Why I Oughta...

Well...things are STARTING to happen in my 3rd, storage bin in our three-bin compost setup.  That third bin (which I put up last year) is a storage bin full of non-mixed material.  It is LOADED with last season's fall leaves as well as where I've been stashing our kitchen scraps.  Most recently, I topped it off with all of the cut-downs from our ornamental grasses. Three things have happened all in the past week or so that have managed to move things along in this bin. First, I applied a top-layer of municipal biosolids.  Both as material to balance the browns (I'm considering biosolids to be a green due to their high nitrogen content) as well as a WEIGHT due to their mass . Then...(on accident), some of the bin caught on fire . (eek). And, now, have a look at the bins.  In particular, look at the level of the storage bin on the left.  The top of it is now BELOW the top of the frame: Look back at this post from a week ago when the biosolids and grass clippi...

The last time I checked in our dual compost bin setup was a month ago - in early December - when I considered the bins (mostly) done for the season and filled with all the Fall leaves that had come down.  In that post, both bins - the carbon/leaf storage on the left and the properly mixed and passively aerated bin on the right - were both 'heaping' with a mound of material extending well above the top of the fence panels.   I was out puttering in the yard recently and went back to see what kind of compaction that had occurred in the past 30 days.   Below, you can see the current - January 2023 - state of the bins.   On the left - the carbon storage:  The material has compacted to be well-below the top of the fence panel. I've also added a bunch of container material to the top including some Fall Cabbages.  On the right - the mix has darkened in color as decomposition has begun to take place it seems.  Compare the color of the front of...

The last time that I showed the state of our two compost bins in the far back of our yard was back in early November when I had just topped the bins with their final collection of grass and leaves.  You can see that post here .  Below, you can see the current (this week) state of the bins after a Winter of snow and compaction.   On the left is a browns-only bin.  And on the right is a mixed bin with some passive aeration pipes inserted in a couple of spots. Not a TON of compaction, is there?  The temperatures are really working against any active decomposition during the Winter, so gravity is what is mostly at play.  The bin on the right had some compaction - and was aided by that log on top.  One of the things I'll get to this Spring is doing a full-turn on both bins and working in more of the browns from the right to get a 'cooking' bin set up for success this Summer.   I suppose, I should include in my 2022 to-do list an item on comp...