Ridgerunner
Garden Master
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2009
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- Location
- Southeast Louisiana Zone 9A
It's not the heat of the sun that cooks it, the microbes generate their own heat. Outside temperature probably can have an effect, mine tends to break down faster in summer than winter, but moisture might be the main cause of that. Not sure.
The microbes that break it down need moisture. You don't want it so wet that the water totally blocks air movement, then the process goes anaerobic. The bugs that can live without air take over. The process becomes stinky and slimy. It will still break down but the quality of the compost isn't as good. Supposedly the right amount of moisture is like a sponge that you wet and then wring out all the moisture you can by hand. I'm not nearly that precise about it. Unless you use one of those barrel tumblers or work really hard I don't think you have that much control over it. If it rains it is going to get wet. If it keeps raining it will stay wet. I have not seen that to be a big problem even when it keeps raining for a week or more at a time.
When I first pile mine up if it stays dry it pretty much just sits there. If I water it down, usually with a hose, the pile can shrink to 2/3 or even half its size in a few days. I compost in a bin. Sometimes I top it off two or three times when I start it before I just leave it alone and let it work to increase the final volume. I think it was @digitS' that had a thread a few years back talking about how much compost piles can shrink.
I use a lot of rough garden waste in mine, like corn stalks. I find mine works better if I spread a fairly fine layer on top to help hold moisture in. That's usually grass clippings for me. If you turn it regularly that's probably not an issue but I'm lucky if I turn mine once.
The microbes need to be there so they can multiply and break it down. Even if you don't do anything they will eventually show up, nature is good about that. But it can help if you take a few shovelsful of topsoil or garden soil and toss it on top of mix it in a bit. Those microbes are working in that topsoil. Turning it like you do those microbes are probably already there.
I think you should pile that up higher like someone above mentioned. That will help hold in heat and moisture.
From your mix I'm not sure you are getting enough greens (nitrogen) in there. That's where animal manure can really help. It looks like you may be trying to go organic. I'm not sure what an inexpensive organic source for nitrogen in volume might be. If organic does not bother you you can toss in some high nitrogen fertilizer but I would not use weed and feed. It can be a real challenge to find a high nitrogen fertilizer that does not have herbicides in it. Those are pretty much intended for lawns.
For most of us if we put stuff on the garden in the fall it will break down by planting time, especially if we till it in so the soil holds in moisture and provides the bugs. As early as your planting season is in Florida I'm not sure you have that much time. The microbes can tie up available nitrogen while they are breaking that stuff down. That might depend some on what crops you plant, I don't know.
So my suggestions are to rake it into a big pile instead of leaving it spread out, probably add moisture unless it is raining fairly regularly, and consider adding nitrogen. Whatever you do or don't do in time it will break down.
The microbes that break it down need moisture. You don't want it so wet that the water totally blocks air movement, then the process goes anaerobic. The bugs that can live without air take over. The process becomes stinky and slimy. It will still break down but the quality of the compost isn't as good. Supposedly the right amount of moisture is like a sponge that you wet and then wring out all the moisture you can by hand. I'm not nearly that precise about it. Unless you use one of those barrel tumblers or work really hard I don't think you have that much control over it. If it rains it is going to get wet. If it keeps raining it will stay wet. I have not seen that to be a big problem even when it keeps raining for a week or more at a time.
When I first pile mine up if it stays dry it pretty much just sits there. If I water it down, usually with a hose, the pile can shrink to 2/3 or even half its size in a few days. I compost in a bin. Sometimes I top it off two or three times when I start it before I just leave it alone and let it work to increase the final volume. I think it was @digitS' that had a thread a few years back talking about how much compost piles can shrink.
I use a lot of rough garden waste in mine, like corn stalks. I find mine works better if I spread a fairly fine layer on top to help hold moisture in. That's usually grass clippings for me. If you turn it regularly that's probably not an issue but I'm lucky if I turn mine once.
The microbes need to be there so they can multiply and break it down. Even if you don't do anything they will eventually show up, nature is good about that. But it can help if you take a few shovelsful of topsoil or garden soil and toss it on top of mix it in a bit. Those microbes are working in that topsoil. Turning it like you do those microbes are probably already there.
I think you should pile that up higher like someone above mentioned. That will help hold in heat and moisture.
From your mix I'm not sure you are getting enough greens (nitrogen) in there. That's where animal manure can really help. It looks like you may be trying to go organic. I'm not sure what an inexpensive organic source for nitrogen in volume might be. If organic does not bother you you can toss in some high nitrogen fertilizer but I would not use weed and feed. It can be a real challenge to find a high nitrogen fertilizer that does not have herbicides in it. Those are pretty much intended for lawns.
For most of us if we put stuff on the garden in the fall it will break down by planting time, especially if we till it in so the soil holds in moisture and provides the bugs. As early as your planting season is in Florida I'm not sure you have that much time. The microbes can tie up available nitrogen while they are breaking that stuff down. That might depend some on what crops you plant, I don't know.
So my suggestions are to rake it into a big pile instead of leaving it spread out, probably add moisture unless it is raining fairly regularly, and consider adding nitrogen. Whatever you do or don't do in time it will break down.