Composter Update
Well I think its time for an update on my new composter. As you may recall, I built my very own backyard composter a couple months ago.
As you can see in the picture above, I’ve filled up the bin a fair bit! Whats incredible is that I was able to get just about all the cardboard from my shed in there, along with all our food scraps/coffee grounds etc (and I’ve been very generous!), a considerable amount of rotten straw, and even a fair amount of yard waste! My worm population has undoubtedly grown by leaps and bounds.
As mentioned in another thread, it was looking as though I was going to have a fairly serious ant problem. As it turned out, I made sure the contents of the bin were kept very moist, and that seemed to deter the ants completely!
My next challenge is definitely going to be winter! Ice and snow can certainly bring a quick halt to the composting process in most smallish outdoor bins. In my case, I think it will be a fun experiment to see if I can generate and maintain at least enough heat to prevent the bin contents from freezing, namely my precious red worms (don’t worry, I’ll be starting an indoor bin as well).
As it stands I have a layer of cardboard all the way around the inside of the bin already (my method for delaying contact between the compost and the wood of the bin). I also added a nice thick layer of burlap over the top (see picture above).
I think I’m going to put another layer of cardboard all the way around the outside of the bin and then also ad a layer of hard styrofoam insulation as well! Overkill? Nah – it can get pretty cold around here.
I’ve already been playing around with the C:N balance to see if I can generate some more warmth. So far so good!
I bagged my last set of lawn clippings (normally mulch back onto lawn) and spread them throughout the bin. I will also be doing a fairly major yard clean up and will certainly be harvesting a wide variety of other green N-rich materials and putting them in the bin.
I need to get myself a compost thermometer though – I can tell it’s quite warm in the middle, but it would be great to know how warm its actually getting.
Anyway, should be a lot of fun (maybe not so much fun once I start taking out food scraps in the middle of winter!!).
I’ll definitely add another update before the snow starts to fly!
B.
Technorati Tags: composting, composter, worm composting, vermicomposting, compost bin, compost thermometer, c:n ratio
Written by Bentley on September 21st, 2006 with
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