July 30: Hot, but not stinky rotten!

Gifford Park has one of Omaha's most successful community gardens. And on this day, kids gathered for lessons in weather and gardening. Hannah Waltemath and others checked the temperature of a steaming compost pile. They discovered the same thing I did that day -- the compost pile was hot to the touch, too hot to keep your hand in for long. And, like most successful compost piles, it wasn't that stinky.

People with backyard composts piles have their choice between hot and cold piles. Hot compost piles require active maintenance and reach an internal temperature of 110 degrees to 160 degrees. Active maintenance includes turning the pile, making sure there is sufficient moisture in it and keeping a proper balance of green and brown yard waste.

A properly tended hot compost pile will decompose in several weeks while a cold one will take several months to a year. Cold composting -- basically just throwing your clippings in a pile -- appears to be better at suppressing soil-borne diseases. Hot composting appears to do a better job of killing weed seeds and plant diseases, but temperatures may get too high for the beneficial bacteria needed to kill off soil pathogens.

Among the other lessons the kids got that day was on the difference in temperature between a shady spot and sunny one. The temperature under a shade tree was 25 degrees lower than on the sidewalk .

Source: Natural Resources Conservation Service

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