"Bill" wrote in message
...
Good points. Let me just add to them, if I can.
The appropriate temp varies with time exposure. The longer the
temp is held,
the lower it can be. At the temps you mention, mere hours are
enough. Even
poorly built piles of adequate size will attain core temps of
130 F. for
the week or so that is recommended.
Here's the kicker: even if the pile never does go above body
temperature,
eventually the parasites die anyways. Why?
No food. Temperature extremes. Ultraviolet light sterilization.
Falling prey
to other biota. Dryness. None of these mechanisms alone is
enough, but they
each take a toll and the combined toll IS enough. We just need
to give the
pile time if we can't give it heat.
I want to make what I think is an important point. We are not
trying to make
the compost absolutely sterile. That is not the goal at all. We
only hope
to make it as safe as the soil it is used in and on. Culture a
petri dish
of soil sometime and you'll see that this is an easy target to
reach.
Composting is simply the act of gathering together and
concentrating the
processes that occur naturally without human intervention. Who
here fears
forest soil? Who even cares if a bear made a doo-doo on it last
year? Who
cares if a deer carcass rotted on it five years ago? Or if a
mouse or
squirrel shat on it today? The bear doo-doo and the deer
carcass benefitted
from time, not temp. and the only trace they left behind was
soil that was
richer for their presence. The rodent doo-doo is simply
accepted because
there is little choice and little risk. We want that bushel of
soil, rat
poop and all, because we know how fertile it is. We'll take our
chances
with the poop.
We let the three year old eat the green bean fresh from the
vine with little
concern for what the wind, bird and bug have left behind. Why?
Because we
want her to love gardens as we do. It's a calculated risk ...
and we all
take it.
Gardening is simply the act of working with natural processes
to grow
specific species of plants that we find useful. Making compost
is just one
of those natural processes. Taking reasonable risks is part of
gardening ... as it is all of life.
Don't dust, rub or spray your plants with diseased manure /
urine and the
processes that were in place in the Garden of Eden will take
care of the
rest. With or without our help, depending on how much of a
hurry we are in
to relax in the garden.
I really appreciate the posts you've made in this topic, with
scientific knowledge. Thanks.
I compost the dog doo here, because there's no other reasonable
way to dispose of the large quantities, and it's nice to know
that I'm not committing some horrible environmental sin ;-).
flick 100785
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