Hi Robin!
Question for you on the size, since you are asking about starting a new pile...
you say the pile is 3 cubic feet. An area about 18 inches x 18 inches x 18 inches or so would equal 3 cubic feet in volume. I am guessing that your area is larger than this, but if what you say is correct then I would say that you should keep building the pile if you want to generate some heat. Please write back with clarification of the width and height of your pile. Are you shooting for a hot pile, or for cold composting?

I know you were just asking about ingredients, and yours sound really good. You will find yourself composting more and more of the household waste. And also you will find yourself chopping things less as you discover that an active pile with lots of microorganisms will quickly eat up your rinds even when they are larger chunks.

Are you keeping the pile slightly damp?

Rachel

ps - how do you have leaves this time of year - I am jealous!

Hi Rachel!

You are SO right! I was not calculating correctly. My pile is not 3 cubic feet.

It is (roughly) 3-4 feet long x about 2-3 feet wide x about 2.5-3 feet tall, mounded in a "rectangular" pile higher in the center of course, so I estimated it is about the volume of a 3x3 foot pile ... so that makes it about 9 cubic feet give or take.

I was hoping to turn it every 2 weeks or so. I THINK that would make it a "hot" pile.

I do plan on having a cold pile also to appease my dh. He sees work for himself in the future with the turning of the piles and is not thrilled with it so I need to keep the piles small enough that they will be hot (and therefort compost faster) AND I can turn them (getting old here and I have MS so I have a few physical limitations).

Thanks!
Robin
P.S. We have about 67 trees on our property that generate A LOT of leaves. Plus, I just traded a pile of rock we had for a pile of leaves since I had mowed many of my own leaves earlier this spring (before I decided to make compost piles) and spread the little pieces in my hosta garden.

Do you have any friends or acquaintances who do lawn maintenance? Perhaps you could do some bartering with them. That is what I did. I traded the rock with friends who maintain lawns. They said the huge pile they gave me didn't even BEGIN to put a dent in the pile they have.

I'm STILL not think right! Approximately 27 cubic feet, give or take. Hope this goes through as the first time it slapped my on the wrist ... Already Posted.

Robin

that is an awesome way to barter for leaves!

I think the layering is a good idea, very simple. And with the open pile it will be easier to turn than a solid structure that you need to reach into.

However, that being said, there are many people who create and/or use bins that can be easily lifted. You can lift a bin, the stuff inside remains on the ground, and then you fork/shovel the stuff back into the bin which is now sitting nearby the first location. Wet as you add the stuff back in, and leave for a couple of weeks (or longer). Or there are bins that have walls that stack, so that when you are starting to shovel back in you can keep the height low and make the initial turning lots easier. So, I am just saying there are ways to make it easier if you want to contain it. I have never done an open pile but reading this forum I know MANY people do so, especially if in a less urban area.

I think a key to layering with infrequent turning, whether open or closed system, is keeping the layers of green or browns just a few inches, then alternating. If it seems smelly than you may have too much green and/or water and you can increase the browns accordingly. The other key is to add some moisture with every layer, since adding water to several new layers will make lead to the the lower layers staying dry. If you get rain, of course things will be pretty wet - adding leaves can be nice then.

Bet your hostas are happy with shredded leaves!

I don't think layering matters if you are turning it, as opposed to sheet composting, where you never turn it.

Even though your husband may be dreading turning the piles, one of the keys to a hot pile is size, make one giant pile and let that sucker cook.

PS. I have a (4x4x4) open compost pile, here in Brooklyn NYC.

Layering is a good way to learn proper proportion, 6 inches of vegetative waste, 2 inches of manure (or a good source of Nitrogen) which works out to 3 parts vegetative waste to 1 part of a good Nitrogen source, with just enough and not too much moisture. While I have seen compost piles smaller then 64 cubic feet (4 x 4 x 4) eventually get digested I have seldom seen any much smaller get very hot because there is just not enough volume.

Thanks All for your encouragement and advice for this new composter!

I think I will make my pile a little larger before I start my next one. I can't wait to turn it for the first time to see what is happening. It's like opening the oven door to peek at what is cooking! lol And I will look for the removable container. If dh removes it, I can shovel it all back in. Hmmm, just occurred to me ... do those have three or four sides. I probably wouldn't be able to hoist the shovel up over something too high, but I could shovel into something three sided. I'll have to google those.

I haven't done much watering of the pile since we have had so much rain. It is in the "woods" of our yard (to keep dh and the neighbors happy) so there has been a little shelter from it getting too soggy from the rain. But I'll remember to water if we go without rain too long.

And it is SO good to know that my proportions are about right. I put down about an inch of waste and about 3 inches of leaves.

Compost pile is going, worms are working, pond is ready for some toads/frogs to move in ... it almost feels like Victory Garden is living here. lol

Robin

Robin, one further thought. You could throw a tarp over your pile to prevent over-wetting.

Rosie, great idea! I very vaguely remember reading or watching a video that suggested that, but completely forgot about it. And if it was green or brown it would blend into the woods and be "invisible". Thanks for the reminder!

Robin

Good enough compost works! I have experience with both hot & cold, so it's a matter of choice as well as energy level. I have a chronic illness as well, so when turning hot piles it's my workout for the day & have to treat it as such hydrating before & after then resting after.

I'd suggest you need to turn a hot pile more often.

Naturally, smaller pieces will heat up & compost faster, but it's a matter of choice really. It does take time & energy to turn a pile no matter what size. A garden fork works well and a pitchfork even better if you're using hay or large garden waste pieces as any part of the mix. A shovel is much more difficult!

Either way, compost happens if you just leave it or you turn it to make it compost faster. It's a matter of choice. If you can't turn it & hubby doesn't want to turn it cold composting works well then if weed seeds are a concern you could solarize or presprout with clear bags before spreading & using.

I build a hot pile & cover it. Then I work it for about 2 weeks after that 1st heat up then let it cure. To work it I turn every few days & cover again as long as it's still heating up. I also monitor the moisture level.

If it isn't keeping hot & it's not been 2 weeks I will add more nitrogen material (manure, green grass clippings, garden waste).

After about 5 turns my pile is usually 1/3 - 1/4 the size of what it started, so no longer really heats up like at first. I cover it & let it cure for at least a month or so depending on the season. Faster cure in summer.

If you have additional material to compost you can build another hot pile adding new materials to the old.

What works for me is to collect materials in cold compost bins, then build hot piles 2x a year in spring & late summer/fall using the collected materials + others to balance greens & browns. Anytime a hot compost pile isn't turned often enough it becomes a cold & can still be used once ready.

I like building hot piles when I do because I have a lot of material at those times of the year & reducing the volume helps me keep up with the garden spaces.

Another option for cold composting that is super easy is sheet composting in place where you're not growing crops currently. Cover & let the worms work it for you to plant in a few seasons later. I do that in fall to plant in spring or sometimes in early spring to plant in once soil has warmed.

Another way I keep it easy is to avoid adding any weed seeds to my cold compost piles. Sometimes that isn't possible, so if I have weedy waste I pile that separately to build a hot pile with it or bury somewhere in the wilder parts of our garden. I try not to work more than I have to!

Using household paper waste is a great way to add bulk to your composting efforts. I added a step on trash can in the kitchen right next to the other trash & much more paper gets composted now. We've composted for many years & have had various buckets for collection, so though it's a habit the step on can has been the best idea ever helping us remember to add the paper trash to it instead of the other garbage can. Also, put 2 trash cans in each bathroom with one for paper trash like tissues & toilet paper rolls. The bulk of our paper trash though is from the kitchen.

Hope that helps,
Corrine

What you may want to try is "miniature solarizing"

It kills pests (Squash bugs, Aphids,Cucumber Beetles,Slugs etc etc
It also heats up enough to kill soil borne diseases,weeds,etc etc from tomato plants, potato plants etc etc

I just take all of my weeds and any other undesirable foliage(possible problem greens) and put them in a clear trash bag, seems to be efficient at retaining the greens and eradicating the possible drawbacks from using suspect foliage.

After a couple of weeks in the sun, I add them to my compost. Hopefully ....now...problem free...

{{gwi:108352}}

so cool! The solarizing bag suggestion gives me something to do with the huge clear garbage bags that Starbucks will sometimes give with the used grounds.

On the other hand ..... if it all gets too much try the laid back method. Pile up anything you have and forget it for a few months. If weeds grow pull them and return to the next pile. I have never achieved a hot compost pile in over 40 years of gardening, but neither have I ever put any kitchen or garden waste in the rubbish bin. It works for me. As Corinne so rightly says 'Good enough compost works!'

p.s. in my climate the transparent trash bags would just work like green houses and the weeds would grow even healthier inside!