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cstevens
Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 14
Location: MANSFIELD,TX
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| Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 5:14 pm Post subject: Freezing Compost |
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What is this pending freeze going to do to my new compost pile? Does frozen and thawed material break down faster once things warm up again?
Curious Carl |
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bmarable
Joined: 20 Sep 2003
Posts: 20
Location: terrell,TEXAS
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| Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:46 am Post subject: |
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| If you doing batch composting and created a proper pile, then the outside temperature won't matter, and the pile will cook just fine. The pile will insulate itself and maintain its temperature. |
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Nadine
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 1170
Location: Carrollton,TEXAS
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| Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 10:20 pm Post subject: |
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Invest in a good compost thermometer. There are some available that are on about a 3 foot probe. Keep your pile the dampness of a wrung-out sponge and turn often as possible to keep the heat going. :wink:
Malcolm Beck has an interesting story about a turkey and a compost pile! |
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cstevens
Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 14
Location: MANSFIELD,TX
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| Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 8:12 am Post subject: |
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The "pile" is actually a Mantis ComposTwin unit. I am turning it every day and right now I have both sides full. Left side contains the boxes that the unit came in, cut up into 2 - 4 inch squares, about 40 pounds of coffee grounds from you-know-where, kitchen scraps, and a few slices of a straw bale. Side 2 contains most of the rest of the straw bale, another 40 lbs of coffee, and is being fed more kitchen scraps. I can feel some heat from side 1, more than from side 2. Side 2 is heating up nicely now though. I don’t know that there is enough mass to retain good insulation but the warm weather we are having helps.
With a little of the snow we had, it looked like this: |
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