green_machine_two9er
Well-Known Member
My guess is it wont work in a barn at near to sub freezing. Any thoughts
Cooking soil outside over winter?
- Thread starter green_machine_two9er
- Start date
VTMi'kmaq
Well-Known Member
maybe if it were kept in some sort of insulated building, i was once told of a cat who used old vodka barrels and put a t-8 4 foot bulb in the middle of the soil in the barrels to keep them at least warm. so yeah man im sure it can be done, my ancestors have been growing with wai'pini's for eons.......there's a video in the link watch it......if your interested in wai'pini grows, they work too!
http://todaysorganicgardening.com/walipini-what/
http://todaysorganicgardening.com/walipini-what/
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
add your soil to your compost pile, mix the whole sum-bitch up with alfalfa, grass clipping, and leaves, tarp it, and the temps will be fine.
plus you will have some awesome humus added too.
You'd see steam off that pile, no doubt.
green_machine_two9er
Well-Known Member
Ok. This inquiry is actually for a friend. Not sure they have a compost pile started. What would you think about aging in rubber maids off the ground. And adding lawn clippings and just some local compost. Maybe extra N sources
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
i'd say you could do it that way, if it were me i'd fill the bottom 4 inches or so with an aeration, i'd use rotten tree logs, something to keep it from settling and getting anaerobic.
Really though i'd say a pile would be easier and better off, it's hard to keep moisture away from rubber/plastic, they are hydroscopic, to a degree, not to where it absorbs the water, but to where it'll attract and hold the condensation that the soil will make (and it'll make a lot with that much organic material degrading)
If you could make a bunch of one 1"x1" holes and put like a window screen at the bottom of each tote, that would help.
Important to have LOTS of aeration when you are composting, those microbes need it, not to mention the process itself creates gasses too
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
if it were me, i'd get a couple big-ass smart pots, and use those.
But it's your call, but the smartpots are already aerated, and when you are done you can use it as a larger wormbin, for when your small one gets crowded, assuming a wormbin is in your buddy's future...
Darth Vapour
Well-Known Member
INSULATE the soil with straw and fresh cow manure and pending how deep the pile is she should work
Darth Vapour
Well-Known Member
You could also get a big black bin and black tarp to sorta shield it the black will draw the heat , but the problem is microbes go dormant during winter months leaving anything out in the cold winter will freeze solid if its moist so idunno thinking the straw and fresh manure on top might help . but winter cold will win in the end
token tony
Member
Hey green machine, thanks for posting this for me. Thanks to all who are trying to help also. Outside in my garage I have an old well house that is fairly large and insulated, but there is no heat. Will I be able to skip some of the precautionary steps If I store my soil in there. I dont know the exact temperature the room drops to, but it probably stays just above freezing temps. Thanks again for the help, I am a total noob when it comes to preparing and maintaining organic soil.