an other composting experiment
- To: <pumpkins@mallorn.com>
- Subject: an other composting experiment
- From: "* C* <m*@neo.lrun.com>
- Date: Fri, 9 Jan 1998 20:38:32 -0500
Dan:
Your correct with the rain preventative. It's just to keep the pile from
getting water logged. Didn't intent to infer your pile smelled like a
sewer, just tried to answer questions and was a little lazy with the tense,
I guess. 110 degrees is fantastic in the winter.
I've got a compost experiment I'm going to try myself this spring which is
some thing, well... a little like yours, but, I'm going to use the heat
generated by my piles to heat a cold-frame and row-cover for my pumpkins,
tomatoes, etc.
I'm way to far away from an electrical outlet to use an electric heater,
etc. and I will not use a hotbed with anaerobic manure composting in the
bottom. But, last year I was composting a couple of piles which averaged
130-150 degrees, for more than 6 weeks, nearby my pumpkins were suffering
in a to cold, cold-frame. This year I plan to have a warm and toasty frame
for my early starts. Co-generation's the way to go - I know you'd think so
too!
Do you think your dryer (I don't think the term dryer is trademarkable -
you got to think up another name like "The Great Big Pumpkin Compost Dryer
System Thing-e") could be used to heat a cold frame? By then your compost
should be useable and a shame to let all that warm moist air go to waste.
Michael in Akron
mcohill@neo.lrun.com
----------
> From: Dan Shapiro <dgs@leland.stanford.edu>
> To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
> Subject: Re: a composting experiment
> Date: Friday, January 09, 1998 3:28 PM
>
> Michael - thanks for those answers. I was asking "just in case"
questions
> in order to be prepared .. the dryer (TM) compost is doing just fine. My
> meat thermometer says 110, inserted 6" into the top of the pile. That is
a
> good indication it is a lot hotter further down. No smell to speak of,
> either.
>
> If I am going to patent a kit, I should try to demonstrate that hot dry
air
> helps. Hmmm. I suppose I could turn the dryer to "fluff" and see if the
> compost temperature drops using *cold* dry air. If you think about it,
hot
> dry air in that quantity can't be directly heating several tons of
> material... it would have to be acting indirectly, by encouraging
bacteria
> near the vents, which raises the temperature quite locally but expands
the
> growing zone, encouraging more bacteria, etc.
>
> When you suggested that a rain barrier prevents anaerobic decomposition,
> did you mean that it prevents nitrogen (which the bacteria need) from
> leaching away? I imagine the pile needs *some* water though, just not a
> downpour.
>
> Dan
>
>
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