Composting as Provenance

Composting is the clearest example of provenance thinking. Kitchen scraps, garden waste, and carbon materials go in. Finished compost comes out. That compost amends a bed. That bed grows food. The food waste goes back into the compost. The cycle continues.

In Libre Grow, each step is an activity with inputs and outputs:

Kitchen Scraps + Straw (input elements)
  → Hot Composting (activity) → Compost Batch #1 (output element)

Compost Batch #1 (input element)
  → Soil Amendment (activity) → Bed A (enriched)

Bed A (input element)
  → Planting (activity) → Tomato Plant (output element)

Tomato Plant (input element)
  → Harvest (activity) → Tomatoes

Kitchen Scraps from tomatoes
  → Hot Composting (next batch) → Compost Batch #2

The cycle is visible in the provenance chain. Over seasons, you can see how your compost practice evolves.

Following the Hot Composting Method

The "Hot Composting Method" provides 10 steps with observation templates:

• Pile temperature (°C) — should reach 55-65°C in 2-4 days
• Moisture level (scale 1-5) — wrung-out sponge is ideal
• Odour (scale 1-5) — earthy is good, ammonia means too much nitrogen
• Pile turned? (yes/no) — turn when temperature drops below 45°C

Record these observations each time you check the pile. Over 4-6 weeks, you'll see the temperature curve — initial heating, plateau, decline after turning, reheat, and finally stabilisation at ambient temperature. That's your compost story.