Do Compost Piles Need to be Watered?

I just got back from a two week trip, and the first thing I thought about was 'how are my compost systems doing?' It ends up that things are pretty good. It hasn't rained here much, so I added water to my compost bins. This is a new behavior for me- it's normally stated as unnecessary to water compost systems, but I think this mostly applies to poorly designed compost systems that don't have adequate aeration, therefore becoming that damp and smelly nightmare we've heard of but probably haven't experienced. My new trash can composting system (seen below) was looking pretty dried out. The key reason: air holes. This isn't a big deal, and I'd rather have this situation than a soggy mess (not that that can't be cured quickly…

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The Worms Say Hi

I just cleared out the remainder of my produce in the fridge and made a kale/carrot/apple/ginger/cucumber/spirulina/cardboard smoothie. Over the last few months, I've refined what I give the worms to mostly juicer waste and a fair bit of dampened cardboard as a cover material. I've definitely seen them become more plump and/or healthy looking in general. I got worried for a bit when I was focusing on my compost toilet efforts a bit obsessively through the winter to ensure my pile cooked through the near zero degree temperatures. Now that the pile is killing off every pathogen in sight by maintaining a constant 120-130F, I can give the worms their deserved attention. Since I neglected them, I'm just keeping it simple with juicer waste... I feel like it definitely revitalized…

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