Some like it hot… but you don’t have to.
Why a medium-temp pile can make maximum change — for soil, water, and the future.
To the internet (er, Reddit), compost enthusiasts love a hot pile — blazing temps, fast breakdown, legend status. “How hot do you get it?” is a frequent question I hear, and I get why. We’ve (somehow) been conditioned to think hot = good.
But that’s not always true.
You don’t have to crank up the heat to make great soil.
I choose to keep my piles at a medium temperature, for the fungi friends.
Hot compost became the "gold standard" mostly for sanitation reasons — killing pathogens and weed seeds in industrial and urban settings, not because it’s the only or best way, or the way you need to do it.
I’m after something deeper, the slow, steady magic you see on the Forest Floor. It might be a slower process, but by letting the compost breathe, settle, and stay cozy in that medium zone, I’m growing soil that can hold onto water, pull carbon out of the air, and build true resilience from the ground up.
Less domination. More collaboration with nature’s original systems. I want to keep the extra good stuff alive and return it to the garden.
In nature, organic matter breaks down cool and steady, building soil that holds water, nurtures fungi, and stitches life back into the ground. That’s my goal, not speeding to the finish line with something that looks like burnt toast. I also want to use my hands/senses to work with the compost, not buy gadgets or gear. (Looks steamy? Smells sweet? Feels like a warm bath? Good enough for me.)
Hot piles are flashy.
Medium piles are revolutionary.
Decay is always at work.
My hope?
Just get composting, however “perfectly” or imperfectly you want to — in whatever way fits your life. Fast, slow, big, tiny, hot, cold, or cozy-medium.
Every humble pile is part of a bigger movement.
Rebuilding soil, restoring cycles, and taking back the power to care for the earth in our own hands.
To me, here’s something revolutionary about honoring the slow, messy, vital work of decay. It defies the idea that everything has to be fast, sanitized, or instantly “productive.”
Medium temp, maximum impact.
Compost for everyone. 🌱
