Conceptual questions about composting and greenhouses

[XemaSab]

If I have a greenhouse with good insulation, and I put the compost bin inside the greenhouse, will the decaying compost keep the greenhouse warm during the winter?

(It gets down to about 10 degrees here a few nights a year, but the cold temperatures at night are usually closer to 20 degrees, and even then that's less than 10 nights a year. Typical daytime temperatures in the winter are usually in the 40s or 50s. We typically get a dusting of snow (like half an inch) and sometimes small hail, but rarely anything serious. Winters are cool and rainy overall, though.)

Also, if I keep the compost in the greenhouse during the summer, will it catch fire?

(It can get up to 110 degrees here in the summer.)

Thanks. :hi:

[Botany]

1. Short answer ..... no

and (if) I put the compost bin inside the greenhouse, will the decaying compost keep the greenhouse warm during the winter?

No the heat of decomposition is limited to the pile of organic matter.

if I keep the compost in the greenhouse during the summer, will it catch fire?

no but compost loves fresh O2 it works best outside and w/ proper moisture

[Denninmi]

2. You would need ...

an awfully big compost pile, a constant supply of fresh, high N and high C materials to add to it all the time, and a very small greenhouse with limited volume of air.

People used to make hotbeds or hotframes, the opposite of a cold frame, where they used composting materials and a lot of manure to heat the frame up to start seedlings ahead of time. That was back in the days when everyone had horses and access to a lot of fresh manure to heat the pile up really well.

[Kolesar]

3. In 19th century France, gardens under glass were heated by decomposing horse manure

They called it the marais system, IIRC. Paris had grown to be a huge city and there was an equally huge supply of horse manure.

[WhiteTara]

4. that would be a pungent greenhouse

steel barrels painted black would be better for heat.