Friday, August 29, 2008

160 Degree Compost - I Finally Succeeded

It happened. The thermometer in the compost pile reads 160 degrees. The grass clippings and coffee grounds did it.


This should not matter to me. Organic matter does not need to heat up in a giant pile in order to become compost. I know this. I have had a compost pile since I was 12 years old. Compost happens without too much effort from us other than piling up the stuff, getting it wet, and waiting. Unfortunately, a couple of years ago I took a master composter class. They taught us about bacteria, yeast , and fungi. We were schooled in the importance of carbon to nitrogen ratios. We learned how important oxygen is to a composting system. Lectures were given to us on the need to reduce waste in our landfills. We made a compost pile, watched it heat up, turned once a week for three weeks, and it made compost. We were then sent out into the big wide world to teach others about compost.

What I came away with was a competitive need to have my compost pile get hot. It became and obsession. I tried and failed. I had a faulty thermometer. The compost pile got sort of hot at 140 degrees. Today, I have finally succeeded. This is my hottest compost ever.

17 comments:

  1. I don't know where you are in Texas, but I think the outside temp here is 160 some days! haha

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  2. Congratulations Deb! That's some hot stuff. :)

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  3. Wow. Amazing, really. I'm reminded it's time to go out and turn mine. I use a Lee Valley weed prong to do that, which really is inadequate. I need one of those things that are like spear-gun heads, that collapse when you jam them into the compost and open wide as you lift them out.

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  4. I think I'd have the same problem if I took that class. hee hee "Congrats on your compost temp!" would only be a greeting card a gardener would buy, wouldn't it?

    Hugs,
    Cindy

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  5. wow that is hot!!! It was a 110 here today outside. So maybe my compost will brew without much trouble...lol???

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  6. Hi nola, I am in Kaufman County just a little south east of dallas. Yes, sometimes it feel a billion degrees outside during the summer.

    Thanks pg

    Hi hugh, I need one of those too. Currently, I am using monkey power to turn my compost.

    Cindy, You are always thinking aren't you. We need a line of gardener greeting card. Such as a simpathy line for plants that die and such. Fantastic idea.

    Hi cindee, I think this batch is well on its way.

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  7. Ha!!! Well, congrats on joining the ranks of serious competitive Master Composters! Sorta like the difference between cooking and baking, eh? With cooking, you can do just about anything and it usually turns out fine, but with baking, you'd better go by the book! Love the idea of the gardening greeting cards, especially condolence cards for deer and bug damage...

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  8. You're a great Mom!
    I love that you
    read my blog - I told
    my Mom about you,
    she thinks it's so neat.

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  9. The class you took sounds like one I would love to take! I'm a frustrated soil scienctist and acutally really get into that stuff. I don't think I have ever been able to get my compost that hot but I would be pretty excited and telling all the neighbors if I did!

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  10. Wow, that's hot. I haven't taken the temp of mine at all. Too much else to worry about I guess. Maybe you should have entered your compost pile into the gardening olympics!

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  11. Hi ofb, thanks. I think the greating card idea is great. Wish I was artistic, but sadly, no.

    How sweet Sarah. Believe it or not, I showed my mom your blog. you happened to have posted a picture of yourself and she thinks you are adorable.

    Hi Cynthia, it was an interesting class. Our enviornmental coop sponsors the program. It really taught me a lot about soil building.

    Hey cinj, I didn't even think of it. That would have been fun. Don't get all up into the hot compost thing. Relax and just let it happen.

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  12. Can't use all of those tips for balcony gardening, but some will work - especially as we have very hard water here which turns the container soil alkaline in no time. No Starbucks in Italy - but no shortage of coffee grounds either.

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  13. Hi sue, I always composted my coffee grounds when I lived in an appartment and had a balcony garden. Somewhere in my composting posts are instructions on how to do it.

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  14. HOORAY! Congratulations on your hot pile...I bet a class would do the same for me, too. Luckily, I managed to get a pickup load of horse manure, so I can continue to let my composter be cool and slow. (The lazy way :) For awhile there, I was having an "amendment crisis" and cursing myself for not being diligent with the composter so I have more available for use. *whew*

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  15. Thanks lisa, I use bunny poo instead of horse poo. This pile does not need to get hot. It is just one more of my obsessive ticks that I want it to heat up.

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  16. Ha, ha, hot news! Maybe your pile is responsible for some of this heat wave!

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  17. barbee, maybe the heat wave is somehow responsible for my hot compost:)

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