How long should it take a compost pile to heat up?

I would like to know on average how long it takes a compost pile to get up to over 55degrees celsius (130 degrees farhenhiet). I'm trying to figure how soon I should expect my pile to heat up before considering whether something is going wrong, eg overall mass, c n ratio imbalance or levels of moisture.

I live in Sweden and its just turned autumn so average temps are 9 degrees celsius (48 farhinhiet) at night and 15 celcius (59 F) during the day.

The ingredients in the compost are hay based stable bedding , fresh horse manure and coffee grounds.

Thanks for the help!

Obviously it’s technically possible, but I don’t mean this to me as stupid as it sounds.

What I’m checking is whether I need be caution about throwing out the balance of my heap if I throw on used coffee grounds most days. 30-60 grams per day adds up, but as they’re always accompanied by a paper filter I’m hoping that the nitrogen from the coffee is balanced by the carbon in the paper filter.

The heap is a decent size already; about 3x2x2ft (of other greens and browns, not pure coffee!)

What say you? Should I limit it at all? Or keep throwing it on with gay abandon?

Hey r/composting! I thought I’d post this here to get the thoughts of all you expert composters!

I get asked quite often by friends how they can start composting so I decided to make a super basic quiz to help newbies decide which method is best for them 🌱

It’s also just pretty fun to see what you get matched with!

I’d love to know if it’s accurate with your own solutions and if anyone has any suggestions for improvements?

Feel free to share if you know someone looking to start out and happy composting 😄

Just started peeing in mine and now I'm considering taking the occasional dump in there.

Probably kicking the dead horse (that we plan on making into compost later), but BioCycle did a comparison for all the electric gidgitry that people are trying to use in place of traditional composting.

https://www.biocycle.net/electric-kitchen-composter-confusion/

​

Also, for those who aren't into it yet, BioCycle is an awesome resource!

This is the best place for compost discussion and wisdom!

Ok to put in compost? I got a ton of coffe grounds from my mom but she dumped the filters in too. Thanks?

Specifically birth control and anti depressants. Anyone have experience? Apologies if this has been asked before!

I peed on my compost on for the first time 2day lol

It is all wood chips from a tree service, I want it hotter. S now that the hurricane rains are over and the sun is out, I could get at them. On one I put 50 pounds of Urea, about 15 pounds of wood ash, 28 pounds of sugar and 40 pounds of lime. Then, with my tractor, I turned the 8000 pound pile and tarped it. I'd removed the tarp for the rains so it's well wetted. I'll turn it a few more times before the snows come. If I'm lucky I may have compost by late spring.

You know what’s ‘bout to happen

Saw some purdy thermometers and checked the prices THREE HUNBNERT BUCKEROOS??? No fucking way

Sooooooooo

$10 for a K thermocouple in a probe https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0748DFJFN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

$30 for a gizmo to read it (my multimeter doesn't have a thermocouple setting) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BJQ95RRZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

4 feet of copper 1/2" pipe and an encd cap

and I have a probe that's plenty akkerite

I want to know how to get ants out of my compost pile. I don't know if the ants are going to eat my bsfl or the pillbugs and earthworms. Plus u don't want to get attacked when I turn the pile. I appreciate any good suggestions. Thanks

Got an Aerobin a little over a year ago, been putting non-animal food waste and trying to keep it 2or3 browns to 1 greens. It looks like things are just getting squashed down on top of each layer and nothing is really happening. Any recommendations on what I am screwing up?

https://preview.redd.it/n0uldpbqysqb1.jpg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d6859cbab6d732ef01f798d1b251e755178ec310

wasn't sure which flair was correct.

I want to put a bin in the north east corner of my greenhouse over winter. I have enough material to start at chest height, about 3 feet across in a round chicken wire bin.

how hot can I get it in winter? I can heat the greenhouse but am hoping a good compost pile will do some ambient warming.

I've got lots of browns but will need to pick up leaves and stuff from the neighborhood for greens. I do have straw, pine straw, alpaca manure, and plenty of garden and cover crop cuttings to start it out, then will be using kitchen scrap and any leaves I can get as winter goes on.

how often should I turn it, if I'm after heat, not speed of action? is this even going to work how I think it will?

Had to empty my compost bin to move it, figured it would be a good time to sift the compost while I put it back in. Rocks have gotten mixed in when I turn it so I was trying to grab those out too. Grabbed this thinking it was a rock, but I was wrong. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve found in your compost?

I want to compost my food scraps with cardboard and leaves.

I would either make a bin out of chicken wire formed into a cylinder or a barrel with holes in it and flap at the bottom out of a large trash can (or just use an Earth Machine or similar composter).

It seems like the bin would have better ventilation but not as good at holding heat and more vulnerable to animals, whereas the barrel wouldn't have as good ventilation but would be better at holding heat and protecting against pests.

This would be a cold compost because I would continuously add food scraps and leaves/cardboard every week, but I would also stir the contents with a ski pole or shovel or whatever so that it stays aerobic.

I live in New England, so winters are typically cold.

Would a bin or barrel be better for my circumstances?

It feels like news paper and isn't shiny. However, there's a lot of ink...

My Green Johanna is full. The stuff at the bottom is about 3/4 done, and no longer heating up. Will it finish off as fast in a Dalek, or am I better off leaving it in there to finish? Hoping to have it ready for the Spring.

Hello all!

First time composter and poster, here. For context we use a tumbler and utilize a 2:1 browns to green ratio for the tumbler. I will admit that we are not as “on top of it” as we should be due to balance of work and newborn. This was started from late spring-summer. I took it out of the tumbler to dry today since it looks wet. What else can I do to finish this compost? Furthermore, can I store this over winter or should I just put it on some trees/plants? Much appreciated friends and thank you for giving me a wonderful new hobby!

I have never used bokashi before living here. We grow some food and herbs outside but are both busy people and don't have a composting pile. But like I cringe seeing visible fermenting vegetables and banana peels and citrus just poking out of the soil. I've worked some compost piles with others over the years in communal housing but I'm not at all an expert and I would assume they never have. Basically just wanna hear from people more knowledgeable about this so I can bring it up in a clear way!

/ also what can I do to help the soil besides take the pieces out? and add actual compost?

Viktor Schauberger was ridiculously innovative for the 1920's, and observed many things that other have not. He had an interesting method of composting that was discussed in detail in a book called "Living Energies" by Callum Coates. He used a method that included using living trees to aerate the compost, claiming the egg shape and the movement of the tree made superior compost. am curious if anyone has tried this or knows anyone who has.

I can understand why many may read the book and find it to be "woo-woo," but he has had many inventions that were very important, like a superior log flue, which was important in it's time, or the repulsine-a engine, still used by US Navy today. Just pointing this out to anyone who may be interested, but ultimately gets turned off by some of the things he claims to have seen or done. Much of his observation on plants and woods and agriculture were phenomenal in their time, and still to this day

Had a bad dream where my pile shrank to >20% it’s original height. Anyone else get compost nightmares?

Nearing the end of our first season of composting at the market garden scale, we are left with piles of OK compost and a desire to improve. As background:

• Our piles are roughly 3'x3'x3'.
• Contents: grass clippings, freshly harvested cover crop (e.g. buckwheat), dry mulch materials (e.g. straw, dry cornstalks and bean plants, dry leaves).
• We have achieved good thermophilic conditions (140 to 160 F).
• Approximate turning regimen: If 140 degrees, every 3 days, if 160, every 1-2 days
• Piles are not covered
• We are in central Virginia, zone 7a. Summers are hot and humid with intermittent heavy rain.

As mentioned, results are "ÖK", but too often the decomposition is not 100% complete after the piles have cooled. Our material tends to have more "remains" than we would ideally like. For example, dry leaves may be only partially digested. We can of course incorporate this material into new piles to further its digestion, but I am wondering how might we improve our methods to get better results with less work. That is, we hope to reduce the labor-to-compost ratio:-). Any and all thoughts will be appreciated. We know that opinions vary, and that's OK!

https://preview.redd.it/pqi7mdc24lqb1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2084142bea8924752b989ef76ffe96d288de7d88