Captain Compost

Whilst shoveling large mound of compost and inadvertently stinking up my shoes, I was surprised to learn that a substantial amount of heat is generated within these heaping piles of decayed matter. I was informed that the source of this heat is actually because of bacteria living in the soil.

This fascinated me, so I decided to research it on my own and present it for your edification.

The heat, true enough, is caused by microbial organisms called extremophiles, meaning they are capable of growth and reproduction in extreme areas.

There are 3 phases by which extremophiles live and function in a compost, and it is the temperature of the compost that determines the phase. As follows...

• At 32–59 °F - psychrophiles, which are predominant, beginning the heating process as they multiply
• At 59–104 °F - mesophiles take over. Psychrophiles then die off or relocate to the outer regions of the compost. As the compost heats up, the mesophiles share the same fate as the psychrophiles. Those that either die in or remain close to the hotter parts of the compost then become some of the sustenance for the next microbials that get to work, which are...
• At 104–158 °F - thermophiles get to work at their peak on the composting matter and even consumer many other bacteria in the process.

Whether or not this is interesting to you doesn't matter too much to me. I thought this was pretty neat.