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The main ingredient is bacteria feeding on the hay, which causes an exothermic reaction. Above a certain temperature the thermophilic bacteria get happy and a

• schiffern 10y ago
  Essentially you're creating a compost pile unintentionally. This phenomenon is easy to exploit actually. Laying out "sheet mulch" with 9-12" of hay on top of an opaque layer (typically newspaper or cardboard) can greatly accelerate the production rate of soil and repair degraded soils. No tilling or digging required, the mulch retains water and cuts down evaporation, and weeds are smothered by the opaque layer. This yields high quality produce without fertilizer and with a minimum of labor. The late Bill Mollison of permaculture design describes it here (@21m): https://vimeo.com/142711756 https://vimeo.com/142711756