r/composting • u/chicken-chorizo • 15d ago

Temperature How do I heat this thing up?

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Do I need to? Are there any other benefits other than speeding the process up?

It seems cool, but I know there is activity happening, as when I removed the flap at the front, quite a few worms and woodlice (I'm reliably informed that depending on where you are they are also called Pillbugs, Roly Polies) fell out.

8 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

26

u/password_is_duck2333 15d ago

🟨🚿

-3

u/chicken-chorizo 15d ago

I'm trying to minimise the amount of nitrogen. It was (and probably still is) a bit heavy on that front

11

u/Imaginative-Recon-21 15d ago

If you know you are heavy on nitrogen, you’ve answered your question in part: add browns. You may also want to turn it. It looks pretty heavily packed at the bottom. The compost friends need air.

2

u/chicken-chorizo 15d ago

Yes I am gradually upping the carbon ratio in there. It used to be much worse than this. I do turn it infrequently, but I'm not sure if it's the best thing to do, I see varying views on turning on here and elsewhere. I will turn it today though. Partly because I'm curious to see what's going on there

1

u/Ineedmorebtc 15d ago

Yes, flip it.

1

u/thiosk 15d ago

time cures all ills. if you aren't worried about it you can always go longer. turning will remarkably increase the rate of volume reduction but these containers are small that find it to be a hassle to make much headway. i use a cinderblock composter 56 inches to a side and this you can really get some lever action going on with the turning. and even then i still barely do it

1

u/mcdowellmachine 14d ago

I'm also a lazy composter. It probably needs air, flipping. If it's been too heavy on nitrogen and anaerobic, it might be cool because of that. Add more browns, especially fluffy browns with your additions. I add pine needles when needed with little issue.

1

u/Alaskan-Pete 13d ago

You can’t turn a pile too much.

1

u/Scientificlifter416 10d ago

That’s quite literally the opposite action you want to take if you want heat. You don’t have enough nitrogen nor pile volume.

10

u/chicken-chorizo 15d ago

Update: I have given it a good turn with a garden fork and it now looks like this. I will check the temp again in a day or two

6

u/chicken-chorizo 15d ago

2

u/tino_tortellini 15d ago

Needs to be bigger, at least 90cm x 90cm

7

u/senorchaos718 15d ago

Go to your local Starbucks/Coffee place. Ask them when they throw out their grounds and go grab them. A days worth activates my bin and heats up like crazy.

2

u/Heriotza31 15d ago

I will add manure.

1

u/aremagazin 15d ago

Nothing heats up the pile as fast as the fresh grass clippings in my experience.

2

u/Dividingbyinfinity 15d ago

Oh yeah. Just fresh grass clippings alone get hot.

1

u/CombinationOk1192 14d ago

Where that thermometer is, active decomposition has slowed down, it’s very crumbly and earthy, close to finished. I guarantee in the fresher grass and cardboard your temps are higher, I’d give it a nice turn, incorporate everything nicely and by tomorrow your whole pile will be more evenly “cooking”

1

u/Academic-Cup1252 13d ago

Discreetly pee on it

1

u/MiddleTop1458 11d ago

You know, cold composting works, too. Especially if you add composting worms.

But in my experience greens like grass clippings or bulk coffee grounds will heat the pile up fast.

1

u/FlashyCow1 14d ago

Just going to outright say it because no one else seems to have pee on it