Crazy tomato just started growing out of the presto hoop bin. This tomato is from a tomato that I threw in the bin at some point. This open bin never got as hot as my compost tumblers which is why tomato seeds are able to germinate, sprout and thrive. I needed to harvest the compost so I transplanted it to my other presto hoop bin. If the tomato survives the transplant I will update with progress.
Opening your compost bin and finding these critters can be quite a surprise. The BSFL are in my DIY compost can. I also had these black soldier fly larvae in my outdoor worm bins. I spent hours trying to get these guys out of the worm bins. I ended up searching google for “white worm maggots”, “compost maggots”, “white bugs in compost pile”. It turns out that the black soldier fly larvae are great composters and the red wigglers like to eat what the black soldier flies leave behind. The black soldier fly larvae are beneficial to the composting process. They help to compost kitchen scraps in very small amounts of time. As an additional bonus, the adult flies don’t carry pathogens and are not interested in entering your home like normal house flies. For more info on soldier flies and the beneficial larvae, check out the links below.
I guess I got the ratio of green and brown compost ingredients correct this time. This temp is taken from one of my compost tumblers.The temperature outside was about 60 degress and the compost is over 120 degrees. Steam coming from the pile is a good thing. This batch of compost has been going for about 2 weeks and is already looking pretty good.
I am always looking for faster ways to generate quality compost. Ensuring the pile has plenty of air is a great way to speed up the composting process. The solution is a compost tumbler. Store bought tumblers can be expensive (I think they are worth it). I wanted to create a compost tumbler, but for less money than a store bought version. I bought two food grade screw top containers. The containers were used to transport olives in their past life. Now with one modification they will help me to generate compost in less time. These containers have enough room to get a mass of compost big enough to heat up. I have tried 5 gallon bucket composters and they just don’t give you enough compost mass to heat up. One of the primary goals is to get as much air to the microbes and bacteria that generate compost. I drilled small holes (1/8″) all around the sides and bottom of the container. I add ingredients that I have stockpiled for the tumbler. If everything is combined in the correct ratio the compost will heat up and really cook delivering great compost in less time. To rotate the compost tumbler I just push it over and roll it on the ground. Simple, yet effective.
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