Steamy Hot and Dirty...Compost.

[u812b4me]

All of that trouble for compost!

I just make a pile for all my yard debris and it takes care of itself.

Keep adding to the top and dig out the bottom when you need compost

[prism3x]

are you able to turn the compost during the winter if the top is frozen...will turning the cold material into the heated cause it to slow down too much?

[jettastreetracer]

...hippie

[HooDaBabba]

Yes...you can make compost when it's cold outside. I have made hot-compost even in sub-zero weather...but the process does slow down a LOT...and sometimes the outer-most two inches or so can freeze hard...but the core will still be hot and steamy. You really have to have the mix right, and the right amount of material and moisture, or the whole process will stall.

[32323kb]

can u make compost when its cold outside

[BrianLuper]

Yep, wood ashes can kill the acid trace in the compost. Just about every plant in the world likes a little acid in the soil. Throw wood ash in there too much and it can kill the acid level to nothing. Just be careful on that.

[doona42]

omg lol

[NotWatching666999]

After your first 4 days, do you recover every time you turn the pile?

[skillah69]

HOW DO YOU MAKE YOUR COMPOST STEAM????

[TonyKaku]

@kpeavey1 First, it's not a proprietary name. It's a common title used to describe a certain technique of composting. Second, something already discussed in the public sphere cannot be patented.

You really, really need to learn to relax.

[TonyKaku]

@kpeavey1 Oh, and this NON-patented method is different from Sir Albert Howard's method in that it can create finished compost in less than 3 weeks as opposed to 3 months.

[TonyKaku]

Someone hit the thumbs down. That was silly.

[WAXTHEFUR]

how do u make ur compost steam, I watched all compost vids i did everything they did, but my wont steam?

[TonyKaku]

@WAXTHEFUR This can help:

bit(DOT)ly/hQkmg2

[MrPolebarn1]

its full of sticks and wood you dont want that in your garden you will have to sift all the bad stuff out to get good dirt

[hugocasarrubias]

good imformation ,,,,

[cineaste131]

Very useful. Many thanks!

[Armornone]

smelly hippie

[Fakeup386]

thank you for uploading this video, very informative.

[jihadacadien]

Covering the compost also prevent the rain water to wash down too much nutrients...cool vid, I can't wait for the snow to melt

[dorkymagenta]

:D

i was just gonna write that happy face but it said that my comment was too short

[HooDaBabba]

Covering it gives you control over the moisture level. If a pile like this gets too much moisture due to heavy rain, it will start to stink, and it will slow down the process. You want to control the moisture level as much as possible. If you're in a dry or arid place, perhaps this isn't so much of a worry...but where I am, it's a concern.

[TXatheist]

Help educate me please. Why cover it? Thanks

[HooDaBabba]

ivankinsman...the problem isn't too much woody material (in fact...the ratio of carbon (woody material) to nitrogen material is necessary for a hot compost pile like this) but rather...the size of it. This was before I had a wood-chipper. I've found that fine-woodchips are so valuable for a good pile. Grass cuttings will get mixed in well over time as you turn the pile. This is not a standard compost pile...but a hot compost which requires active involvement and turning on the part of the owner

[ivankinsman]

Think you have a bit too much woody material in your heap - I would avoid any hard-type growth. We also put chicken manure into our piles which gets it going. Grass cuttings you really need to mix in very well. Still, it looks like a good method owing to how quick the process seems...

[captmicha]

How do you get compost tea from a heap?

[ra9854]

Dude great info. I bet you toked a couple before this. Your really into it. Thanks for the post.

[HooDaBabba]

Thanks for watching Victoriaev! Good luck!

[HooDaBabba]

Farmertrash2...

sorry for the delay in getting back to you....cedar wood chips are fine...I wouldn't worry about the manure either...the mold might even help break things down a bit. I sometimes worry about manure if it has come from horses that have been given (de-worming) medicine...this can kill the soil making life in the compost.

[victoriaev]

Great video! I'm doing this!!!

[leloodallasmultipass]

this was helpful. so there.

[shortattentionspan1]

really good description of a manually turned compost pile

[farmertrash2]

would cedar wood chips for a bedding harm the compost and or horse manure that looked kind of moldy?

[congelata22]

one word: awesome!!!

[JohnnySoprano87]

Very cool video. I can't wait to move into my new house and get to work composting and growing my own food. Thank you and everyone else in the YouTube community who has uploaded such great videos on all the different methods of composting.

[HooDaBabba]

janken919...I see no reason why ashes from a firepit couldn't be added to a compost pile. Go for it! I've just started adding the ashes from my new wood-burning stove.

[janken919]

Thank you sir. I'd hate to waste those ashes.

[plmnbvcxz1234567890]

@HooDaBabba ashes are alkaline, could raise the pH if you're not careful

[Russticle]

I salute you!

[janken919]

Are ashes from firepits ok for a comppost pile?

[Jammowns]

No.

[janken919]

How come?

[TonyKaku]

They are!

[svca12218]

Awesome video! ratio 30-1 that's the kind of info I was looking for!

[HooDaBabba]

Thanks ruapehugirl! You're very welcome. Feed your family well!

[HooDaBabba]

Of course...size of the pile, moisture levels, climate/season, and size of compost particles and number of times you turn the pile are all factors that play a part in how long it will take to get the desired result. A pile that is not turned, is not a hot compost pile, and will take three to six months to mature.

[HooDaBabba]

Absolutely. This is a hot compost method requiring active participation by the pile's maker. The maker must turn the pile once after four days, and then once every two days after that. You should be able to use the pile after the fourth two-day turn (12 days total)...but to be on the safe side, I turn my pile a few extra times (21 days total). I've heard that if you turn the pile every day...you can absolutely have finished compost in less than three weeks.

[decimuscarrerus]

can i make a pile now? (May) And use it next year?

[takadi]

Oh and is newspaper a good carbon source? I have barely any leaves in my yard

[takadi]

I have such a huge problem with flies and birds (especially the birds pooping all over my backyard). Do I have to buy a tarp like yours to cover it or do I have to do the whole thing in a compost bin?

[HooDaBabba]

Hey sk8er...I usually find that the center composts a little faster than the bottom. You can check it when you turn the pile (every two days). Turning the pile lets you check the texture, color, moisture and temp of the pile. If you find the the center of the pile is white, then the pile is too hot and you need to adjust the mix and or moisture of your pile.

[takadi]

How do you incorporate fresh waste into an already fermenting pile? Also, when you turn the pile, how do you make sure that the fresh waste in the pile gets into the center of the pile?

[HooDaBabba]

P.S.--Turning a thermophilic compost pile for two months is probably overkill, and just a waste of your own physical energy. You have to use your own discretion though...examine the pile, feel it, smell it. If it's black and has an earthy smell to it and there's no longer any green matter in it...it's probably ready to use.

[sk8erflip4]

thankz dude, 18 day!?!?!? daaam!! ur good dude!! well mine is 3 feet high.. the bottom is gonna be compost or how do I check?

[HooDaBabba]

It should take about 18 days total...20 for good measure. When you first make the pile, let it set four days before the first turn of the pile...then turn it every two days after that until you've got good compost (that is, if you have a pile that is at least 1 cubic meter in size). With thermophilic composting, you should have good compost after 14-18 days...but of course the longer you wait the richer/better it gets. I usually use mine somewhere around the 18th or 20th day.

[HooDaBabba]

Hey, thanks! I have to say that this pile worked out real well. Sometimes, if I don't get the mix right, or the pile is too wet or too dry, it doesn't work out this well. Size is also important, a pile less than 1 cubic meter of material is going to take a little longer. It takes a lot of playing around and experimentation to get a pile this good. Good luck with your next pile sk8erflip4!

[sk8erflip4]

hey dude about how long will it take to turn to compost? 2 months?

[sk8erflip4]

4 days???

[HooDaBabba]

Yup...4 days. Of course...it wasn't complete yet...that pile still had another 12 or 14 days to go...but it was pretty much on it's way by the point I made this video. I'm always amazed at how fast thermophilic bacteria can break things down when given the right set of circumstances.

[sk8erflip4]

dam dude thats nice, mine heats up in 3 days but not turn that color! nice job dude

[TrueAussie15]

i love composting, got a bin to do it in and just started a new batch 3 days ago, and its still in the 40 degrees temp range. cnt wait to see the final result(Y)

[HooDaBabba]

Hey Paul...East Timor...tough, huh. Glad you took the spare time to do something useful such as teaching how to compost. It's something more people (not just in places like east timor...but even the in the "over-developed" world) should learn how to do. Thanks for the good luck wishes...will do my best! Cheers!

[zacandmillie]

Great Video. When I was Peacekeeping in East Timor I spent my spare time teaching our locals how to do this. They have no money for fertilisers and knew nothing about composting to improve their impoverished soils. After a couple of months of making and using compost they were amazed with the improvement in their soils but my Tour of Duty was finished before I got to see their new season's crop results. Good luck to you.

[HooDaBabba]

I have it down in my notes as Bill...afterall...Geoff was Bill's student...they probably say a lot of the same things.

[TonyKaku]

Can you even compost your neighbour's cat?

[HooDaBabba]

Actually...yes, I've heard you can and I know of at least one person who has done just that. You just have to have the right amount of materials. I would hope that it's a cat in the past-tense...an ex-cat. I've even heard that in Roman times...they had a rather advanced form of mass-compost where horses that had expired were composted.

"If it has lived...it can live again."

-Bill Mollison (from my PDC course in Melbourne)

[TonyKaku]

That quote, you are thinking of Geoff. He said the same thing in Brisbane.

I'm glad you wore a shirt this time.

[NOSMOJEFF]

We compost entire sheep and there ain't a dang thing left after 30 days at 155/F it is amazing.

Keep microbes happy and they work well.

[TonyKaku]

I had the idea of body disposal for organised crime once...

[NOSMOJEFF]

Makes ya wonder about Jimmy Hoffa

[HooDaBabba]

Yup...sure does...instead of "swimmin' with the fishes," it would be "swimmin' with the worms..." (if you can call what worms do "swimmin'," that is...

Anyway...i'm interested in how you compost entire sheep...how much material does that take exactly? That must be a pretty big pile!

[NOSMOJEFF]

All we do is clean the barn and pile sheep manure in a static row. There is plenty of carbon already because of the hay that is mixed in. So it heats up fast, rows are 3-4 feet high and depends on length. Go see my video of Mike and I turning a static row with a John Deere.