If the pile is built correctly, it will heat up within 24 to 36 hours to the ideal temperature of 141°F to 155°F (weed seeds and disease pathogens die at these temperatures) and will maintain its temperature for several days to a week or longer. Hot composting is far quicker, taking three to four weeks. There’s an old saying that the three best things you can do for your plants is compost, compost, and compost. Some experts recommend you inoculate the compost with live organisms in order to speed up the process. You must be a magazine subscriber to access this feature. There is the hands-off cold compost pile that only has to be aerated every so often and is added to as one goes along. “Hot vs Cold? heap and letting nature take its course. See how to turn garden waste and kitchen scraps into nutrient-rich goodness—whether it’s “hot” composting or “cold” composting. Because hot compost piles take less time to break down, it also reduces the amount of space you need to allocate for composting in your garden. Learn about different styles of composting, including the hot and cold method. Hot Composting is a great way to make lots of rich organic compost fast - typically 30-90 days. Downfalls to Cold Composting. Making your own compost is a great way to get a free garden soil amendment. Sadly, for much of the country, the planting…, After such a long and dreary year, we could all use a celebration. Hot compost heats up to temperatures between 113 and 158 degrees Fahrenheit. Get our latest tips, how-to articles, and instructional videos sent to your inbox. Hot Composting Tips. COMPOSTING METHODS. The smaller the particles, the faster they will break down. Hot composting takes more effort, but the reward is finished compost in only six to eight weeks. Diseased plants (can cause diseases to spread in … Cold composting is definitely a more natural method than hot composting, and it definitely fosters more of the beneficial organisms necessary for plant health. When actively working, a handful of compost should feel like a wet sponge. There are two means of composting organic material: Slow which is cold compost, and fast which is hot compost. Cold Composting. The time needed to have finished compost is hard to estimate because it depends on the materials in your pile and the size of the particles. Each has advantages and disadvantages. You build a pile of material and then leave it alone. Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. Hot Composting Basics . Whether you want quick results or are content to let compost “happen” at its own speed, there is a method for you. Microbial Populations in Compost vs Vermicompost. of the member-only content library. There are two primary benefits of hot compost. Cold Composting is very similar to hot composting, the difference being with a cold heap you are making it gradually as materials become available. Simple to maintain, just add your waste to it. This should be done several times. Nutrients will gradually be released, providing nourishment to the soil all season. Sign up for a free trial and get access to ALL our regional content, plus the rest They are considered “cold” because little or no heat reaction occurs as the material decomposes. © 2020 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved. In general, bigger is better, but four feet by four feet is a manageable size for most gardeners. Continue layering till the bin is full. Three broad categories summarize the types of composting in use today: cold/slow, hot/fast, and worm-based. But the pile needs to be no more than about a cubic yard (3’ x 3’ x 3’) in size. By Veronica Lorson Fowler The Iowa Gardener . Moisture is important so if it doesn’t rain, you’ll need to water the pile to keep it moist. Many gardeners prefer the cold composting method becauseit requires much less effort and maintenance to create the same nutrient-richgarden humus that hot composting makes. Here are four tricks for heating up your compost pile. It takes much longer to produce finished compost. Heat will kill weed seeds and some plant diseases, but heat is not necessary to break down the pile. Cold Composting Hot composting is faster but requires attention to keep carbon and nitrogen in the optimum ratio. Required fields are marked *. Hot Composting Vs Cold Composting. I would like to know if you usually get fast hot compost or slower cold compost, and how it performs in your garden. Composting doesn’t have to be complicated. Cold composting can take several months to decompose to usable fertilizer. Hot composting takes more effort, but the reward is finished compost in only six to eight weeks. While others will recommend adding in healthy top soil as it also contains live organisms that will convert your organic matter into compost material. Er, grass clippings? The Difference Between Hot, Cold, and Warm Compost Piles, Gardening Gift Ideas for the Holidays 2020, A Fool and His Garden | Letter from the Editor, Dahlias Don’t Ask Much | Letter from the Editor, It’s Just Business | Letter from the Editor. Cold Compost. Cold compost piles take longer to break down but are ideal for recycling small, steady amounts of organic material. If you have even a small space, it can just be a pile in a remote corner of the yard. As far as CO2 release, pretty much any organic material decomposes to release its carbon as CO2. Sign up for our newsletter. Composting doesn’t have to be complicated. There's an old saying that the three best things you can do for your plants is compost, compost, and compost. Too small and the pile won't heat up sufficiently. It should have one side open or removable so you can easily reach the bottom of the pile to turn it. Start by choosing a site near a water source and close to where the amendment will be used. You can think of cold composting as the add-as-you-have-materials pile. If hot composting is not for you, try one of these easy cold composting methods. Each has advantages and disadvantages but the end result is the same: improved garden soil and less organic waste in landfills. There are many different composting methods. Sear Nation 18,067 views. You can build it slowly over time. ", Back in May, Fine Gardening committed to planning and planting a garden for Karen, an emergency department nurse. A cold pile requires minimal effort but may take a year or two before it produces compost you can use in your garden. All the ingredients are at your disposal, so the only question is, should I hot compost or cold compost? Hopefully, it’ll help make your holiday season as special as possible. The big advantage of hot over cold composting is the time it takes to complete the process. You may or may not be aware of the various compost methods like hot vs. cold composting. Either way, you’ll get a terrific soil amendment for your garden. Pathogens can be killed in cold composting as well as in hot composting. As a thank you for joining our campaign, we’ll gift you our brand new eBook,. Turn it twice a week at first, then every week. Every few days adding a bit more. Build a 3 foot by 3 foot (1 by 1 m.) bin out of wire, wood pallets, concrete blocks, or purchase one. Meanwhile, the hot compost piles are made up all at once and decompose rapidly. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Hot Compost vs. Your email address will not be published. A hot pile takes more effort but will produce compost more quickly—in several weeks to several months. Turning the pile once a month will speed things up a bit. Hot Compost Vs. Cold composting can also be done in a dark dank corner of the garden behind … Frequent turning allows more oxygen into the pile ensuring aerobic activity and a sweet, earthen smell. A good size for a pile or bin for hot composting is at least four feet wide by four feet high. This is often referred to as “cold composting”. 5/5 (2) Xboomgarden.com – There’s more to composting than just making a pile of kitchen scraps, grass clippings, straw, leaves and other organic materials. Compost piles come in two types. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! To do hot composting, you do need to be a bit more organised than you do if you are cold-composting. Too much moisture will deplete the much needed oxygen and you’ll end up with foul smelling compost. Hot (or active) composting uses microbes to breakdown the matter. A hot compost pile needs at least 3′ X 3′ X 3′ in order to heat up and ideally, even a bit wider and taller. Layer browns to greens in a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio. Use a compost thermometer to monitor the temperature. We know this year has been tough, and this will surely be a very different holiday for many people. Cold vs Hot Composting Cold Composting . A variety of different-size mate rials (like twigs, stalks, straw, or hay) creates air pockets. So, add in all your usual vegetable and garden waste, watch the heat soar and then start adding cooked food, meat, small bones and perennial weeds. Now that you know the difference between the two, it’s merely a matter of which method you have time for or how quickly you’d like to see results. It’s relatively simple to keep composting outside over winter, even in cold-weather climates. With our brand new eBook, featuring our favorite DIY projects for the whole family, we really wanted to create a way to not only show our appreciation for the growing Gardening Know How community, but also unite our community to help every one of our neighbors in need during these unprecedented times. Basically, some combination of time and temperature kills pathogens; colder temperature, more time. You also increase the air/oxygen exchange every time you turn the pile. Cool is, by elimination, cooler than 113 degrees. Start by choosing a site near a water source and close to where the amendment will be used. In compost terms, these words do not refer to the temperature of the air outside, but rather the temperature inside of the pile. Hot composting takes much less time than cold composting. Firstly, as noted above, you need to have all your ingredients on hand, ready to go. Compost basically falls into two rough categories, "hot" and "cold." Hot Composting. Without high temperatures to kill off weed seeds or disease pathogens, you will be spreading these bad guys around your landscape. Unlike a hot compost heap, a cold heap can be of any volume as it does not need to reach a critical mass to be a good environment for the particular micro-organisms that inhabit it. As with the choice of what materials to compost, what type of compost bin/container to use, and other facets of composting, there is no right or wrong answer. What do these mean anyway and which is better? Under optimal conditions (i.e., if not dragged out too long or flooded by repeated rainfalls), it may even contain more nutrients. You can spend time getting the browns and greens just right – but you don’t have to. Hot Composting vs. The size of your compost bin or pile is very important when it comes to hot composting. Come spring, you’ll have a good head start on producing compost … Whether you want quick results or are content to let compost “happen” at its own speed, there is a method for you. Build a 3 foot by 3 foot (1 by 1 m.) bin out of wire, wood pallets, concrete blocks, or purchase one. Characteristics and Benefits of Hot Compost. And compost can indeed to wonderful things for your garden: It supplies nutrients for plants, breaks up clay, makes sandy […] Start by choosing a site near a water source and close to where the amendment will be used. Get complete site access to decades of expert advice, regional content, and more, plus the print magazine. The faster these tiny microbes work, the faster the compost decomposes. Browns (carbon source) are dried leaves, twigs, straw, and shredded newspapers or cardboard, while greens (nitrogen) are grass clippings, weeds, vegetable scraps (no meat or dairy), coffee grounds and filters, and tea bags. Hot composting has the benefits of killing weed seeds and pathogens (diseases), and breaking down the material into very fine compost. The ratio by volume should be 2 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen. Check out the hot composting section for more info on compost structures/siting. What does that mean?” Well, basically, hot composting will break the pile down faster. Benefits of Cold Composting. Build a 3 foot by 3 foot (1 by 1 m.) bin out of wire, wood pallets, concrete blocks, or purchase one. Do not put in weeds that have gone to seed or diseased plants. Hot composting takes more effort, but the reward is finished compost in only six to eight weeks. Our guide will show you how to make beautiful, earthy compost for free – quickly and efficiently. Your compost pile won’t be quite as productive, but that’s OK. You’re not going to be gardening through those months anyway. What’s the difference and which one is better? What You Should Not Put Into Your Compost. It was a small way to say thank you for the efforts…. So, this holiday season, we created a giving campaign for two of our favorite non-profits who are working to help put food on the tables of hungry families across the U.S. and around the world. In contrast, cold composting does not destroy seeds, so if you cold compost weeds, any weed seeds will grow when you put the compost into the garden. Is your compost cold as ice? Use it as a soil amendment in the garden or as a mulch on annuals, perennials, trees, and shrubs. It’s how you balance the basic four ingredients — greens, browns, moisture, and oxygen — that determines whether you have a hot, cold, or warm (hybrid) compost pile. Hot Composting vs Cold Composting. When you hot compost right, you’ll have ready compost in a month as opposed to the six months that a cold compost pile will take. Happy holidays from all of us at Gardening Know How. To aid in decomposition, keep the mixture as damp as a wrung-out sponge but not sopping wet. Cold composting uses many of the sameingredients as hot composting, but requires less attention and a longerdecomposition period. With a hot heap you’re making it all in one go. (See “The Humanure Book” for more details on this.) 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