first timer

Hello y'all,
As the subject says I have just made and filled my first compost bin. I bought a reotemp thermometer to monitor the interior temps and man did it get hot. I read almost 70 degrees Celsius this afternoon dead center. The only problem is that it will probably try and self pasteurize. Has anyone ever tried to place the pile on some sort of grate to get it up off the ground? I think that with the slats in that make up the bin walls and poking down to the bottom of the grate could cause some sort of chimney effect. If the pile were loosened up some maybe the air could draw in and up through the middle. It is certainly hot enough to cause some sort of updraft. Just curious.

I think I remember something about building one on grates. Check Mother Earth, they are the experts on this.

Come on what's that in Farenheit? How close to Canada are you? LOL

Carol, he's a lot closer to me than to you. We're in a milder climate zone.

Today the pile hit 60 degrees Celsius or 140 degrees fahrenheit. The thermometer reads in Celsius. Don't you just love the one world united thing? I couldn't find one were I shop that would read in fahrenheit. Also the instructions were in anything but English until you hunted through the manual for calibration etc. Had to find a formula to convert. This wasn't supplied with the thermometer. Oh well I really always did like to visit other countries. Now all I have to do is go down to the local corner grocery. And just think I can kill two birds with one stone. LOL yuck yuck yuck!

Ok Mudcat, while you're yuckin' it up you have almost reached compost nirvana! I think my tops was 156F one time, so aren't you one of those newcomers? You grew into it fast! Congrats! You're hooked like the rest of us "compost crazies." You're in Virginia and I'm in Alaska and we both are thrilled by the same thing! I have a more modest temp gauge... a common 7 dollar meat fork with buttons that I use by digging a little hole into the hottest center and jabbing it down and just watching the temp just climb as I walk around the yard pretending to to something else and then coming back and checking the rise... 90 - 106 -120 -140 -then it's a degree at a time climbing, climbing. I cover everything on the fork except the working buttons to make sure I get the highest reading, whilst not losing any heat if I can help it!
Carol

Well I have been reading this forum all summer long before the attempt and the free tutorials are the reason for any success. I surely can't claim any thing on my own. As usual the people on the Daves Gardens forums are simply the most knowledgeable, friendly, and accessible of any of the garden sites. My success could actually be read as your success. Have a good evening all.