Compost Heated High Tunnel - Simplifying every step

[@s.m.a8182]

I really appreciate that you add Celsius (🌍🌏)numbers so us non americans will understand how hot the compost is 😁

[@huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhn]

I'm also glad that he does this and I think every good video maker needs to do this. If you were wondering what the the inside reading of the thermometer (the number inside the circle) means, I believe that is also the Celsius degrees :) But still, it's nice that he mentions it for the people who might not look at the screen or listen to the video like a podcast

[@thelandofmint]

Yep, I agree. 🥰👍

[@edibleacres]

I try to do that with each video. Doesn't always happen but it's my goal and I'm glad it feels of value to folks!

[@159India1]

Thank you for chatting with us this afternoon, David, Greenpoint, Brooklyn NY

[@edibleacres]

My pleasure David

[@Earthdwellershomestead]

This is great man! We used compost for heat in our greenhouse, but our chicken greenhouse compost went cold in the arctic blast we had midwinter. It’s great to see what you’ve got going on!

[@edibleacres]

Thanks for the kind words. We've been appreciating your continued documentation on your experiments with compost heating!

[@antiowarr9467]

Gradual heating system to turn up slowly over time very good idea. cheers

[@johnrobholmes]

Fabulous! I'm finally setting up a big enough compost pile thanks to the new wood chipper. Will have to try this next winter.

[@nataliejohnson5148]

Thanks Sean and Sasha

[@johnpowell8568]

Wow! Your methods rock! It never fails to impress me as to the seemingly new knowledge you are inventing/creating/discovering as you go. I mean I've only heard bits and pieces from other sources, of what has evolved at your farm as an incredibly sophisticated and advanced form of agriculture that could very easily transform even a whole country such as Iceland, or ANY of the far northern regions. I see videos of those cold harsh cities in the Russian Arctic that were 100% subsidized cold war era industrial projects, and can visualize the complete revitalization of the cold, derelict and largely abandoned 'company towns' into living, super vitally alive eco-spaces, and all in the middle of a (now) mostly ignored and forgotten wasteland! All those (mostly) abandoned buildings, with virtually unlimited and free land around them, and a body of knowledge such as you are creating, and it could literally improve the lives of millions, and all without very much need of imports. Those people understand 'low tech', and with just a relatively small investment of materials and teachers, could do wonders!

[@TheEmbrio]

Iceland or the tundra are at different lattitudes of earth to northe East usa, i’d say 44 degrees north. Amount of sunlight, the angle of incidence in winter, it to be taken into account

[@edibleacres]

Super kind words here John, thank you. We're just exploring and sharing as we go, nothing about what we're up to is actually that complex or needing some sort of formal entry to get into, so hopefully more and more folks go down that road, take our foundational understanding of things and develop some much more rich and resilient solutions!

[@trumpetingangel]

That colorful bantam rooster is so cute! He doesn’t know he is a tiny version of a chicken. ❤

[@edibleacres]

He's pretty sure he's huge!

[@adamredden2007]

So, in theory, you could build a dryish pile like this inside, and water as needed in different weather conditions. Meaning, there's a cold front on the way, and you need the pile piping hot to counteract the excessive cold... then allow it to cool down as conditions improve. I know this video is a bit old, but we're contemplating building a high tunnel or two, and I'm currently diving into passive heating options. You guys are inspirational, thanks.

[@edibleacres]

It is an interesting idea, to basically 'turn on' or allow to 'turn off' a compost heating pile but I'm not sure that would work exactly. I think prepping a space with compost heating a few days/weeks before you really need the heat lets it then kick start and function for the few weeks/month or two you need for swing season... Experiment I bet you'll figure out awesome stuff!

[@growingwithfungi]

Loving the regular uploads.. as a subscriber we are blessed! thank you so much Sean. Greatly appreciate and enjoy hearing your notes.. 😊💚🙏🍄

[@edibleacres]

We're really happy to share

[@SW556G19X]

I used your composting idea in my chicken run and it’s been amazing!!! I’ve seen a lot of your videos you’re very smart, it’d be cool to stop by and have a drink with you I’m not too far away I’m in the Milwaukee area

[@edibleacres]

So glad you find them useful and that your chickens are happy!

[@julie-annepineau4022]

Started a chicken coop this week and planning a trampoline/wire fence poly tunnel in the spring. Hoping I can develop a system like yours in the next few years, just with less chickens. Loving learning what is possible.

[@edibleacres]

So glad you are exploring these ideas. I think you can absolutely do this sort of experimenting on a smaller scale and have great results. Best of luck to you!

[@trockodile]

This is an awesome tool we use regularly on our home farm. We have a short handled version for our waist high raised beds too. Definitely worth making them. 👍

[@GreenhavenFarmandHomestead]

I just found your channel! We are building a permaculture homestead from raw land in North Carolina and after a very disappointing compost purchase last year, we are heavily going to focus on building our own compost. I love some of the methods in your videos! Thank you for sharing!

[@edibleacres]

Wishing you great luck!

[@vonries]

At first I was just short of yelling at my screen, "You need to add water, add water, damn dude it looks like you totally forgot to add any water to your browns." Then you got to the end and said why. That really makes sense. I don't know if it will work the way you hope, but that's the reason for experiments. It might.

[@edibleacres]

Remains to be seen if it will work!

[@finnishlinedetailing4311]

Million dollar compost . Love ut

[@Mikhail-Caveman]

wow your really getting good with this system! super cool!

[@edibleacres]

Thanks!

[@B30pt87]

Beautiful!

[@lindajones9191]

This is fascinating. I'm in New England and it would be a dream to be able to keep a tunnel between 40 and 70 F in winter without electricity. In addition to the many seeds I could start I'd like to get sun on ranunculus and lisianthus starts and they may not bloom if temperatures are above 75 so something like this might work if I was prepared to move the starts out on sunny days if the temps creeped up.

[@miabagley2202]

Wonderful! Needing to renovate our chicken run this year and I'm thinking cattle panels will do the trick. Are these the 16 ft ones? What are the rough dimensions? I'm hoping to devote one side at least to a successive compost system. Thanks for always giving us great info!

[@edibleacres]

The high tunnel I'm working in is 7.5' x 16' long... 4 panels. They are 16' long and 50" tall.

[@expat2023]

From 🇷🇺 with ❤️!

[@erinsclark1]

Hey there. Have you ever thought about using your winter chicken run/high tunnel as a place to start seedlings? I am playing around with this idea, and I'm trying to decide if I could add shelves up high to put seed trays... let me know

[@edibleacres]

I personally wouldn't do this in a chicken area because they find ways to get into most everything... Also, having flats decoupled from the earth has been disastrous for me... Quick to dry out, easy to get super cold or hot. I only start seeds in the soil in season extension spaces so this area wouldn't work for my needs unfortunately...

[@williampatrickfurey]

Ever consider a clear plastic covered "root cellar" with earthen steps and slope leading down to a roosting tree within a similar type of hoop house? I thought black aquarium sand for the floor of the "root cellar"; seems like it has some antimicrobial properties.

[@thomaschambers5711]

Are the fumes harmful?

[@huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhn]

I believe they could be harmful if they were concentrated but a somewhat ventilated compost doesn't produce much of the harmful gases and they should dilute into the air quickly. If the compost were placed inside an enclosed room for example like you would do it in a facility for producing Biogas then breathing in that concentrated gas could be harmful. But yeah, the dosage makes the poison

[@edibleacres]

I think the layering of dry leaves, charcoal, woodchips and then a deep cap of compost all conspire to making it much much safer to be around.

[@Bright_iiii_s]

I'm considering rabbits for compost material, I have much to learn first.

[@growingwithfungi]

hi Michelle, i had a friend in the US who only used rabbit manure as his manure imput for the compost and he had thee most amazing plants! i think you could be on to winner! best of luck! I wonder if its like guinea pig manure that can be used straight way without need for composting?..best, Scott

[@edibleacres]

You can learn as you go. Definitely don't have to have a perfect system designed before you bgin...

[@creekwoodfarmandhomesteadc6440]

👍

[@ghostridergale]

Somehow I got to wrap my mind around composting inside a greenhouse? I’m one of those OCD type people that want everything looking nice and neat and obviously you’re idea goes against everything I think about wanting my garden to look like. Don’t get me wrong here, not putting down your method, more putting down my method actually. Yours obviously works better for creating heat.! Only other way I was considering doing would be adding 55 gall drums on each side filled with water and let the sun heat the water in the barrels to keep the greenhouse warmer thru the night. Of course barrels would take up more space and you I’m assuming would still be able to plant in your compost?

[@TheEmbrio]

I’m a passive house designer. There is not enought heat in the winter sunlight to compensate for the losses durijg the night in a high tunnel. The amount of insulation needed on a house, let alone a passive solar house, doesn’t allow light like a growing tunnel. So water barrées, are only ok to mitigate night temps mid spring, early fall. In Edible Acres’ case, they need ACTIVE heat production, in the form of’the bioogical processes of composting. Ps you can make it all squared in and buttoned up, the laws of nature will work if made to look pretty too.

[@edibleacres]

Explore other options for sure, although I think this implementation could easily be put together with fancier looking sides/container and just look like an elegant raised bed that happens to continually offer warmth for free for a few months!

[@slaplapdog]

I love the idea of compost heating, but not the work if moving compost. I keep wondering if I could compost in a liquid environment, sawdust, poop, urine and foodscraps in water, aerated via a lift pump.