Are you making a compost pile or a Lasagna Bed? What else is in the mix besides the grass clippings, cottonseed hulls, vegetable scraps, and Alfalfa, high Carbon material? With all the Nitrogen in there it should be pretty hot although there may be too much water involved which can slow heating up.

It's hard to get generate any real amount of heat out of a sheet composted bed. Not enough depth to it. What you have on the bed is really just a thich mulch. To get a steaming compost pile, you need an actual pile.

Some will say 3' by 3' by 3' is mandatory, though I have right now, a steaming pile a bit smaller than that.

I don't know how much cottonseed hulls you have in your mulch but with so many greens, you need quite a bit of "browns" like wood shavings, lots of cardboard (in the pile, not just a layer under it) or dried leaves.

Pile it high with a good mix of greens and browns and keep it moist. Compost starter is not going to be of any help.

Wayne

Like kimmsr was asking, I was also wondering if you were actually making a lasagna bed. That process has many similarities to composting. You will likely gain more understanding by reading a little about lasagna gardening, and sheet composting (tons of stuff on the 'net). The way I sort of differentiate the two processes is this:
Compost pile is to allow all organic materials to break down totally to a soil-like substance over time, and use that wonderful substance to amend exisiting soil or side-dress plants. The compost pile is usually a pile as described like 3x3x3 ft, or in a bin or box. The pile will decompose faster with an ideal mix of browns and greens (i.e. carbons and nitrogens), with optimal moisture, and with turning, but will also decompose (more slowly) if just left alone.
On the other hand, lasagna beds are typically started with a layer of cardboard or newspaper to smother existing grass or weeds, often when creating a brand new garden bed, and then organic matter such as you described is added to several inches thick, some folks go to 18 inches high. You can then actually plant right in this organic matter, even if the matter is still fairly large and not decomposing -yet. Although most folks plant veggies, and perennials in there, I don't think the loose matter would support a large shrub or tree, for example. Over time, this matter composts in place and the height typically goes down quite a bit, the grass/weeds underneath die, and the cardbaord and newspaper decompose, and it ends up beinga lovely bed of good soil/humus. I agree the materials you are using are high in nitrogen (greens) and your area would benefit from the addition of shredded leaves or shredded paper or chipped twigs and branches. If you add manure and coffee, that is more nitrogen.
I hope at least some of this info is helpful to you, and please feel free to ask other questions or share your experiences. It is never a bother. I enjoy the banter.
Laurie in Mississippi

Another helpful brown and depending on where you live inexpensive is straw. :)

Thanks everyone for the help. I should have given more info when I described my problem. I had been reading on lasagna gardening and I thought it sounded like a good idea. I picked out the place where I wanted it and put down the cardboard, cottonseed hulls, and grass clippings. I had planned to plant some annuals in it but my husband was catching grass clippings for me and piling them up and I thought that it would be better in the long run to get as much material on there rather than to have flowers on it this summer. I have raked up some pine straw and will mulch that with the mower and mix it in to see if that helps. If it is not enough, I also bought a bale of straw to mulch the veg. garden and did not end up using it so I can put it in. My "greens" are not accumulating as fast since the weather is so hot the grass is not growing as much,
I thank everyone for their suggestions. Might have more questions later. LOL
justsaymo