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| We happily started a compost pile last Spring, envisioning a bounty of rich earth to use in our garden this Spring. My daughter was a 'worm taxi', ferrying worms that I dug up while planting last Spring to the bin.
We have been adding clippings and kitchen scraps all along. We dumped it out to turn it last Sunday, and...it looks like a pile of oranges, shredded newspapers, coffee grounds, and eggshells. What are we doing wrong? Does my husband need to pee on it? Do we need more worms? I don't think it ever got heated. It's in a three-tier plastic compost bin. Thanks! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Our Compost Pile
Follow-Up Postings:
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| It looks kind of dry.Did you add any water as you were building it? |
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| Are you trying to vermicompost or just regular compost? |
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| What size was this compost pile? Volume does matter. Did you add supplemental Nitrogen? the bacteria that digest the high carbon materia need that to work, How much moisture is in that pile? Those bacteria do need some to function, but too much limits the air the get and keeps them from working too. The link below will take you to a very good tutorial on composting. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Compost Tutorial
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- Posted by summerbabies 10 (My Page) on Fri, Mar 18, 11 at 8:23
| Groomie, we did add water, but perhaps not nearly enough. We are in Colorado, where it is very dry. Karchita, regular compost, but I thought it needed worms. Saw a post where someone added Red Wriggler worms. Do we need worms? I think the ones my daughter put in either died or escaped, as we didn't see any in the pile :-( Kimmsr, it's a three-tier box, I think 3'x3'. No nitrogen that I know of--or is that in coffee grounds? Not enough moisture. Thank you for the tutorial! I will read nit thoroughly! We did read a lot about composting when we started the pile. My parents had three giant open bins in the 1970's. Daddy put the grass clippings on it, and we used to add kitchen scraps...there was always one pile of rich, gorgeous earth. |
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| Maybe moisten it and add some nitrogen source to it (manure?) will help. Bacteria needs water, air, and food(nitrogen) to digest and convert carbon material. |
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| I'm going to vote for too dry. Should be able to squeeze a drop or two out of a handful of material. There are a couple of Colorado composters around, they often speak of the moisture issue with composting. Lloyd P.S. Some of our best winter blizzards up here come from Colorado lows. Love you guys! |
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- Posted by joepyeweed 5b IL (My Page) on Fri, Mar 18, 11 at 13:08
| Ehe worms usually move in when the compost is finished, or near finished. Did you read the FAQ page at the top of this forum? Lots of good information for starters there. Usually if its not composting its either too dry or not enough nitrogen, or a combination of both. |
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| In your picture I think I see numerous considerably sized wood chips. Keep any solid wood bits out. No shredded tree branches or anything like that. |
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- Posted by cal_dreamer z9 SoCal (My Page) on Sun, Mar 20, 11 at 18:09
| I have three biostacks and in the summer I have to add water almost weekly or the compost really dries out. |
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