Is it bad for these guys to dominate the pile like they are? Should I be doing something differently? It seems to be composting rather quickly, but I just want to be sure I'm growing the proper microorganisms for healthy compost. Considering how hard it is to kill actinomycetes, you will be relieved to know that it's OK for them to be abundant. Basically, compost happens. Pile it up and it's a self-directed process.

Hola Barb, Especially in the summer, I saturate the organic matter when a pile is built. The "damp like a wrung out sponge" admonition has never worked in our Mediterranean/desert climate for me. I use 1/2" square hardware cloth wire enclosure that is three foot high and approximately 12 feet in circumference. Once, I lined the inside of the bin with a tarp to keep the moisture inside the pile and covered the top with no adverse anaerobic effects. A root feeder works well to saturate the pile after it is built or add additional moisture when necessary. The latest quantity of shredded leaves for compost was spread out on the ground before the last substantial rain that we had and then loaded into unlined bins afterward. The top of the piles were left flat instead of being mounded as is usually the case due to the abundance of material so rain would more likely soak into the stack. The outer inch or so is relatively dry, now, but the innards are still moist, though I haven't done the squeeze test to see if a few drops of moisture will come out when a handful is compressed. Didn't worry about it since as you related we are supposed to have some actual drops this coming week. Terran

Hi Kim What you have will be a good start. Mix it together, pile it all up as high as you can get it using a pitch fork to fluff in air. It has to be damp, not wet. For the first 5 days or so you can cover it (tarp, clear plastic, black plastic etc)to help hold in the heat & moister then uncover it. It should be getting warm or hot by then. The hay should help with air, which is good. It will "cook". Add any new stuff to the top & about every 10 days/2 weeks, mix it all up again & let it cook. Compost happen naturally all the time in nature. The mixture with manure, hay & grass is a fine start. Adding the kitchen scraps will help also. Once you get this pile mixed(3 weeks or so), start a 2nd one, same way. Let the first one cook for 6 weeks, the middle should be usable compost. Mix what didn't break down with the 2nd pile & leave it for 6 weeks, Repeat over & over. I store the "done" compost in a coveedr pile so it don't leach out all the minerals. (If you don't have room for a mixing pile & a cooking pile, just use one & mix the outside edges & dig the compost out of the middle as you need it tips: If when you mix it,it's dry, add some water but not allot. damp is the key, NOT WET, mixing adds air, an important part. If you can build 2 bins out of old pallets, chain link fence, snow fence etc 4 to 5 feet high it helps (holds the pile together & air from the sides)

Ilene, Thanks for the offer, but I figure if they "wanted" to live up here in our area above the woodlands, they would have migrated here on their own. I don't think any of my soil outside the woodland is right for them. Our red clay around the house and veggie garden is too clay-ey for them, I think, and the band of sandy soil near the pecan tree/chicken coop is too sandy. The woodland soil is humusy and rich and holds moisture really, really well, so it probably is just what they want. I sound like Goldilocks, don't I? None of my soil is "just right". I've tried transplanting other plants out of the woods and they don't like my non-woodsy soil either, even when I put them in shady spots. I'll just admire the violets on the edge of the woods and not worry about them anywhere else. Maybe one of the days, we'll have enough well-improved soil up here around the house that violets will just start popping up everywhere. (If I am going to dream, I'm gonna dream big.) I love violets, but they are more suited to the soil and climate y'all have there in northern OK than what we have here in southern OK. Our climate seems ideal for bermuda, Johnson grass, sand love grass (despite its name, it grows in clay here), crab grass, prickly pear cactus, greenbrier, cedar, etc. Do I get cute little violets everywhere? Nope. Do y'all want violets? Not especially. Do you get them? Yep. Aren't the gardening gods cruel? Dawn