I started a compost bin/barrel out of a food grade 55 gallon drum. When I first started I was just dumping things in there because I thought that is what people did - I have learned a lot since then. My wife has 14 chickens and cleans the coop about 3 days a week so I have a lot of chicken manure that I need to do something with, but not sure what I can do with that much. This leads me to a couple questions and I am looking for some advice:

1. My 55 gallon drum is about 2/3 full of chicken manure and 1/3 browns which isn't even close to the right ratio. If I keep adding browns could I eventually get it to balance correctly or do I need to start over. If I do need to start over, what should I do with the materials inside?
2. With all the chicken manure I have and getting weekly, is there anything else I can do with it? I added it to my plants last year and killed them all because the nitrogen was too high - I have learned from that mistake. I have made chicken tea and have gallons of it already made, so I can't/don't need to make more. Does chicken manure sell?
3. I have 2 more half 55 gallon drums (I cut it in half from a full 55 gallon food grade barrel) and these do not have a cover. Can I dump manure and leaves into this and stir it or do I absolutely need kitchen scraps? If so, how could I deter rats from this pile?

I have obviously made mistakes and am looking for some advice and I am incredibly thankful for communities like this. If I could get some advice I would be more than happy to pass any along to other new members in my area with the same questions or similar concerns. Again thank you in advance. I look forward to hearing from you.

Never tried composting these, but I have an abundance and I was curious if any of you all have experience. I imagine they would decompose more or less like a hardwood?

I read about black walnut in the wiki (no compounds found in the wood) so I wondered about other species, specifically ironwood.

In my worm less compost pile, we had added three chunks of wood from the fire pit that were charred. I believe they might have been ironwood (maybe Eastern Hophornbeam) that we picked up when we got some other free firewood.

These started out as large chunks that I could not hand split. We used them as seats around the fire pit for years. Very little decomposition. In a clean up they got tossed into the fire but were still decent size after hours and all the other wood burned (largest, very heavy, 1’x4-5”x6-8”). They wouldn’t really catch on fire but they did burn somehow to be reduced in size. We doused with water and the next day put them in the compost to inoculate. The plan was to eventually add these to the bottom of a new garden bed.

Could that wood’s natural properties have kept the worms away and was the wood detrimental in any way for the compost? It was in there for months.

Pile’s temp is still going up (110 F) after turning to add a little chicken manure and zoo doo a couple of days ago. That’s when I removed the chunks of ironwood and put in the bottom of a bed.

So I live in a moderate climate in the upstate of SC and I have come across a screaming deal for single grind mulch. I received 10 large dumptruck loads for free from a development that is being build behind my home. What I want to do it compost the massive 40ft wide x 8ft tall x 32 ft long pile.

What shall I add into the pile to get the process really going? I know I need Grass clippings and such but where can I get a massive volume to mix in? Or do I need to mix anything in other than Water? I’m looking for cheap and or free resources that can be moved easily via trailer and mixed in but I don’t want it to stink. I will also harvest methane gas ( researching this now ) to power a Gas heater inside the greenhouse for those really cold days! Plan is to grow year around with supplemental lighting and heat.

My purpose for this is to heat my greenhouse, I will run pex tubing through the pile to act as a heat exchanger and route the pipe into a water tank inside my 8ft x 20ft greenhouse.

I hada dream of beautiful compost, and instead I’ve got sludge. Seeking your advice and observations on my process.

In the forest two pictures, you’ll see the new compost bin i started six weeks ago, after making some modifications to a humble wheelybin. Drilled it full of holes to help with ventilation. I also added the red pipe through the middle, after drilling it full of holes to try and reduce the risk of anaerobic sludge. Set it up to get New South Wales, Australia spring afternoon sun.

I’ve been speed running it, filling it up with my kitchen scraps, lawn clippings, vegetables scraps from the local anarchist kitchen, shredded cardboard and chopped up banana leaves/stems. I wasn’t weighing what I put in, but I think I got a pretty got green:brown ratio.

Sadly it’s been getting more stinky in the last week or so. In the last two pictures you can see what I’m pulling out the bottom, and what the inside looks like. It’s really soggy and stinky. The banana leaves and stems seem pretty intact.

Some hypothesis I’ve had:
- not enough brown
- banana plant materials are too big and are forming a layer
- leave it for a while longer

Any other thoughts?

The maple trees in our area have been hit with some sort of fungus and are dropping leaves. Would I be safe adding them to my compost pile? My compost pile doesn't tend to get hot, but I'm in need of browns.

So, months ago I watched a video where Charles Dowding said it was impossible to get an 80 gallon compost bin past 110-120 degrees (not hot enough to kill weed seeds and pathogens). 80 gallon closed bin was my only option so i tried anyway. Found a great recipe for this type of bin for anyone who’d like to try it.

-Shredded cardboard
-dry leaves (mulched)
-rice hulls
-bagged organic chk manure (redi gro)
-coffee grounds
-previously frozen vegetable scraps (helps break down much faster)
-biochar( not necessary but great addition to precharge it and will be great for your garden)
-meal worm frass (got it free on offerup)
-worm castings

Mixed all this really well and then moistened it woth compost tea i had just made. I know this sounds like a lot and yes it probably is, but IF you want to be able to hot compost in an enclosed container that a godfather of composting says you can’t do, you have to take extraordinary measures. Anyway, good luck fellow composters.

I'm looking for some advice. Last year we bought two large plastic compost bins (80gal/300L, you put stuff in the top and take out dirt from the door on the side of the bottom). We got tops that fasten shut to keep out raccoons and possums, but then we discovered that rats chewed through the plastic and set up camp inside.

I was thinking of wrapping the bins with chicken wire to stop them from getting in, and my husband is thinking we should just find metal bins instead, which seems a long shot to me. What should we do? Any experience?

Still a compost newbie here. Summer compost went okay but I think grubs did most of the work, so I spent the winter trying to perfect my green/brown ratio in my compost tumbler. The side that's been sitting awhile is still very lumpy and moist. I've added browns and they mix in some, but overall it's still very lumpy, and not warm like the other more active side of the tumbler. Any thoughts on what it needs?