Hi candogal,
I don't do any measurements or calculations except to react to the pile... you said it very well, if you see something out of kilter,deal with it...

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I took grade 4 three times so I barely have my grade 12. ;-)

The mix is important but not to the extent of having to use an abacus (with my luck, somebody here probably uses an abacus). The desired C:N range for generating thermophilic microorganisms is between 25-40 to 1. Even outside that range it will work to some extent and even if the 'post doesn't obtain high temperatures, it will still decompose, you almost can't stop it.

Lloyd

An abacus is a perfectly legitimate way to make calculations, thank you very much, and I'll not have you maligning my beloved beaded rods! HARUMPH!

;)

You might be a compost wacko...
if your reply to a thread about the composting habits of an obsessive-compulsive-physicist spouse includes half a dozen pictures of your own compost!

Bwaaaa Haaaa Haaaaa Haaaaa!

ahem.

Original Poster:

In the interests of marital harmony, some people, maybe married to snorers, have separate bedrooms.

My aunt, married to a beer-drinkin' good ole boy, had separate refrigerators so she could keep groceries in the house without encroaching on Bob's "beer box".

I think your situation calls for separate compost piles.

You have to love this forum. People in general spend millions to keep stuff from rotting. We do all in our power and wit to speed it up. Life is grand and gargwarb could you teach me how to use an abacus, all I can do is punch buttons on a computer/calculator thingy. Just joking.

Curt#

It depends. People who are responsible for managing municipal compost piles are very skilled at getting the ratio of carbon to nitrogen just right, and also getting the moisture level right. They are working with limited space, and they are compelled to accept truckloads of leaves and other compostables every day. They can't afford to have incoming materials stack up, so they learn how to keep the process going as fast as possible. On the other hand, our pile is very slow, and it is never turned. I remove compost from the bottom, once a year, in May. The compost is good quality, and it goes onto our garden plot, where it gets dug in. We generally get 25 to 35 gallons of finished compost every year.

If you have manure and leaves you have hot compost

Ratios for me are by experience mostly if you are in town where no smell can be tolerated you may stick close to the formulas I don't really care if my compost smells of manure for a few days while I add more browns

I think I read somewhere that dead plants already know how to rot.

On the other hand, let him obsess over it. It sounds like he is needing something else to do with his mind rather than obsess over losing his job. I would say it may even be enjoyable for you two to do seperate piles, his the mathematical way and you just follow your gut and see who gets compost the fastest.

I like that idea ;-)

Of Course whoever has the "working" pile is going to win, but the garden is the actual winner, and who wouldn't want some other "compost wacko" ,helping us get more compost for the garden...WIN WIN... Awesome ;-)

Fantasic replies, and made me laugh quite a bit, too. Thanks!

Ironically, given the tone of the suggestions, I've been trying to ration my online time because I'm studying for my board exams for my independent license in mental health counseling - which is why I'm just getting back to this. Needless to say, I love the idea of marital compost harmony by each just doing one's own thing. Duh, wonder why I didn't think of that before? It had occured to me already that if one builds a 3-bin composter, one could fill the outer two bins simultaneously for the first round of rotting, and then hopefully dump them in the middle when there's enough less bulk. So we'll try it - his & hers composting. :-)

BTW, my hubby now has 1 job offer & other interviews still upcoming, so he's much less stressed. Still, why not try the math vs. hunch experiment - sounds like fun.

What's the rough balance between leaves & horse manure, anyway? I was going to fudge it with about 5-6 parts leaves to 1 part manure. Plus whatever weeds I have on hand at the time, which is always tons. Maybe as much as 1 part. Lots in our neighborhood are about an acre, so we're close enough for smell problems, or I wouldn't care in the least if I got it wrong. My veggie garden is in the front yard (best sun), though, so the neighbors already think I'm nuts.

...Meanwhile, I find myself eyeing the vast amount of shredding at work (mental health agencies generate tons of shredded paper) and wondering if it would mess up my pile too much. Actually, I am now eyeing anything and everything and wondering about composting it.

P.S. FWIW, I know how to use an abacus - I was fascinated by them as a child. I've seen a slide rule, but I don't know how to use one, though.

I'm an engineer, so I can relate very well to your husband's approach. I did the same thing 30 years ago, tested for ph, worried about if I needed to introduce worms or bacteria, and if I had to weigh or measure what I put into it. After six generations of compost bin designs and 30 years later I am much more relaxed. I do still use a thermometer however. If you experiment with greens and browns you will soon learn what heats up fast and what doesn't. A good mix will get to 150 F in 3 days and cool back down in a month. For bins, I like the stacking ones. Wood bins compost along with the contents so plan on replacing anything under 2" thick in about four years. I have evolved into using plastic pipe hoops with galvanized wire sides. They are held together with aluminum rivets. {{gwi:285978}}
Good luck with the exams.

Do me a huge favor, and update your progress on your pile. The horse manure would depend on the amount of bedding it has. I'll let the more experienced people on here answer that one. I had a load of horse manure delivered early this spring, and I am composting it as is. It had, what proved to be, the right ratio as it was, and has been happily cooking away. My temps are finally starting to drop, and it seems to like being turned very frequently, but that is just my pile.

Gunther - Thanks for the pics. Your bins might also pass the "neighbor test." The cold bins are next to the driveway, where neighbors can see when they walk by, and I'll put these there, too. I don't worry about it too much, but figure it's not nice to offend, either. The good thing is many people in NH still hang laundry to dry - folks here are more relaxed about life functioning stuff than in other places.

When we finally get the darn bins done, I'll update about progress. I've got to go look at the tips for getting the darn boards apart from the pallets again, because it takes forever!

Sheaviance - I'd planned to do trench composting for the manure, but I'm hoping a true hot process will kill off more weed seeds. This spring I worked in a bunch of it that I picked up last summer & just left in the bags to compost. I'm hoping I haven't upped my weeding time too much.

I don't know what church you belong to, but I am favorably impressed that your church would organize a purchase of compost bins. In re: your DH obsessing about compost ratios; that's called displaced anxiety or something similar. He needed something to do, so let him run with it.

You can make different compost for different uses. I've got a high fiber pile going to use as a mulch, not a soil amendment. It contains chipped wood and pine straw. It will be a 'fungal' compost.

What I have found with my poo pile is that the weeds germinate, then die from heat. It's not ready to use yet so I don't know if I have upped my weeding time yet. I really don't mind weeding, actually I enjoy the alone time.

Hello y'all, This thread has been interesting; actually, my DH and I have separate composting operations......his pile is in an enclosure in the back yard [he does slow composting], and I just started composting with a compost tumbler in our side yard, right next to the veggie beds and herb garden. We currently live in an older home [fixer-upper], where there is always a project going on, and yes, we often had conflict over the composting process. His composting style is much more laid back, [for one thing, he always has a project going on, and doesn't feel like he has time to fuss over the compost,] while I on the other hand, could never have enough finished compost. So, that was our solution, and wow! I don't know why we didn't do that sooner. We also put in raised beds that I can easily take care of myself, and this year so far, gardening [along with composting] has become therapy for me, an escape from the remodeling process! ...........who would've ever thought a compost tumbler would help a marriage???? LOL! We have great neighbors a stone's throw from that section of yard, who are happy to "donate" fruit and veggie peelings, ect., in exchange for some finished compost occasionally. So far, it hasn't smelled bad, and it's nice and hot, with shredded leaves, chicken and goat droppings, grass clippings and kitchen scraps. I tried to get it 50/50, but not sure if it's a perfect ratio of greens and browns or not. Oh, sheaviance1, I had to smile, when I read your post; that's a great way to get some alone time for me, too. I usually don't have too many people in my family who care to join me when I'm weeding!

candogal: Geez, a physicist with OCD. :-o Been there, done that - I'm a scientist myself. :-D Pile it up, let it rot, I keep reminding myself.

The best way to use a triple bin is to move batches one way - left to right for example. Industrially they call this a 'continuous batch process'. Fresh material ALWAYS into the first bin, when it piles up turn it into the second bin, when the first fills up again turn 1 and 2 into 2 and 3 and begin again in bin 1. You always have finished compost in bin 3 and a place to put new stuff in bin 1.

Good luck and if he wants to obsess just have a cold drink and let him do it. :-p

I'm with tox - it's a pile ( actually 3 piles) of rotting vegetation, not an operating theatre. If the 'chuck it on if it ever lived' technique didn't work my house would have disappeared under a tidal wave of putrescibles long ago.

First, I will open with the true observation that I respect the heck out of all the comments here. We are, indeed, talking severe subjectivity. We are, indeed doing the environment a favor. From my perspective (forvive me!) I have had some serious chortles from both the "correct visions" and obvious affronts.
Heck, I look at my four passive piles (one finished for next year, one hot and working, one new and one screened and finished), knowing that three or four years away I will have great stuff from my stuff cooking now. OK, I know that everyone doesn't do it that way, jonhughes of the WONDERFUL video! Great stuff, dude!
When my piles aren't dropping I don't worry, I cheat. I turn the top of the pile and add more urea. Oh, geez. "Not organic, not organic!"? Nope, but works and the finshed product is wonderful, just like Jon's. Oh, and I do screen it! The point is that WE ALL COMPOST and re-use what we should! Onward and upward.
hortster