If your pile is slow, the carbon: nitrogen ratio might be wrong. The microorganisms in compost need both nitrogen and carbon to work. If there is too much carbon, the process will slow down. To speed up the process try adding 'greens' – items that are high in nitrogen, such as grass clippings or manure.
Decomposition will be complete anywhere from two weeks to two years depending on the materials used, the size of the pile, and how often it is turned. Compost is ready when it has cooled, turned a rich brown color, and has decomposed into small soil-like particles.
Three factors are usually to blame: poor aeration, too much moisture, or not enough nitrogen-rich material in the pile. A compost pile overburdened with materials that mat down when wet—grass clippings, spoiled hay, heaps of unshredded tree leaves—can become so dense that the pile's center receives no air.
Garden compost can take between six months and two years to reach maturity. Larger quantities of material tend to compost more efficiently, but smaller bins, while slower, should still produce good results. Mixing the contents regularly will also help to make the process more efficient.
As a rule of thumb, actively decomposing materials should be turned every three to four days. Materials with slowed microbial activity can be turned less often. In tumblers, turning two times a week resulted in higher temperature and faster decomposition than turning once a week or once every other week (Figure 1).
Compost is ready or finished when it looks, feels and smells like rich, dark earth rather than rotting vegetables. In other words, it should be dark brown, crumbly and smell like earth. The Florida Online Composting Center is one of the few sites that offers detailed home tests for the maturity of compost.
It will lose much of its value if materials are left to decompose too long. The more time compost is left to sit around, the more “colloidal” it becomes. In other words, it becomes more and more compact as the composting microbes continue to feed on the waste materials.
After the pile reaches around 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit, you want to stop adding greens and limit the amount of browns so that the compost can cure. Keep turning the piles regularly to add oxygen.
Another issue of soils that receive excessive compost is the potential for increased soluble salts to levels that would cause salt toxicity. In high tunnels, soluble salts can accumulate to excessive levels because leaching is minimal. Composted manure is generally higher in salts than composted vegetative matter.
You may be surprised to learn that your compost pile needs just as much water as your live plants. Dry compost doesn't work. There are several ways to ensure your compost is getting the adequate amount of water needed to do its job.
Remember - your compost bin is only a receptacle. Empty out your scraps every few days or every week in your outdoor compost pile OR your green waste bin to be collected on garbage day!
In general, the core of the heap tends to heat up quickly at the beginning of the process. As the microbes get to work, they generate heat and use up any available oxygen. Turning the compost allows you to transfer undepleted organic material back into the mix so the fast-acting microorganisms can carry on their work.
Simple organic activators you may have on hand are lime (limestone), blood meal (yes, it's dried blood), fish meal, and poultry, rabbit, and horse manure. Rabbit food (pellets) and dry dog food are also organic activators that are often have on-hand.
Cold composting is the lazy gardener's method. While a cold compost pile needs both brown and green materials, you don't have to be as exact with the proportions. Instead of saving the materials up before creating the pile, add them when you have them.
Urine can act as a starter for a compost, encouraging the decomposition process, such as adding urine to a pile of leaves.
Composting works in sun or shade Piles in sunny spots will decompose quicker but also dry out faster and may need supplemental watering during hot dry weather. Those located in a shadier spot will stay moist longer but decompose slower. In either case, make sure the soil below the pile is well-drained.
Apply 1 to 2 1/2 inches of compost to surface and till well into the top 6 inches of soil. Then apply seed and rake into surface. To get a 5 percent mix of compost to soil, you use your measuring container and mix 19 containers of soil to one container of compost.
You can, and you probably should include a small amount of soil in your compost. It can help speed up the composting process and also prevent common composting problems like odors or insects.
They are drawn to the food waste which they help to break down naturally. If you want to reduce their numbers, leave the lid off your compost bin for 3-4 days. If you do this, make sure to cover the surface of the compost so it doesn't dry out.
Composting the Wrong Materials
Never add animal-based food scraps such as meat, seafood, greasy food, or dairy products to your bin or pile. These will smell bad as they decompose and attract pests like roaches and rats.
Rotten Smells
A compost pile that smells like rotten eggs or rotting vegetables has gone anaerobic. This means that there is not enough oxygen to support aerobic microbes and the anaerobic ones have taken over. Unfortunately, they produce hydrogen sulfide as a by-product and hydrogen sulfide smells like rotten eggs.
Active microorganisms need a moist environment. Ideally, composting materials should be between 40 and 60 percent water. When conditions are too wet, water will fill the pore space needed for air movement, and anaerobic conditions can result. If conditions are too dry, the decomposition rate will slow down.
Choose a space in your yard for your compost pile that is easily accessible year-round and has good drainage. Avoid placing it right up against a fence and ensure there is a water source nearby. Your compost pile will break down in sun or shade.