toads in my bin

there is a gradually increasing population of toads in my wooden 'bin'... does this signify that the heap is too wet?

 

I wouldn't think so - they generally hide under logs, stones, flowerpots etc. which are damp but not exactly wet. A heap on the dry side would probably suit them better, and also one that's not too hot. Do be careful obviously when using the compost.

I was very pleased last Tuesday to discover a grass snake occupying one of my compost heaps. She was still there this Monday (and might still be), so hopefully she'll be laying eggs there to hatch later in the summer. I'm in no particular hurry for the compost, so it'll have to stay undisturbed probably until next spring in case any young snakes do overwinter in the heap.

 

And to think I was happy to find a good range of worms, insects and other assorted creepy crawlies in mine. I'd love to find a family of snakes or toads in there.

 

yeah i've never got my compost to get any heat going to be honest. nothings worked and it amazes me that its even possible

 

Toads can tolerate much drier conditions than Frogs so they are not a moisture indicator.

 

I touched my open heap today on the top. It's as warm as a hot water bottle. I don't know what the crucial thing is, but when I started my overgrown garden I had to cut a load of high woody-stemmed weeds which I left in a pile while I wondered what to do with them. Then every time I finished laying down the fresh grass cuttings, I put down down a thin layer of these dry stems. Obviously this allows air in and I guess hay or seperately dried grass would do as well. I put in pee and food waste but the one thing that really got it piping hot was when I started covering the top with a piece of transparent perspex.

 

Interesting idea but wouldn't the perspex make the bin so hot it would catch fire?

I hope I have no toads of frogs in my compost bin. I have a phobia of the things

 

Forever finding toads,grass snakes and slow worms in compost bins.
Mind you,careless customers also leave cutlery,secataurs,trowels,jewellery and even a mobile phone.
Guess they may decompose eventually .

 

Should be OK - I used corrugated plastic because it's cheap but it doesn't concentrate the light. And it's never totally dry in there, of course.

 

When I was a kid and used to spend a lot of time at farms (we kept hosses), it was accepted knowledge in those days that a hay stack fire was most likely to happen if they hay had got wet and then allowed to dry. The reason being that if it got wet, then it would start to rot, and something 20ft cubed could generate an immense amount of heat.

More recently science has had a look at such facts. It seems that the bacteria responsible for rapid decomposition of composting materials are pretty extreme in their resistance to heat, and can survive at up to 90 degrees centrigade, and will generate body heat in the right conditions upto around 80 degrees. Pretty hot, enough to make a big pile of horse manure generate very visible amounts of steam, but cooler than is required to make most materials spontaneously combust.