{"product_id":"systems-composting","title":"Composting: Bays, piles, hot compost and compost teas · Alt Ordo Systems Guide","description":"\u003cp\u003eCompost is what microbes make when you give them a mix of wet, nitrogen-rich \"greens\" (kitchen scraps, manure, fresh weeds) and dry, carbon-rich \"browns\" (leaves, straw, wood chips), plus air and water. A big enough pile heats itself to 130–160°F, kills most weed seeds and germs, and turns a year of scraps and leaves into dark, crumbly soil food. On an off-grid homestead it is the cheapest fertilizer you will ever buy, and the end of hauling trash. The work is a weekend of building and a few hours of forking each month.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis guide helps you build a three-bay compost system from pallets, size it to your kitchen, flock and garden, run a hot pile that reaches 131°F, know when the compost is finished, and brew the two liquid feeds worth your time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's inside.\u003c\/strong\u003e 19 pages in 9 chapters (At a glance, Where it works, How it works, Size it, Parts and cost, Build it, Run it, Rules and permits, How it connects), then the sources and a notes page. 8 numbered figures drawn for this guide. You also get a worked example with a fill-in worksheet, 12 numbered steps, a year-round calendar, and a troubleshooting table.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThree builds, costed line by line\u003c\/strong\u003e (typical US prices, October 2026):\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBare-bones: $48–$65\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStandard: $285–$464\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComfortable: $868–$1,102\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSourced and fact-checked.\u003c\/strong\u003e Facts and figures are cited to the 29 sources listed at the back, and the whole guide was fact-checked before release. General guidance, not engineering advice: your county and a qualified pro have the last word on your site.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePairs with\u003c\/strong\u003e other Alt Ordo Systems Guides: The off-grid vegetable garden; Composting toilets. For your county's permits and rules, see our county and state guides.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstant PDF download.\u003c\/strong\u003e After checkout you get a download link by email. Letter-size pages, made to read on screen or print at home.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alt Ordo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48361196421291,"sku":"AO26-SYS-13","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/4718\/4299\/files\/AO26-SYS-13.jpg?v=1792808510","url":"https:\/\/shop.altordo.com\/products\/systems-composting","provider":"Alt Ordo: Build Freedom","version":"1.0","type":"link"}