If you are using a compost bin and have a compost pile in it, you will probably find that the summer’s high heat accelerates the composting process (providing the pile is humid and it has been turned to allow more oxygen to circulate). On the other hand, perhaps your pile won’t heat up. What can you do? What are compost activators? When and how can compost activators help?

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Now that we’ve covered the compost recipe (see previous posts), let’s look at what must be done to build a hot compost pile.

How to build a hot compost pile:

1. Before you actually begin to build a hot compost pile, gather an equal amount of both “green” and “brown” ingredients, (see previous posts for explanation of what these are).

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Equally important to knowing what materials can be added to the compost pile is what materials must absolutely be left out of your compost pile — unless you’re looking for problems. Below is a list of materials to be left out of your compost pile and why.

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Adding assorted food materials to your compost pile is the third and a very important requirement if you want your compost recipe to work well. From previous posts you’ve seen that best results are obtained if 1) there is enough air to provide the oxygen necessary for the bacteria to carry out “aerobic” decomposition; 2) your compost pile is as damp as a wrung-out sponge, and 3) you have a mixture of both green and brown compost ingredients added to your compost pile.

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Checking the Moisture Level In Your Compost Pile

The second most important requirement that helps keep the decomposer organisms working just the way they should is having just the correct amount of moisture (water) in your compost pile.

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Is Community Gardening For You?

People all over the world are either creating their own compost and growing their own garden or they are applying for plots of land from the region where they can plant their very own garden patch. Why? Read the rest of this entry »

Why Is Adding Air To Your Compost Pile Necessary?

You must often add air to your compost pile because air penetrates only the first few inches of the pile; it cannot easily get through to the middle of the pile. If you suddenly get that nasty rotten egg smell around the compost, oxygen is lacking and anaerobic bacteria are moving in. In other words, the pile may simply need to breathe, and it is time to add air to your compost pile.

When hot composting, plenty of air is essential to develop the high temperatures needed to kill harmful bacteria and speed the process of decomposition; therefore, air must be added to the pile in one of these five ways:

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