Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Heating up a compost pile

livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: <blademan25@yahoo.com>
  • To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Heating up a compost pile
  • Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 15:37:03 -0700 (PDT)

I want to point out that pretty much ALL of your
ingredients (except the dry leaves) are HIGH NITROGEN
- NOT carbon!!! This pile SHOULD be hot - and likely
stinky. Your moisture content is either too high -
and made the pile anaerobic - or too low and not
enough to turn on your thermophilic bacteria.

I noticed you also wrote that you were "Turning the
pile a few MONTHS ago" - a pile will go cold from the
lack of oxygen being infused into your pile. I would
recommend aggresively stirring up your pile with a
pitchfork and checking the moisture content and once
both of these issues are re-balanced - if there is
still nitrogen that hasn't burned off - your pile
should rocket the temps. Just to let you know - I
personally attempt to mix my piles every week for a
month to keep the oxygen in there - check the moisture
contents and the pile is usually done in less than two
months. Your pile needs attention to stay hot!


>
"started out almost > entirely from grass clippings
(very high nitrogen unles they have been sun-dried and
turned brown)
Other> than the alfalfa pellets I've only been adding
food scraps (high nitrogen), coffee grounds (fair
nitrogen) and other compost-able stuff in the normal
course of day-to-day.
>
> I turned the pile a few months ago, though this
> doesn't do an awful lot with
> such a high concentration of carbons. And that was
> before the potatoes started
> popping up. The potatoes add a complexity to the
> issue of turning.
>
> The pile is roughly (L) 7' x (W) 3' x (H) 2'.
>

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page