| A question I often see in discussion groups and hear from other composters is, ‘How can I speed up the composting process?’ As a hot composter, I work to achieve temperatures between 150 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit when I am making batches of compost for the garden. I can take a heap of waste materials from the garden and the kitchen to a usable material for my requirements in as little as sixty days, which is still considered too long by others who still boast that they can make a workable material in as little as three weeks. It is accurate. I have seen these ready-to-use garden mediums that follow the Berkeley Composting Method, which can produce a quantity in as little as 18 days. My method does produce a mixture that I could use in three weeks if I chose to. However, I prefer to spend extra time making sure it suits me. So, I tend to work on a strategy that means I have material ready to fine-sieve in sixty days. Not everyone fine-sieves their finished product, but I do. That is my personal preference. The composting process can take anywhere between 18 days and fifteen months. It reflects the composter’s requirements, the method used, and the system utilised for the compost as much as it is about what is being composted in the first place. The prime ingredient in having compost for your use is ‘time’—more importantly, how much time and effort you put into creating the desired product. There are many ways to ‘speed up the process – these days. Since I first began creating compost for my requirements, I have learned a few tricks. I can use urine, coffee, or old compost material as initial accelerators and turn the batch every three days. The turning alone will start to heat the compost. However, there are other methods a composter can adapt to suit their tastes. When I create a new pile, I start from the ground up, as in flat to the ground; however, if you wish, you could start your compost pile on a bed of sticks, encouraging drainage and airflow. Some find success with placing a bottle of hot water in the first few inches of a new pile. I was introduced to this strategy in the Hot Bin composting method booklet. Creating air space within the compost helps others speed up their heaps. This can be introduced quickly by inserting pipes into the compost pile in various positions to encourage more airflow. Equally, you can achieve the same results by using a pallet system and turning the pile more frequently. Adding rich greens such as coffee, grass clippings, or horse or chicken manures to the heap ensures the introduction of nitrogen-rich composting materials. Too many carbons—browns—will slow the whole process down. Make sure the waste products are light enough – smaller items compost faster. Cut down branches and sticks, smash up large fruit or vegetables, crush flowers and stalks, and add shredded materials like leaves or paper. Large items take longer to break down. Aim to have a more significant compost heap—my heaps are a minimum of three feet high, deep, and wide. These are suitable sizes. The bigger the pile, the more heat it will generate internally quickly, compared to a smaller pile, which can be more easily affected by the outside environment. In summary, working together, any of the following, if not all, can speed up the composting process. |
| Embrace the Rhythm of Frequent Turnings – Every three days, you’ll be actively contributing to the transformation of your compost heap. Enhance your composting knowledge by creating a base layer before the heap is built of sticks and twigs. This technique not only encourages drainage and airflow but also sets a strong foundation for your composting process. Placing a bottle filled with hot water a few inches below the surface at the top of your compost heap Create ‘airspaces’ in your heap by introducing pipes. Insert them into the top of the heap and push them down into the heap itself. This allows for better aeration and promotes the growth of beneficial microorganisms. Adding nitrogen-rich materials – coffee grounds, lawn clippings, horse or chicken manure Cutting up green waste or kitchen scraps into smaller pieces makes composting easier. Bulkier items take longer to break down. A compost pile of a decent size, with minimum dimensions of 36″ x 36″ x36″, heats more quickly. This is because a larger pile retains heat better, accelerating the composting process. |
Earthly Comforts 
One thought on “Accelerate Composting Process: Hot Compost Technique”