I visited a gardener the other day & she showed me a wonderful item she uses to "turn" the pile.

It looks like a giant 5' or 6' corkscrew;
you put the corkscrew end on the surface & turn something at the top, & it churns the top stuff under & the underneath stuff to the top!

I use two methods to turn my compost. My bin has a door at the bottom, so I'll get a shovelful from the bottom and throw it on top. I'll also use a cordless drill and a bulb auger to mix it up a bit.

I use a pitchfork and brute strength - what little I have anyway! I was just out this morning turning a couple of piles and I thought I was going to have a heat stroke.......the humidity must have been at least 80%.

That giant corkscrew thing sounds interesting - what is it?

Lynn

I stopped turning piles at all when I realized how fast compost occurs in this hot, wet climate -- as long as I can keep it moist.

DH thinks I'm STRANGE for watering the compost. LOL

I fill my container of kitchen waste with water before taking it out to the compost pile.

Where are you at that you had summer???? lol. I don't remember a July this COLD. Chicago had coldest July in 67yrs!. I"m in mid-state and on today Aug. 1st, it was 66 degrees at 3 this afternoon. Wow

Sudzy

It rained pretty good Friday so it was too wet to work in the field today and the u-pick was pretty quite so I emptied the multi-tumblers and reloaded them with 24 bags of leaves and 12 bags of grass in the morning. By 3ish in the afternoon the temp in one tumbler was just aproaching 105F. I'll have to add more stuff tomorrow due to settling, can't wait.

If it's a nice morning and I'm not on a day shift, I sit at the picnic table in the compost area and have my morning coffee. That's living!

Lloyd

Sudzy - here we had the hottest, driest summer recorded. August started in May! We must have had our own summer and yours, too!

Dare I say it: Summer went South for the Summer - ha!

It's been miserable (well, more miserable than the usual miserable) but I sure can't comprehend 66 degrees now either.

Lynn

Looks like global warming is a little confused these days. We're having a COLD July-August.

I think that "corkscrew" thing is an auger... used to drill holes in ice, if you ice-fish, or to drill holes in the ground. Or it's probably some sort of that type of thing anyhow.

Oh yeah, it's hot. Hard to get up the energy to crawl out there and start turning compost. As the greens pile up and the insects begin to attack then it's time to put on some browns. Something like sawdust or shredded paper works and the aroma is reduced immediatly. Come fall then flip the whole thing over and let it rot all winter and spring. Of course when you get to the bottom of that pile you'll find some nice stuff to put into the garden to winter over. Come spring, when your dying to get out there, that's the time to spread that compost on the surface of the garden as a mulch and it'll feed the plants all summer.

It's not the hazy.
it's the lazy.
been a cool summer but that pile needs to shrink before i'll even attempt to turn it.
problem is i keep adding to it. i have too. i'm sure not sending all these wonderful greens to the dump.lol
i do add browns but the ratio is WAY off.way way off.
makes me laugh just thinking about it. :)
come fall i'll be singing a different tune i'm sure.
don't worry it's far from the house and i don't have close neighbors. well not area close. besides they have horses.

"I think your pile is too wet" mine sure is.
Laura :)

instead of what have you fed your compost today lets start one called "who turned thier pile today?"
could get interesting.
you know, find all the compulsive twice a day turners.
tumblers not allowed.lol
oh heck i'm just looking for lazy people like me.:)
"I think your piles too wet"
Laura

"tumblers not allowed.lol"...Hey now, that's downright discrimantory!

Does it count if I turn the piles with a tractor?

Lloyd

Yes it does,
must be hard work.
I'm talking lazy.
not turning a key lazy
"I think your pile is too wet"
Laura

I have to load about a ton of grass clippings by hand into the manure spreader tomorrow morning, does that count?

LLoyd

Well o.k.
but now your off the "lazy list"
"I think your piles too wet"
Laura

I broke down and turned the biggest pile a few days ago. Actually, I combined two piles into one and turned them both in the process. That's unusual for me. I'm more the "pile it up and let it rot" type composter. I guess I'm in more of a hurry for a good supply this year. I just might go turn it again after the rainy spell we're due to get over the next few days. My hose won't reach it so it tends to dry out.

The other small pile gets raked up and carted to the big pile sometime in the fall.

Not exactly lazy, just conserving energy for better things. ;-)

Sandy

my pile is always on the verge of being too wet- I try to add liquid only at the start (water and a cup of urine.) I'm usually adding browns frantically to keep it from being too soggy.