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Soil, Compost & Mulch

too dry and too wet at same time

15 years ago

New pile. Hardware cloth surrounding it - 3' high, used approx 10' of wire, so it's sort of 3' diameter, except that it is more ovalish than circular. Approx 1/3 full of cardboard pits, paper strips, dead leaves (not fall ones, thoguh), plus general kitchen bits (egg shells, strawberry caps, potato peels, etc.).

I've been composting less than a month. Most of what I've learned has come from this group -- I keep meaning to get to the library for a book but haven't made it.

The inside is pretty damp and moist looking -- maybe a bit past damp sponge but nowhere near the soppy soaky stage -- so I have gnat-size flying bugs hanging around and very noticeable when I turn/stir.

Yet the outside is almost bone dry, which is something of a miracle as humid as it is here.

I'm not going for fast compost and I'm still working out the ratio of carbon items to nitrogen items, but it seems like I have a management issue -- I don't mind all sorts of creepy crawly bugs...hubby would take issue with flying insects.

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Comments (4)

robertz6
15 years ago
Your page does not indicate what area you compost in, so I'm not sure about your climate. If you are in a very hot, dry and windy area; wrapping the outside of your bin in three layers of burlap cloth or one layer of landscape fabric might be a good idea.

I have seven mesh bins in various stages, so usually there is at least one on the hot side. I put problematic ingredients like fish parts, veggie and fruit wastes, freshwater seaweed-type plants; only in the core (center) of a pile which is 130F to 165F in the center. Fish parts will dissolve in ten days or less.

I try to start out with a hot pile by making a 4' diameter pile 24" or 18" high from shredded leaves and fresh grass/coffee grounds. That gets off to a nice start and the problematic ingredients can be put in the center in as little as three days later.

Too much moisture in the middle might be a problem from the start. It may need to be turned.
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wonderpets
Original Author
15 years ago
I'm in southeastern Tennessee, the hotter part of zone 7. Today's weather, for example: high was 88, humidity was up to 69%. Right now at 11:!5 pm, it's 77 degrees w/67% humidity.

As I've included in other threads, I'm really new at this -- just now working on getting the quantity together to see that what i'm trying is working.

maybe my "pile" is too short and squat. or maybe i'm just thinking about it too much.
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Kimmsr
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Most every compost pile that I have built in the last 45 years has had a moist interior and a dry exterior, that is what happens in open compost bins or piles. The only time I had the outside edges moist was when I had a trash can composter and then the material was too wet to properly compost. That the exerior is dry is why it does not get composted and needs to be turned into the center where the greatest bacterial activity is.
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billhill
15 years ago
I partially line and cover my mesh bins with cardboard leaving gaps at the bottom and sides. My theory is that by doing this, the flow of air, moisture, and water is moderated and controlled up to a point. If I want more water, I dig a hole in the top, cover with cardboard. Less water, I mound the top up and cover with cardboard forcing rain to favor the sides. A couple stones hold the cardboard down and are always damp on the bottom of each stone. When turning, I find moisture within one half inch of the cardboard sides.
Bill Hill
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