This has been a dream of mine for some time, and I finally got around to making it happen.... I have this sweet spot for compost, but it takes forever to get a good batch by turning it with tractors, so I decided to try my hand at aerated piles. Here is the basic setup, with 3 bins going in. Each bin hold about 200 cy I had to design some temperature controls for the blowers, and some humidity controls for the water application, and they all live in the doghouse Here's the first batch, about 15 days into processing
After 40 days, the temps finally settled out to ambient, so I pulled the material and fed it to the Royer Here it is all stacked up And a closeup of it bagged out
Ive actually given up on topsoil for finish work, as the compost has zero clay or stones in it, and weighs under 800 lb per yard. Needless to say, it finishes like a dream. Plus we can get grass at 3 days without watering in the middle of July I wish I had gone back to get finished pictures of the lawn. It was a running joke with the painter on the job , as they told me that they could actually hear it coming up. They said there were sections that were brown in the morning, and went almost all green by noon! Ive had it tested by the local ag extension, and it all pans out. I am now in the process of taking it to market with local supply yards and contractors.
Organic compost ingredients?
Nice! Compost and mulch is something I would like to get into.
Yes Stan, Its all organic. We actually have the setup on the family horse farm. We farm the hay, feed it to the horses, muck the stalls, compost the poop and hay, and then reuse some of the compost as fertilizer on the fields.
Sounds good, don't overlook wood chips used in stalls if they're made from chemical treated lumber.