Bizarre spring 2012-- what have you planted outside so far?

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on April 3, 2012 at 2:19pm

Not just volume, but also mixture of ingredients, as well as moisture content will determine the temperature a compost pile can reach. I read somewhere that seed gets killed starting at 120+ degrees, but that you need an extended period over 140 degrees to kill all seeds. Last summer our tumbler got up to a blazing 155 degrees. That tumbler is the size of a small rain barrel.

Another option would be turn your compost more frequently. Any sprouts will be turned under and die.

Anne Alt said:

My understanding is that the size of the compost pile/bin makes a difference in how much heat is produced and whether seeds are killed or not.  From what I've read, it takes one cubic yard or more (preferably enclosed) to generate enough heat to kill seeds.  My compost bin is somewhat smaller than this, and it definitely doesn't kill seeds, because I've gotten volunteer tomatoes in places far from the veggie bed - places where I've used the compost.

h' said:

If composting properly, seeds are supposed to be killed by the heat.

igz said:

thanks! in that case, im getting a lot of volunteers. most unfortunately, most are from my compost. i repotted a palm that now has peppers growing with it. and those damn squash seeds.  i have sprouts everywhere again. gah. tomatoes strated growing in a pot that i planted some garlic. those are already transfered outside. outside, i have seedum growing in new places, rasberries are expanding, morning glories are everywhere, some fern, and of course, mint is coming up in random places.

Permalink Reply by Todd Allen on April 3, 2012 at 2:48pm

I've found that when we have a large quantity of fresh material to compost it's fairly easy to get hot compost, but most of the time when we add small amounts of kitchen scraps or a bit of garden waste on a regular basis it doesn't get that hot.  Also, even with a hot pile the outer portions will still stay cool.   Regular turning will help but most of the time we have some seeds that survive the composting process.

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