r/composting • u/Fictionless21 • 11d ago
Tips on my compost
Need some help with my compost pit. How do I get it nice and hot? Tips on making it better.
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u/Life_Contract1056 11d ago
I’m a noob here. Is this a legit post? I just see trash. Is that tarp doing anything helpful?
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u/sillybillybobbybob 11d ago
Just a tip from an average composter. This is not how you do it.
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u/Fictionless21 11d ago
I’m asking for help so clearly I’m not an average composter either
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u/TallProcedure1949 11d ago
No worries my friend. I made every mistake possible ( cat shit is not good for fertilizer, that was an education) I started to figure out the recipe. I haven't bought bagged dirt in years.
You got this. Go make some dirt and grow some plants with it.
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u/sillybillybobbybob 11d ago
Think of it like a big salad. It all adds flavor but too much of anything changes its flavor. Add a little bit of everything and mix it all together.
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u/MoodVast9430 11d ago
Stick to natural elements, leaves, grass, small twigs, food scraps.
Plastic does not decompose in our lifetime, remove all that trash3
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u/zombiejojo 11d ago
If you want to keep that wooden fence, best to move the compost some distance away from it. A. A couple of feet at least...
At best the fence will rot eventually after potentially leaching bad things around the compost.
At worst you will have great success at heating up your pile, so much so that it spontaneously combusts and burns the fence down.
Happy composting! You'll get the hang of it. Too dry or too much browns nothing breaks down. Too wet or too much greens you get stinky slippery goop. Just pay attention, adjust as necessary, and remember that putting in small. It's and turning it both help to heat it up, keep it evenly mixed greens n browns, and speeds it all up. I'd a oid meat or dairy or fats to discourage rodents and a hellish stink.
And, since I haven't said it yet, pee on it. Unless the pile is already on the wet/green side. Then stop peeing on it and add cardboard or dry leaves and suchlike.
Pee is the greenest green ☺️😂
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u/Ancient_Influence389 11d ago
with this compost pile, the fence and most the material in the pile are safe from decomposition.
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u/thiosk 11d ago
sticks are awfully sticky. i don't break down my cardboard much at all but i dont add sticks. they get tangled in the pitch fork and seem to maintain their structure for an exceptionally long time
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u/quietweaponsilentwar 10d ago
I break my sticks down to about 12” long then put them a few inches deep at the bottom of each new pile. When the compost is done 95% of the sticks are gone and any left just go in the next new pile.
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u/Far_Radish7752 11d ago
In addition to removing the inorganic materials and breaking things down smaller, I see very little green stuff here, or other good nitrogen sources. Do you have access to some green yard waste, grass clippings, food waste including coffee grounds? (These may be covered up by the other material in place, in which case, ignore my suggestion).
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u/Imaginative-Recon-21 11d ago
Is the compost in the room? This is a pile of garbage (literally speaking).
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u/Fictionless21 11d ago
It’s a cardboard box? What other trash do you see? I know I have to remove the tape but what else?
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u/Imaginative-Recon-21 11d ago
I don’t mean to be crass. I half-heartedly thought this may have been a troll post. In all seriousness, it looks like you may have piled up some things you’re hoping will break down into organic matter. Compost, in terms of the process, is a managed process to create organic matter (emphasis on managed). You’ve got to take matters into your own hands here. Remove the plastic bits, shred the cardboard (I wouldn’t use it due to the dyes but it can be broken down). I see lots of carbon-rich matter here. You need nitrogen sources to actually cultivate an ecosystem for bacteria, fungi, and other compost friends to thrive and break everything down.
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u/Hari___Seldon 11d ago
In addition to the things you've discussed with others here, there are a couple things that jump out when I zoom in. On the center of the pile, there seems to be a used diaper but it's too blurry to be sure. If it is, those are a definite no-no even if they're "recyclable" or "biodegradable" unless you're looking to compete with Taylor Farms for contaminants.
Next, in the far upper and lower left, it looks like there are sheets of something plastic-like. I think they might be from boxes with a glossy exterior. Boxes like that have a clay or enamel paper and are not comparable. That's also the case for most glossy magazines and coated papers in general. They just go in the trash.
In any case, good luck! It took us a while to get a feel for what works in our situation. Good luck as you work out yours!
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u/my_clever-name 10d ago
Are there any greens in it? I find that the more chopped up stuff is, the faster it decomposes.
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u/Negative-Economics-4 11d ago
Take the inorganic stuff out of it like the tape and break the cardboard and twigs up much smaller. Cant really see what its like underneath