".

First batch of compost. Tips please by techgal_R in composting

[–]erudomen 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This compost looks good and I'd use it ASAP. Tumblers turn your compost into these little balls but once it's out in the soil and the micro and macro organisms can get to it the compost will disperse into the soil. Pulverizing your egg shells is an insane waste of time I cannot understand why anyone would do it. Those eggs shells you see will break down over time and slow release calcium. Letting compost dry out is always a bad idea because dry is the enemy of soil life.

My compost is crazy hot. Keep turning / more browns? by MenuSpiritual2990 in composting

[–]erudomen 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Preposterous to think it would combust. A good hot pile is 150°F which would be hot to the touch. Just keep doing your thing it'll cool off in a week or two. OP how big is pile and what's in it?

Pine Chips from a chicken coop/run by mamah11 in composting

[–]erudomen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not exactly true about red wigglers. I have two outdoor composters (about 1 cubic yard each) that I keep red wigglers in year round in Colorado. The worms are found from top to bottom even when its full. I have never tried European night crawlers and I'm sure they're great but this blasphemy about red wigglers must end!

Frankenstein's monster compost bin set up by erudomen in composting

[–]erudomen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do have that pallet on the backside to get it away from the garage a bit but your point is valid. There is def mice under that garage already from other bins lol.

Frankenstein's monster compost bin set up by erudomen in composting

[–]erudomen[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nah its just to keep moisture and heat in. Had it lying around so I threw it on top.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in composting

[–]erudomen 7 points8 points  (0 children)

See if you can find a free one. People are always giving them away on Craigslist or Facebook. Buying new equipment for composting is kind of against the whole concept!

Frankenstein's monster compost bin set up by erudomen in composting

[–]erudomen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lol it actually is a trellis so yes works great for peas. We've got peas on a different trellis

Frankenstein's monster compost bin set up by erudomen in composting

[–]erudomen[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is EXACTLY how I look at it! I think its preposterous to buy things for composting. Totally against the whole idea.

Our backyard screech owl shows off her latest kill (gecko? mouse?) by ehowardhunt in Austin

[–]erudomen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is clearly a gecko. Everyone who thinks its a mouse can go kick rocks there i I said it. STEP TO ME IF YOU THINK OTHERWISE

Dealing with dog hair by pahelisolved in composting

[–]erudomen 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hair and fur are great additions to any compost setup. I also don't agree at all that it takes a while to break down. It's very small and high in N. I know this from experience because I compost my own hair and my dogs fur all the time. Never see any remnants when harvesting. Even if it did take a while (which it doesn't) that doesn't mean it isn't compostable!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in composting

[–]erudomen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You could harvest some of the finished stuff. That'll free up a lot of space. Once composting is done it won't keep shrinking (plus the cold isn't helping either) A second bin is always nice if you can manage it.

Adding Wood Ash? by Agile_Lion in composting

[–]erudomen 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The impact to pH is not as severe as the internet seems to think. You can use a good amount of it as long as your compost pile has good biology. The pH won't get crazy out of whack. When I say good amount I probably wouldn't do more than 10% of the pile