Impressive!

I'm using the last of the compost I "harvested" at the beginning of spring, and starting to hope there is some "finished" at the bottom of my pile, or will be soon. Also, last year I was concerned because no worms had appeared. They've arrived. There are many in the new beds and have been some in the compost as well, though the compost gets disturbed too often for their taste and they don't stick around.

I am down to my last barrel of finished compost from last year, just a little left in the bottom of it, but I think I am about through for the year with seed planting and transplanting. Potted up a few plants today, cutting it pretty close.

Behind the shed. Had to take it back apart to get it there --'



Now let's get cookin' !

Beautiful bin Arico

I've got a rotating bin on a stand from Home Depot. Last year I got it good and hot. This year, not so much. I add in grass clippings, leaves, kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, egg shells and occasionally gypsum and organic fertilizer. I plan on starting a pile with pine needles and oak leaves as my soil tends towards alkaline here in SoCal. What do you use to get a pile cooking?

I have a second pile of leaves that's sat for a couple of years. It's mostly composted...maybe 80% by now. I never watered it and we get little rain.

One of the keys to getting a pile hot is moisture. Grass clippings and shredded leaves kept moist will heat up very fast and get very hot, oxygen is also necessary for a pile to get hot. So turn it every couple of days to get the oxygen mixed in!

I use fresh manure to retain moisture here, but in the absence of that, use dirt. I think it may be one of the most vital ingredients that often gets forgotten.