eithout purchasing anything wut can i do to decrease the time of my compost to a month?

Question

A few questions?

~Does fruit flies and other incests ants blaa blaa help the process go quicker or slower
~ i have worms!!
~ how many times to turn it a week
~ Can tomato seedlings bear fruit in a 5 inch height 4 inch diameter circular coffee can?

Answer 1

To get a compost pile as active as possible will require some math as well as a good back.
http://www.klickitatcounty.org/solidwaste/fileshtml/organics/compostCalcAbout.htm
You will need to do some calculating to actually balance the carbon and nitrogen to the ideal 30:1. For C:N ratois in various compostable materials look here
http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/index.html
http://compost.css.cornell.edu/Composting_homepage.html
http://www.compostguide.com/
A rule of thumb on C:N ratio is make roughly 1⁄4 - 1⁄2 of the pile green nitrogen materials and 1⁄2 - 3⁄4 brown carbon materials.
Wet the material as you layer it in til it is as wet as a wrung sponge. It should be all wet but not dripping.

Ideally one uses a thermometer with readings from 0 degrees to 200 degrees F and is long enough to read well into the pile to determine when to turn the pile. If you have layered the carbon to nitrogen to the ideal 30:1 the pile will begin to heat up. There will be a steady rise in temperature for a day or two. Normally the pile will continue to rise until it reaches 120 to 149 degrees F. Keep on monitoring the temperature. If it stays up, fine. As soon as the temp drops, turn again. Once it no longer rises in temp after being turned it is complete. Note this is predicated on being able to balance the carbon or 'browns' to the nitrogen or 'greens'. Also the particle sizes being added matter. If possible all material should be run through a chipper to mix and reduce the size. This makes turning much easier, too.
During the early stages of the composting process, flies bring bacteria that are useful to the decomposition. Flies lay eggs in compost then the flies & their larvae feed on the decaying vegetation until in heats up. Flies do not survive thermophilic temperatures the bacteria and fungi digestion creates. If flies become a problem cover food scraps with a little soil from the garden or run all food through a blender before composting so it mixes in quickly. Besides worms you will see many other creatures like sow bugs or springtails. All the creatures that move in are there because they like dead stuff. Bugs, big and little, are what make the decomposition happen.
What you should not see are ants. If ants have moved in it is a sign the pile has dried out. Everything should be moist the entire time the pile is composting. If you piled it to dry, its own heat dried it or the summer weather dried it then you must turn it rewetting the layers as you go.
www.mawaterquality.org/themes/nutrient_management/compost_school/Composting%20Recipes_Evanylo.pdf
http://www.css.cornell.edu/compost/calc/cn_ratio.html

Answer 2

You need to get the pile really hot inside. The only way to do this is to use a really lot of material, so you can have a massive pile. If you don't have enough, try to get some from some neighbors. Try to turn frequently. Maybe 3 x per week. This will get the material on the colder outside of the pile into the inside, where it's hot. Even a small, cold pile will decompose eventually, but a hot pile will decompose a lot quicker. The insects do help the decomposition process. Will it be a noticeable difference? I doubt it.

The tomatoes may bear fruit, but it's a risk. You'd be better off planting in the ground, or in a larger container. You'll have to water often, because such a small container will dry out quickly. Tomatoes like their water, and they will be stressed if they don't get enough. Punch holes in the bottom for drainage too. Also, make sure they have access to pollinators (bees.)

Answer 3

chop up all particles as small as possible. this creates surface area and the more surface area available to the microbes that convert the material. Turn fairly often.. every few days. Smaller particle size means the pile packs together more tightly, allowing less oxygen to the pile.

Flies are inevitable.. endure.

I'm sorry about the worms. see a doctor.

2-3 times a week.

the tomatoes.. well, maybe.. poke drain holes in the can and hope for the best. I'd think they'd get rootbound too fast to bear any fruit.

Answer 4

1. Yes. All insects speed up the process as they help decompose matter.

2. Great. See 1.

3. If you want to speed up the speed of decomposition . . . turn at least once a day. And adding water doesn't hurt either.

4. Depends on the type of tomato . . . but technically yes. Why not plant them in a larger container though. That way you'll insure a better crop.