Composter’s Log: Stardate 60376.9 -
RED ALERT!!
Today was garbage day so I figured it would be a good opportunity to add my growing indoor collection of organic waste to the bin while I was out.
I’m certainly glad I did! As I opened it up I could feel that the lid was quite warm. The first things I noticed inside were that the level of the material had gone down a fair bit and the plastic bags at the top were totally dry (normally have pools of water).
Uh Oh…
As I started raking through the upper layer of leaves I was greeted by bursts of steam and what looked to be hot, dry conditions. Needless to say I was quite concerned about the health (or lack thereof) of the red worms. Temperature readings were up over 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) throughout most of the bin, and there were a number of spots in the 50 C + range (122 F +).
I found a few worms up in the old rotting door mat that was sitting at the top of the composting mass, but other than that it looked like a serious red worm disaster.
Well, long story short, after digging down deeper, and around the edges I was able to find a lot of worms. I get the feeling most of them were able to escape to various cooler regions of the bin. Phew!!
In an effort to cool things off somewhat I continued to rake through the material, releasing steam and letting cooler outdoor air in (actually quite mild today). I also added some cold water via a watering can and have left the bin lid open. I will go back and check on things this afternoon.
In all honesty I NEVER expected to have an overheating problem! While it’s certainly a good sign that I have a fighting chance with this winter composting experiment, it’s also an important reminder of the fact that I still need to maintain balance.
That being said, something dawned on me today which kinda made me chuckle to myself. I’ve talked before about the tendency of city folk to let nature know who is boss - frequently cutting the grass, keeping properties perfectly manicured, killing “pests” etc. Well here I am trying to control natural processes myself! Insulating the bin, discouraging mice from nesting inside, and trying to make sure temperatures and conditions for my worm herd are ‘just right’!
Oh well, guess it’s just the ‘nature of the beast’! 
B.
Related entries:
Composter’s Log - Stardate 60352.8
Winter Composting Extravaganza
Technorati Tags: composting, winter composting, worms, vermicomposting, compost, fall leaves, yard waste, food waste
Note: The Winter Composting Extravaganza has moved to a new home. To catch all the latest winter composting action be sure to check out the Compost Guy Winter Composting Page.
Written by Bentley on November 29th, 2006 with
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