Compost Heap

[Icyberjunkie]

Might seem a bit late to ask as I have already built a big mound of veg matter from clearing my new lottie in Feb.  It keeps settling down leaving room for all the extra but is just chucking on all the weeds and trimmed leaves etc enough?   As I said it is settling so presumaby breaking down but aren't they supposed to get hot as well?

I have built a frame of wire mesh, lined it with all the old plastic compost sacks that were left and covered it with the same.   About a metre and a half across and high.

[Icyberjunkie]

[ina]

That sounds like my compost heap. It never got warm until a couple of weeks ago when it got really hot for the first time ever but now it cooled down again.
It'll do just fine, even when cold, it will just take longer. Normally, I leave mine for a year, adding to it all the time and empty it out in spring.
Make sure it doesn't dry out and mix it every now and then.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Pile it up, cover it over and leave it. The scientific method is fine if you want to spend a weekend putting a compost heap together; I'd rather garden, and it rots anyway.

[beejay]

Most domestic compost heaps don't get hot, unlike the large heaps such as local authorities have. They get hot enough to kill off most weeds & bugs that get in there. We instead have to largely rely on the action of worms & other organisms. Exciting isn't it?

[Kepouros]

Any finely shredded fresh green material mixed in will heat it up - there`s nothing better than moist lawn mowings or freshly shredded green hedge clippings.

[Icyberjunkie]

Okay thanks for all that - makes me feel better.  Anything that lets me enjoy the gardening bit I'm all for....except the joys of weeding!!!  Haven't thought of a good way to get the kids doing that yet :O)