Gerry Gillespie SPICE Anerobic Compost - Farm Trial

1. Actively turned compost piles must reach 131F for 15 days versus 3 days for a static pile to kill pathogens, parasites, and weed seeds while staying under 160F to prevent killing beneficial microbes. Due to the turning, fungal communities are unable to thrive and consequently turned compost is mostly bacterial.
2. Aerobic or anerobic static piles must reach 131F for 3 days. This makes sense if the piles have a thick cover of composted material or wood chips so even the material near the outer face of the pile reaches 131F.
3. This cover also serves to retain moisture noxious gases such that they are consumed in the composting process
4. In Wisconsin, we can have frequent rain and no sun for weeks on end. This presents a challenge to keeping the piles from getting too wet and going anerobic. That’s why we decided to try to convert one of our aerated static piles to an anerobic SPICE pile.
5. The Gerry Gillespie SPICE (Static Pile Inoculated Compost Extension) composting.
1. https://www.gerrygillespie.net/
https://youtu.be/6DwkTTks918
2. In general, pile material is treated with a special blend (Lacto) of microbes and then covered for 4-6 weeks. If the piles are too dry at that point, water is added as they are turned. After another 4-6 weeks, the piles are uncovered and allow to “cure” – further break down – see pic.
3. It’s important to create a trough at the top of the pile so moisture that condenses at the top of the pile drips back down into the pile.
4. Has the benefit of not being impacted by high rainfall.
5. Mr. Gillespie specifies how to create the special blend of anerobic microbes “Lacto” by adding liquid from fermented rice and milk into a barrel of water containing salt, basalt dust, molasses, bone meal, and fresh cut plant greens – see pic.
6. To what extent fungi flourish in this environment is not clear but there are images of visible fungal hyphae in SPICE compost. At a..