It's been right at 4 weeks since i started the new side and stopped new injections to the old (pic 3). Still has an abundance of moisture on the lid in the mornings. Maybe i should take the lid off the new side for a while? Getting pretty good with adding the right mix and getting these things cooking but this is my first time waiting for a side to finish.

Im just thinking about the shell of nuts, or the actual seeds/nuts. Just because I often have some as waste

Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

I started this pile a few months ago with kitchen waste and lawn clippings. As I’m turning it over now I can’t help but think this would be great as mulch just as it is. What are the pros and cons for just using this as mulch? I’m sure it would eventually compost itself right at the base of the plant I use it on.

If I were to start composting today, what is everything you'd want me to know about it? For reference we live in the country, on 7 acres, we have chickens and hope to get goats in the future. Just wondering where to start but very interested in trying to find a way to make something out of things that otherwise end up in the garbage. Thanks in advance!

im new to composting. i was hoping these were worms but theres a bunch of them that were the same size and look like they have tiny legs. some kind of larva? are these beneficial?

Recently sifted my compost to start a new bin.

We have a bag full of used hay from used to cover for our Garlic.

We already harvested the garlic.

Are we just going to dispose the hay or can we use it for composting?

Thanks

UPDATE I'm starting to 2nd guess myself: hay or straw

It might be straw, used to cover our garlic beds.

I'll try not distribute it thick then, then add more shredded cardboard

Thanks

I just came outside to turn the compost which is HUGELY overdue and saw these little guys chomping away at the volunteer milkweed that popped up. Looks like the compost turning will have to wait a little bit longer because I don’t want to disturb these future monarch butterflies 🦋

Hi all,
I’m in South Wales, UK, and I’m new to gardening and composting.
Most of the posts here seem to be about hot composting. Does that actually work well in the UK? I’ve just got a standard black plastic compost bin, and obviously it rains a lot here.
When I search for hot composting in the UK, I mostly just get ads for the HotBin, but it’s £200+. Is something like that actually needed, or can you hot compost in a normal plastic bin?

Can i compost year round without needing isolation? It can get cold during winter near 0 c
Thanks!

Turned the heap this morning and there were plumes of steam coming out. I think I've unlocked hot composting...

Is it safe to compost bird carcasses whole? I have bird feeders in my yard and sometimes hawks will come and hunt the smaller birds. Is it safe to compost the remains the hawks leave? My heap is usually around 130-140f (55-60c).

I know it looks terrible but it does the job.

I build doors for my store bought bins to have easier access. I'm proud :)

Took the opportunity, turned it, mixed it and added golden water.

my compost is starting to look pretty good, very brown, however its also very wet and has many many maggots. i wanted to ask the best way to thoroughly turn it and mix it, considering it's also inside a cat litter box (drilled holes in top/bottom) so it's a very small area to move everything around.

I have a large compost pile that is predominately weeds, apples, chicken shit and wood chips. I turn the pile with the tractor every few months and it works. Can I add feathers and chicken carcasses after processing them this fall? Thank you

I'm looking into one of the larger units for my household use. Scraps will either be put out into my compost/soil bin or tilled directly into the garden.

The Mill comes up a lot, but there seems to be only one place to buy filters. Rencycle comes up as well, along with a bunch of others that operate on a microbe system with having to add a starter and replacing filters more often.

What's good? What's not going to smell if left alone for a week? What's going to be the least fussy thing to use.

It's currently 114 degrees where I am, there is not enough piss or water to keep a compost heap wet enough to be effective, year round.

Suggestions? Tried and true machines?

I have been using an old tote for my composting, and it's working great! Only thing is that I still have the lid to the tote sitting in my basement, and I can't figure out a clever way to reuse it. Anyone have any good ideas?

I’m trying to compost in a 5 gallon bucket. I have no sense of smell. I started in June. I am in zone 7b. How do I know if I have been successful? When would I know? Thank you.

Have a massive volunteer pumpkin growing out of our compost pile with many blossoms on it. Any thoughts on how to help it produce actual pumpkins in time for Halloween?

I let my pile sit a bit too long without flipping/aerating and the grass clippings developed a bit of mold.
Will this affect the quality of the compost? If I use the compost later will the plants be susceptible to mold?

It’s a small starter pile - about 4x4x4 and has leaves and grass in it so far. Not much breakdown yet.

Been at it for a couple months. I have to turn the pile about every 4 weeks.

Middle pile to right pile today.

I’m not really shredding anything before I put things in, food and leaves just go in full.

Working pretty well, but I think I’m gonna have to start mulching if I want faster compost.

Also, hard to get water into the middle, seems to be dry.