#compost help
Rick, I know the problem of helping the kid with a project and wanting to
keep things scientifically pure and still have the kid feel good about the
project–complicated stuff this parenting deal. Here is a possible
solution. Living in Tuscon may complicate things, but what you need is
some compost bioactivator of some kind. A number of companies sell the
stuff but Ringer has an 800 number and might be able to FedEx the stuff to
you asap. 1-800-654-1047. Ask for a 5 lb bag of Compost Pile Recharger
($7.98). That stuff will get your pile going so you can do the experiment
in time. It takes about 3 to 5 days to get the pile heated up again.
Another problem might be that your pile is too small. You need a pile that
is at least 3x3x3 to get it to have enough critcal mass to heat up.
Compost materials in a jar will never heat up. Let us know if you need
more help in moving the cause of science forward.