Hi there! Welcome to the sixth segment in our series on the Life of a Batch. In this segment, we’ll detail the fourth time that the batch is turned.
Previously:
We went through The Long Haul, which was the first time that the batch was turned as a single-bay batch.
Today is Tuesday, March 17. It’s been 11 days since we last turned the batch, and 43 days since we started the batch. We’re now in the long 2-3 months stretch where we’ll turn the batch from one bay to the next every 10-12 days or so, monitoring the gradual changes, as it slowly breaks down into its final form.
Here we are, after almost a month and a half. You can see that the material is starting to look a bit more homogeneous… it’s all a pretty common shade of brown. However, the parts are still distinguishable as leaves, sticks, etc. We’re into the breakdown process where things gradually change from the individual parts, to the beautiful compost we’re looking for at the end.
When we start to dig in, we can see that there are still plenty actinomycetes, which is a good thing. It means our environment of moisture, raw materials and aeration is still very conducive to composting… our little microbial friends are happily doing their thing.
Also, the temperature of the batch today before turning is 148°F (64°C). The temperature peaked this round at 152°F (67°C) six days ago on March 11, so in the last week, it’s only lost 4°F (2°C)… things are still cooking along nicely.
As usual, we dig downwards as we get into the pile, peeling off layers of material from the outside, so it will have a chance to be on the inside of the pile, where all the action is. And also as usual, we try to break up the material, aerating and remixing it into the new bay.
As we load it into the new bay, we lightly water the material, layer by layer. Water is an essential part of the composting process, so we always make sure to maintain good moisture levels.
And then there’s the trash… a constant reminder of the ubiquitous nature of plastics in our world. As you can see, the pieces of trash all start to look the same as we get further along, making them that much more difficult to pick out. Another big thank you to the folks who take the time to make sure the yard waste they give us is free from trash.
Turn number four successfully completed, with all of our material thoroughly broken up, remixed, aerated and moistened… moved into the next bay down the line, and one step closer to that finished compost we want.
All covered up to continue it’s silent activity for the next 10-12 days until we dig in again.
Next up:
Turn #5. We check in again on our gradual compost transformation.