First timer here I have a question.

[Rey]

I watch other youtube guys saying that the ratio of carbon is 3 to 1 others have 25 to 1. I bought an 80G compost tumbler from lifetime and my question is that can I use the leaves that is on top that did no start to rot yet? I have about 8yrs of pile there and when I dug down, it is just dirt but I never put any grass there, it was plain leaves...

 

[zigs]

If you mean just tree leaves then you don't want to put them in a compost tumbler, leaves get broken down by fungus rather than the bacterial process you get in a compost heap.

Best just keep them in a wire mesh enclosure, takes a year or two to break down into leafmold, depending on the tree species

 

[Rey]

I see, I plan to mix them with greens to accelerate, can I do this? I mean just take the top layers from last year's fall season

 

[zigs]

Might work, not really much for the bacteria to get into though, mostly tannins and lignins that fungus would prefer

 

[Rey]

So I assembled the 80G lifetime compost tumbler and i drilled a hole for the thermometer, outside temp is 85 and it seems inside is 102, is this ok? I use pulp from the juicer, grass clippings, cardboard box cut into small pieces and I rake some leaves from last fall..Still monitoring if the temperature will rise a bit, so far, it does not stink inside so I assume it is ok? It is 5 days old so far.

 

[zigs]

That's good Here in old fashioned England we stick an iron bar in the heap to see if it's got hot

 

[Rey]

That's good Here in old fashioned England we stick an iron bar in the heap to see if it's got hot

I love the UK, I was in Bournemouth about 8yrs ago or so.. The air is clean there, the first hotel that I went to that I can open the window because no airconditioning .. I ask the hotel and they say its windy and it is like 70F during the day...

 

[zigs]

I love the UK, I was in Bournemouth about 8yrs ago or so.. The air is clean there, the first hotel that I went to that I can open the window because no airconditioning .. I ask the hotel and they say its windy and it is like 70F during the day...

Don't think i've every stayed in an hotel with air conditioning

I'm not far from Bournemouth, at West Bay