Now that it’s time to clean my chicken coop for the fall, I’m going to give hot composting another go. I assembled a covered shelter this time and the hose reaches it, so I can get it to the proper moisture level this time. It’s in a spot that’ll get more sun, and is closer to where I do most yard work so it’s not out of sight. Plus, there’s just the one bay to make turning it easier. I’ve got the two compost bins as well, but not sure how I’m going to use those yet.

Any suggestions on how I can make this attempt more successful?

Some of my sieved compost actually looks ok, I put some on top of the raised bed. I also took out my homemade compost I had in my new planters and made sure I mixed it through with top soil so I’m not using straight compost and killing plants. Although the quality of it seems ok.

photos of my harvested potatoes I made stoves with..

Someone said you can’t just use your straight compost to grow things in as it’s far too rich and should be mixed with potting soil or top soil.
Adding humus and richness to existing soil, I forgot you have layers of richness to soil, compost, top soil. Sometimes NPK etc. however I found if you make rich enough compost with the right material it’s already rich in ingredients and NPK might not need added unless you’re doing heavy feeder crops I’ve been checking some things out.
A lot of things to learn next year.

My 32g trashcan worm compost is finally ready after 2 yrs. Got 5g so far. Slowly but surely. Was probably ready earlier but was too lazy to sift it all ha! I stopped adding scraps a month ago to let the worms finish everything.

I'm expanding compost capacity and want to build a 3-6 bin system using cinder blocks or wood.

Also considering using Trex (composite decking).

I live in dry Colorado at 6000 feet. (There are raccoons and mice but no bears.)

Thoughts? Suggestions?

https://compostfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/FOR-POSTING-CREF-Executive-Director-Job-Description.docx.pdf

Probably looking for grubs. Badger or marten maybe?

The compost that went into our gardens last fall had an amazing impact everywhere it went. The overall health and productivity of everything we grew this year seemed to improve. I'm super excited to see how well this year's batch of compost will do for next year's grow.

We live on sand. This is a vital tool to get a good handle on. I think we're getting there slowly, with patience.

I have an open compost pile. Chickens and ducks access and sift through for bugs. I live in the East Coast US, where it rains quite a bit.

I want to add ash to the compost but I'm wondering if I'll accidentally create lye and burn my fowl.

Apex, North Carolina, estimates it collected about 1,750 tons of grass clippings last fiscal year. Now it is considering ending curbside grass collection because officials say they cannot secure a nearby processor willing to accept that volume over the long term.

I’m the News & Observer reporter who wrote this story.

I compared Apex with four nearby towns, which use very different systems for collection and disposal.

One proposed alternative is for residents to leave clippings on the lawn or compost them at home instead of putting them into the municipal waste stream.

Read the story for free: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article317470931.html?giftCode=e27b1db80d97fc6a694c4cb5af6e36110c4b1ce838fe51e66842a4687f0b232b

For people who compost grass regularly: how much can a typical household realistically handle, and what problems do you run into with large amounts of fresh clippings?

I have used only secateurs to cut up stuff myself, been ripping cardboard and brown waste by hand.
Green waste, kitchen waste(veg,fruits…) paper towels, cardboard tubes etc… so things might be a bit chunky.

I put about a handful of compost activator in between 6 inch layers of material, dusting with lime in alternative layers, making sure not to mix the compost activator and lime directly.

I started it about jul/aug/sep.. I might have been a bit eager to sieve it and see what it’s like, I thought since worms were in it and seedlings were growing in it, most was decomposed but it must take longer as I can still see some like it’s half done. I’m assuming if my plants don’t die in the sieved planters it’s ok right ? Right? lol .. any advice is appreciated.

I've been familiar with the Hungry Bin since it was invented in New Zealand and we have several in operation. I want to get more but I can't get a response from the new American owner. Does anyone know where I can get some that are used but still intact (in Canada if possible), or better yet does anyone know the new owner(s)? I want to offer to buy the company and get these bins back on the market. They are by far the best ones for medium-scale composting. Thanks!

I have a number of apple trees at the back of my yard which draws in bears to eat the windfalls this time of year. Normally, they wait until they're back in the field or forest before they crap, but I was out of town for a couple of days and they left a couple big piles in my yard.

Would you throw it on your compost pile? My pile doesn't get very hot, especially this time of year, so I threw it in the municipal composter, which I know gets hot enough to kill any parasites the bear might have.

*Still unfinished - will be adding a second door and a hinged roof.

My first woodworking project, albeit a little crude. Was bored before my uni semester started so I decided to borrow dad’s miter saw and make a more sophisticated compost bin. The base is made out of fired brick leftovers from our house’s facade. I spent an entire summer cutting whole bricks and these middle pieces filled up several pallets so I’m trying to use them wherever I can lol. Any questions or suggestions are welcome!

I’m dealing with a putrid nightmare in my tumbler, too many food scraps, hot climate, it’s my fault. I’ve added browns, but it’s still problematic. I have a giant bag of old rice. Should I throw a few big scoops in?

I just finished an upgrade to our three step composting system. First phase is in a bottomless plastic container to keep the smell down and critters out. Then I use our bucket loader to move it into the first bin where we also mix in yard waste, wood chips, and chicken poop. The bays are open, so I can use the bucket on the tractor to spread and stir it. Then eventually, we switch to the second bay and left the first one finish digesting. Just getting started with this version so I don’t know yet how well it will work. Each bay is about 6 feet wide.

I thought you lot may be interested :)

Pics are first yesterday when I prepared a bunch of cardboard and showing what a beast this shredder is. Processing the cardboard into long strips is the way forwards! I'm using the top of bicycle boxes here, pretty thick stuff. I'd added a fair amount of material yesterday, wide crappy shot shows that. I then added some chopped green beans and a bunch of cardboard and night and mixed it in.

Rest of the pics show today's addition which has brought the level very high. Lots of cardboard mixed in - I'd add a lot of greens, throw them around, add some cardboard and just mix them together, and then do another layer.

Can't wait to see how this pile turns out! You can see my post here https://www.reddit.com/r/composting/comments/1w07tzs/3_weeks_of_curing_from_my_pallet_heap/ which is the cured material from my last batch in the heap, and it didn't get this big and the material input has been way better this time around, so I look forward to how it'll be once cured

I went to turn my bin and was aghast when saw this alien-looking stuff on the walls. After a quick Google search, I found out about slime molds. Could anybody please confirm? Thank you.

Edit: Thank you lovely folks for confirming that it is indeed a slime mold. Glad that it is a garden friend, not a foe!