garden
These are the continue voyage of the starshiphot heap . Until actually , you know , quantify them , I had blithely assumed my compost bays were about 3 metrical unit in each dimension . This is crucial as the advice and indeed the grounds is that along with the right admixture of textile , at least 3’x3’x3′ is require to insure the heap hand and maintains a honorable temperature . The godfather , the don , of the red-hot composting technique Robert D Raabe says that
“ To prevent heat loss and to build up the amount of heat necessary , a minimal volume of material is indispensable : a pile at least 36″ x 36″ x 36″ is recommended . If less than 32″ , the speedy physical process will not pass off . ”
That ’s moderately cleared . Upon see my bays I was surprised to find they were not going to cut the mustard , weigh in at a bare 2′ wide , 2’6″ deep and 3′ high , 15 cubic feet in volume . My last two try at a live heap have not burn down on all piston chamber and I am now wondering if sizing topic . A week or two back I resolved to set this by somehow enlarging the bays . After a certain amount of contemplative pencil jaw , I decided that the easiest way of life to embiggenment was to turn three existing Laurus nobilis into two wider bay by removing the interior walls , and then stretch the side out to give the required depth .
Out came the interior walls .
A handy palette provided a quick and essy fresh dividing wall .
I used the woods from the sometime front room access venire to exsert the sides to match the young dividing paries .
Finally I made a new front door . I need two , but only had the wood for one . The 2nd can wait , when I turn the heap I ’ll just switch the room access over .
The converted bays now appraise 3’2″x3’9″x3′ , or just over 35 cubic feet , well over double the book of the original bays .
neat to see if this make the difference , I expend quite a lot of this weekend ferreting out ingredients and filling the new Bay 1 . Being importantly orotund , it now take quite a lot of fill . I collected about 20 cup of tea of worn out hops , barley mash , manure , hay ( all green ) then straw & wood shavings plus a load of cardboard and newspaper ( all brown ) .
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Interestingly , contradicting myearlier enquiry , the same godfather of the red-hot - heap says very clearly that an even 1:1 ratio by loudness of green : brown is what ’s need , not the 1:2 proportion I ’ve seen elsewhere .
“ … experience has shown that immix equal volume of green plant material with equal volumes of naturally dry industrial plant material will give approximately a 30/1 atomic number 6 to N ( C / N ) ratio ”
For this heap I have gone with the preceptor .
It occurred to me after take it that it will also take quite a lot of turning ! I am not looking onward to doing that every other day . All good exercise over the Christmas holiday , I suppose .
I ’ll be back in a few calendar week with tales of temperature profile and other captivating compost line .
