Compost troubles

floyd1440 4/14/2012, 8:01 am

TTT

Need some help. I turned my compost pile it was not as hot as it has been. Figured if I turned it onece a week I would be good to go but something went wrong. It seemed a little dry and we are getting rain today so that should help if that is the problem.

The other I made for kitchen scraps and since we eat a lot of fruit I know have fruit flies. So should I out them somewere else to let them decompose????

Compost troubles 601593

**camprn** 4/14/2012, 8:16 am

floyd1440 wrote:TTT

Need some help. I turned my compost pile it was not as hot as it has been. Figured if I turned it once a week I would be good to go but something went wrong. It seemed a little dry and we are getting rain today so that should help if that is the problem.

The other I made for kitchen scraps and since we eat a lot of fruit I know have fruit flies. So should I out them somewere else to let them decompose????

Floyd, next time you turn the compost pile, give it a LITTLE BIT of water every few inches. It is recommended to turn the pile when the temperature comes down under 100F.

As to the new pile, for control of flies and odor, put either a bit of dry stuff over the top or a sprinkling of dirt to cover it. Nut much, just enough to cover the top surface. Wink

Too Tall Tomatoes 4/14/2012, 8:34 am

camprn wrote:
floyd1440 wrote:TTT

Need some help. I turned my compost pile it was not as hot as it has been. Figured if I turned it once a week I would be good to go but something went wrong. It seemed a little dry and we are getting rain today so that should help if that is the problem.

The other I made for kitchen scraps and since we eat a lot of fruit I know have fruit flies. So should I out them somewere else to let them decompose????

Floyd, next time you turn the compost pile, give it a LITTLE BIT of water every few inches. It is recommended to turn the pile when the temperature comes down under 100F.

As to the new pile, for control of flies and odor, put either a bit of dry stuff over the top or a sprinkling of dirt to cover it. Nut much, just enough to cover the top surface.

Dried leaves work well if you can find them at this time of year. Makes me wish I would've stockpiled leaves from last fall.

**camprn** 4/14/2012, 8:37 am

When I mow the lawn I usually pile the clippings to the side of the new compost holding pen. Usually the top layer of clippings dry all on their own. Those would be good to sprinkle over the top of the fresh stuff in the holding pen.

Too Tall Tomatoes 4/14/2012, 8:56 am

camprn wrote:When I mow the lawn I usually pile the clippings to the side of the new compost holding pen. Usually the top layer of clippings dry all on their own. Those would be good to sprinkle over the top of the fresh stuff in the holding pen.

Yes.....that works well. I forgot about it

I did that last year. It was nice to have a supply of semi-dried grass to add to the compost.

kittykat 4/14/2012, 10:40 am

I read somewhere else in here once to purposefully lay out your grass clippings on a tarp to let them dry out so you're storing dried grass clippings rather than wet ones...

jennifer37918 4/14/2012, 10:44 am

I don't have one of those well-manicured lawns, so my current solution may not work for people with neighbors, but I have found I can cut the grass and leave the grass clippings in place (where they fell). Then a few days later, they are dried out and can be raked into a pile I can transport to the compost pile. This way, I skip spreading them out by hand and only touch them once. And if I don't get around to them, they refertilize the lawn where they are.

**camprn** 4/14/2012, 10:44 am

kittykat wrote:I read somewhere else in here once to purposefully lay out your grass clippings on a tarp to let them dry out so you're storing dried grass clippings rather than wet ones...

A good idea, but for me, that is simply too much work and unnecessary. I just pile 'em and toss 'em in when I build a new pile.

**RoOsTeR** 4/14/2012, 12:05 pm

jennifer37918 wrote:I don't have one of those well-manicured lawns, so my current solution may not work for people with neighbors, but I have found I can cut the grass and leave the grass clippings in place (where they fell). Then a few days later, they are dried out and can be raked into a pile I can transport to the compost pile. This way, I skip spreading them out by hand and only touch them once. And if I don't get around to them, they refertilize the lawn where they are.

A good idea, but for me, that is simply too much work and unnecessary. I just pile 'em and toss 'em in when I build a new pile.

+1
I use a combination of both these methods Very Happy

I leave my grass clippings as they lay for a day or two so they aren't as wet, then go back with some very minor raking and then pile them up by my compost till ready to use.

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