Compost Help

[Canes1]

I started a couple of compost bins pretty late in the season last year and the weather turned colder and I couldn't get to them. They sat all winter and I finally turned them over, I was wondering if they will finish composting on its own or is there anything I can do to get it going again. I don't think this is complete yet, my compost tumbler had real nice compost and this really looks like it needs to finish

Thanks

 

[Hybrid Mode 01]

     It sounds like your compost might not have had a chance to go thermophilic and get up to a temp suitable for killing off plant pathogens. If that's the case, mix it up to aerate it and let it go a while longer. Check its temp in a week or so to make sure it's getting hot. Once it gets good and hot, mix it again to make sure all of it has a chance to "cook". Then it should be good to go.
     But mine sometimes ends up looking like that despite being made of a good ratio of browns and greens, getting up to >150F for a few weeks, and sitting all winter. It's coarse texture makes it more suitable for a (killer) mulch that my plants love. I find that if I incorporate coarse compost like that into soil, it finishes decomposing during the growing season. And when all that carbon mass is used up, it can lead to big, deep cracks forming in my soil (not good for plants).
     One thing I've found that helps jump-starting a compost heap is to spread the material out on a wam sunny day so it can absorb lots of heat. Once it's warm in the afternoon, heap it back up and it usually gets up to temp a lot quicker.

 

[Canes1]

     It sounds like your compost might not have had a chance to go thermophilic and get up to a temp suitable for killing off plant pathogens. If that's the case, mix it up to aerate it and let it go a while longer. Check its temp in a week or so to make sure it's getting hot. Once it gets good and hot, mix it again to make sure all of it has a chance to "cook". Then it should be good to go.
     But mine sometimes ends up looking like that despite being made of a good ratio of browns and greens, getting up to >150F for a few weeks, and sitting all winter. It's coarse texture makes it more suitable for a (killer) mulch that my plants love. I find that if I incorporate coarse compost like that into soil, it finishes decomposing during the growing season. And when all that carbon mass is used up, it can lead to big, deep cracks forming in my soil (not good for plants).
     One thing I've found that helps jump-starting a compost heap is to spread the material out on a wam sunny day so it can absorb lots of heat. Once it's warm in the afternoon, heap it back up and it usually gets up to temp a lot quicker.

I mixed it up today and hope it starts going again. I'm new to the compost thing and still trying to figure out the correct green/brown ratio so it"cooks" better

 

[Hybrid Mode 01]

I mixed it up today and hope it starts going again. I'm new to the compost thing and still trying to figure out the correct green/brown ratio so it"cooks" better

 

     What did you use to make yours? I use all of our kitchen scraps for a year and roughly equal parts dry leaves and aged grass clippings. I'll also throw in a few pounds of blood meal if it "looks" like it might need more N.
     Do you have a compost thermometer or do you just play it by ear?

 

[Powelly]

It will still degrade albeit very slow

 

[solid7]

     It sounds like your compost might not have had a chance to go thermophilic and get up to a temp suitable for killing off plant pathogens. If that's the case, mix it up to aerate it and let it go a while longer. Check its temp in a week or so to make sure it's getting hot. Once it gets good and hot, mix it again to make sure all of it has a chance to "cook". Then it should be good to go.
     But mine sometimes ends up looking like that despite being made of a good ratio of browns and greens, getting up to >150F for a few weeks, and sitting all winter. It's coarse texture makes it more suitable for a (killer) mulch that my plants love. I find that if I incorporate coarse compost like that into soil, it finishes decomposing during the growing season. And when all that carbon mass is used up, it can lead to big, deep cracks forming in my soil (not good for plants).
     One thing I've found that helps jump-starting a compost heap is to spread the material out on a wam sunny day so it can absorb lots of heat. Once it's warm in the afternoon, heap it back up and it usually gets up to temp a lot quicker.

 
I might just add to that, that bigger is better.  For hot compost piles, a minimum size of 1 cubic meter is recommended.  Not that it won't work if it's smaller - it just hots up faster that way.  So heap it back up, and keep it as big as you can.

 

[Canes1]

 
     What did you use to make yours? I use all of our kitchen scraps for a year and roughly equal parts dry leaves and aged grass clippings. I'll also throw in a few pounds of blood meal if it "looks" like it might need more N.
     Do you have a compost thermometer or do you just play it by ear?

I use just grass and leaves in this pile but I use scraps, coffee grounds and newspaper along with grass and leaves in my tumbler.

I just let it go, I was told by an "old timer" if you see it "steam" in the morning you are doing it right. Lol. I was told 2/1 ratio grass to leaves but not sure if it is right.

 

[Canes1]

 
I might just add to that, that bigger is better.  For hot compost piles, a minimum size of 1 cubic meter is recommended.  Not that it won't work if it's smaller - it just hots up faster that way.  So heap it back up, and keep it as big as you can.

I had 2 piles actually that I combined into one yesterday and and will add after I let the lawn grow and cut it.i will start another pile too

 

[Powelly]

I use just grass and leaves in this pile but I use scraps, coffee grounds and newspaper along with grass and leaves in my tumbler.

I just let it go, I was told by an "old timer" if you see it "steam" in the morning you are doing it right. Lol. I was told 2/1 ratio grass to leaves but not sure if it is right.

 
Can't go wrong with that mate

 

[ako1974]

If you can, mix in some shredded purple comfrey leaves. Or yarrow leaves. Two great sources for hastening decomposition. I have a bunch of comfrey and it works wonders. 

 

[Hybrid Mode 01]

 
I might just add to that, that bigger is better.  For hot compost piles, a minimum size of 1 cubic meter is recommended.  Not that it won't work if it's smaller - it just hots up faster that way.  So heap it back up, and keep it as big as you can.

  
     Yup. You have to reach critical mass. There needs to be a certain amount of bulk microbological activity to create heat, and there also needs to be enough material in one tall heap to insulate all that heat so it can start to accumulate and begin that positive feedback loop that the thermophiles are associated with.
 
     Compost resulting from a hot pile is better in so many ways: It is done and ready to use way faster. Less plant pathogens. Fewer nutrients in water soluble form. More nutrients absconded into microbial mass that will be used to feed roots later on. And more microbial mass means a greater amount of bacterial mucuses and gells and crap - stuff that holds soil particles together and create soil structure.
     I know there are more benefits, but I need to get back to packing and cleaning the basement.
 
 
 

I use just grass and leaves in this pile but I use scraps, coffee grounds and newspaper along with grass and leaves in my tumbler.

I just let it go, I was told by an "old timer" if you see it "steam" in the morning you are doing it right. Lol. I was told 2/1 ratio grass to leaves but not sure if it is right.

 
 
 
      Sounds like a good mix. Probably better than mine. And at that ratio (it sounds like you know what you're doing) It should heat up pretty soon.
     One way I've found to quickly check the core temp is to shove a potato fork or shovel deep in it and let it sit for maybe 30 seconds. If the tines are approaching too hot to hold when you pull it out (~150-165F), you're rocking.
     What time did you put it together last fall? I got caught with my pants down one fall and didn't get my heap put together until after the weather cooled down. It just sat there at ambient temp (30s) for weeks until I was able to spread it all out on a sunny day in the mid 60s. That jump started it and it was over 100F in two days.
     It might also be that it got up to temp last fall and just exhausted itself. Does the compost have a nice homogenous forest duff kind of smell, or can you still smell the individual components?
     My guess is that your piles might not have been big enough last fall and your compost isn't done yet. Hopefully we'll find out in coming days. Are you making efforts to shed rain off it if you're getting lots like just about everybody is this spring?

 

[Canes1]

Hybrid,
It was early/mid July I think if not later. It really did not have a chance to cook and it turned cooler earlier and it ended that.

It has an earthy smell with a hint of grass. But no rotted eggs or ammonia stench.
I am far from knowing what I'm doing,last year was the first I tried this and I'm still trying to figure it out.

http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/carbonnitrogenratio.html

I was given this website a while ago

I made this tumbler last year and I added a piece of PVC with holes drilled in it's oxygen can get into the middle of the tumbler

I could never get it that hot last year!

 

[ColdSmoke]

So, basically if you're using a tumbler you have to fill the entire thing up to get to critical mass? I think that's whats wrong with mine; it's only about half full of half composted shredded leaves.