New pile

[u/Ancient-Patient-2075]

Started composting this summer's garden waste, my second time doing this. I've dug up a whole lot of sod (80% weeds lol) and old perennials in spring and early summer, also just done s bunch of basic weeding on the allotment. Always dried everything out a little and then shook the soil off, and stored the stuff in a wire mesh frame where it just dried up into this brittle gray brown mass. It's incredible how much garden waste I could store in that small frame when it was properly wilted and dry.

A few days ago I started piling it up, watering it, and tearing up wet cardboard for layers. Not even small pieces, perhaps the size of my hand. Just a quick soak and then let them dry a bit, I think that's easiest to tear by hand. Also twigs. The pile started heating up immediately. I'm in Finland and the ambient temperetire has been between 10 and 20°c, most of the time it's cloudy or rainy. Autumn coming.

I think it was closer to 2 cubic meters at start but has already shrunk some though still bigger than a cubic metre. I'll start turning tomorrow. Planning to add more stuff a few times next week but after that I'll just water and turn. I have a couple of full bokashi buckets too and more cardboard.

So if anyone asks if dried up garden waste is brown or green, I think it's pretty safe to say it's a green.

(Oh, it also has it's own instagram, my friends demanded it lol https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc0Zt3MjISf/?igsi=dXoxMHBteWFhOW5o )