My compost is not breaking down

**my4littlebuffaloes** · 03-30-2008, 07:13 PM

We started a pile last spring in April, we started it with leaves and added food all summer and fall. We added some dirt throughout the summer, worms when we found them, and in the fall some straw and a bag of chicken manure. We did keep it moist and turned it a couple of times this winter. We do not have compost! I don't really see food in it, but you can see all the straw and leaves in it and there is no dirt at all. Do we need to add much more dirt? If we added another bag of manure or something would that help it break down at this point? Any ideas? Thanks!

**Bethany** · 03-30-2008, 08:56 PM

You can google compost and get some good ideas. I've had mixed luck with mine, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I find that it takes a long time to break down.

**Jeanna** · 03-31-2008, 07:25 AM

Where is your pile located? It needs to get to a certain temperature to start breaking down. Is it in the sun or shade? Those are the first questions to answer.

**kaykwilts** · 03-31-2008, 08:11 AM

You only turned it a couple of times? My first guess is that you should have turned it a little more.

**mombottoo** · 03-31-2008, 02:56 PM

A good place for a compost pile is in the sun and it should be kept covered. When I was a girl and my dad was in his gigantic garden phase we had a compost pile. We built it about knee high (on an adult) out of cinder blocks alternating them where the holes on every other one were open to the outside starting with the second row and we covered it with a piece of 1/2" plywood. We turned it a couple of times a week during warmer weather and periodically during the Winter, generally just to mix in the new additions. Now mind you we were in the country and did end up with visitors...rats...which we had to kill with the pitchfork when we turned it...rats are no big deal & they add to the compost

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**my4littlebuffaloes** · 04-01-2008, 05:08 PM

Our yard is mostly shaded, but in the winter when there are no leaves the pile would get dappled sun much of the day. In the summer we turned it frequently. this winter, whenever we had decent weather we turned it, but that only ended up being maybe 3 times? We didn't not cover it tightly. We bought a tarp to put over it, so we will try that. Thanks!

**frugal-fannie** · 04-24-2008, 03:18 AM

I think one of the organic gardening books mentions using pop(coke/soda) as long as it is not sugarfree. I guess the sugar in the pop speeds up the composting process. I take stale pop left over from work and add it to mine.

**mommy4ever** · 04-24-2008, 09:05 AM

Hmm... I wonder how mine is..LOL. I didn't turn it at all! OOOPS. BUt it's impossible to turn the way the composter is. I'mgoing to do a metal barrel one. I'll get dh to put it sideways cut an access and make a way to rotate it. We'll paint it black. I'd buy a ready made one but they are over $200!

**my4littlebuffaloes** · 04-24-2008, 11:16 AM

Thanks for the idea on the soda, I will have to try it!

**santoria** · 04-24-2008, 12:26 PM

you've got to turn it almost daily to keep the air moving and the bacteria alive.

**itlw8** · 04-24-2008, 01:36 PM

really we make compost too hard.... yes turning will speed the progress but left alone it will break down in a year or 2

layering green such as grass clippings and brown such as leaves gives you the proper mix but even just the leaves will break down into lovely leaf mold.

You do not need to add dirt but if you can add a few handfuls of finished compost it is the best thing ever.

Is it working ???? well is the pile smaller ? then it is working

to speed up leaves breaking down run over them with a mulching mower some leaves such as oak will take much longer like up to 2 years... maple break down much faster.

We never turn our compost we just have 3 piles