Whenever I make compost from garden waste, particularly grass clippings, I often see some steam rising from the heap after a day or two. This indicates that heat is being generated from the compost pile. Anyone who hasn’t seen it before may wonder why this happens. So, what is a hot compost pile and is
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You have an ever-building pile of compost or a pile that’s suddenly built up from mowing the lawn. You know that it won’t be usable as compost for a while but you could do with it as soon as possible. So, there’s no harm in asking: how long does it take for a compost pile
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The carbon in a compost pile will come from materials, that you add, that have a high level of carbon in them. Carbon will be found in cardboard, paper and dead leaves. These components are often referred to as ‘browns’. There has to be an adequate inclusion of materials containing carbon to balance the the
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If you have a plentiful supply of leaves then you are lucky because leaves will make some of the best compost that anyone could wish for. Leaves will break down into compost easier than most organic material. They are small enough to bunch together to create a viable mass and their structure allows for air
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You don’t need to add very much to compost to help break it down. There are two main things that you can easily do that will get your compost-making off to a really good start. The first is to add some hydrated lime. The second is to stir it enough to get some air into
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Looking into the subject of adding hydrated lime to compost, I’m finding that there is an argument for it and against it. Here I want to give my view on the subject based on what I’ve seen for myself and offer an answer to the question: what does lime do to compost? The basic reason
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When making compost from kitchen waste I see worms turn up in the compost bin. We will see worms where ever the conditions are right for them but you may wonder, do worms help compost? Having worms in your compost is a positive advantage. Of all the natural, living, guests that will turn up in
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Every Autumn/fall we get, whether we want them or not, a sizeable delivery of leaves. To some they are a nuisance but to the rest of us they are a bonanza, maybe eagerly awaited. But when we get them we want to convert them into useful compost as quickly as possible. Composting takes time, so,
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Quite often people will have a go at making compost. They will gather together a heap or start loading a bin. Then, after a while, they see lots of flies and there is a bad smell and they ask, why have I got such smelly compost? Too wet is the usual cause. The best smelly
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Here’s a question that’s been doing the rounds. Making compost is generally associated with kitchen or garden waste being gathered together and left to convert into compost. There are additives which I know I can add that will speed up or improve the process, but can I put urine in my compost? Having looked into
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