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ThePepperSeed
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covering compost

Do you really need to cover compost piles to prevent nutrient leeching or will they still provide plenty of nutes if left uncovered for a few months?

rot
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..
Shield the compost from sun and rain.

The sun dries things out. Too much rain or moisture slows things down or worse.

Shield from the wind too.

Doesn't have to be elaborate or extreme. It varies depending on your climate.

Half the time I don't fuss with a cover even in sunny, dry So Cal.

two cents
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soil
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I'm with rot the cover is more for heat and rain.

that being said if you get a lot of rain just build a vertical compost pile with a ring of hardware cloth. I actually compost more in the winter here. usually when it rains( we got 6 inches in the last storm ) and my compost is fine. I make sure to turn it a few days after the rain stops to aerate it again and get it cooking so it finishes faster. with a bin like this there is NO way your pile could get over watered and waterlogged unless someone walked on it and compacted it while it was raining.

if the pile does drain good amounts of liquid when it rains, make sure to channel that flow of goodness into a useful spot or plant something there( we have fruit bushes where the overflow goes when it rains real hard) and they grow FAST and yield well.

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ThePepperSeed
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my pile is about 4 feet long and 3 feet high and is actually in 1 of my 3 raised bed gardens. That's good because if it does drain it's draining right into the garden. The spot it's in gets about 6 hours of direct sun a day in the summer, less in the spring and fall. I live in northern IL so we get the full 4 seasons. I started it in the fall this year and have already noticed it's shrunk quite a bit.

Sounds like if it's not getting excessive sun and or moisture then uncovered is a-o-k, especially since if it does drain it's just draining right into the garden. Don't want to spend much time on it, just want to be able to pull some usable compost a few times a year for the garden. thanks for the tips and keep them coming.

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soil
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I started it in the fall this year and have already noticed it's shrunk quite a bit.
an easy tip if you create piles all at once rather than constantly adding stuff.

take note as to where the top of the pile is when you finish, with the mesh rings I use its VERY easy, fill to the top and wait.

once it has shrunk a good amount ( I wait until it drops a good 12-15 inches.)

then its time to turn the pile, take note where it is now and repeat the above. before you know it the compost will be ready to sift and cure for use.

what doesn't compost all the way is usually woody bits and such which is perfect mulch for fruit trees.

I usually go through the process of fresh pile to sifted compost ready to cure in 3-4 weeks.

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rainbowgardener
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I don't cover my compost pile. This year was a bad drought year and the biggest problem I had was trying to keep the pile moist enough, so I wanted it to get rained on (of course we had nearly zero rain for four months, so it didn't help much). If I am watering my garden, I water the compost pile too.

It is near a big tree so quite shaded, to keep the sun from drying it out.

It sits on the ground and when I start a new pile, I usually put a few sticks down just to help with drainage, so wetter years, too much rain has never been a problem.

Since I don't do a lot of turning, I like my pile to stay open to the air.

toxcrusadr
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Mother nature doesn't cover anything in the sense that we would, and in fact she doesn't make piles. So in that sense it is not necessary at all - decomposition will take place. However, Mother Nature is sheet composting in place. If we're making a pile to try to speed it up AND to retain nutrients IN the compost for use elsewhere instead of feeding plants in that spot, then covering and uncovering at the right times can help that. But not essential to get decomposition.

Odd Duck
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I've started to cover my pile to keep moisture IN! My biggest problem is my heap dries out too much, then the fire ants move in! :evil: -wall-

I dish the top of my heap so water is directed into the middle of the heap. I cover with plastic (used a leaf bag this year cuz it was handy and free to me from a leaf source) and cut an "X" into the middle of the plastic to let the water into the heap. I also cut some slots in random, assorted spots to keep things from going anaerobic right under the plastic. The sides of my heap are open wire fencing, so it still ventilates pretty well. My goal is just to limit evaporation from the pile and so far, so good, it seems to be staying much moister.

I still have to uncover and water (or let the rain in) periodically. I found ants in the heap last week, but they were not fire ants - how to tell? Easy - they didn't boil out and try to murder me when I disturbed them. I did go ahead and water the heap. I figured the fire ants would be next and they would wipe out the natives, anyway. Have I mentioned what a pest fire ants are?

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rainbowgardener
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Good example of "all gardening is local" ! There's no one answer to cover the pile or not (or much of anything else). It depends on your conditions. My pile is collecting snow these days and fire ants don't survive our winter, so not covering is better for me, but we all have to figure out what works in our local conditions.

Lunacy
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When my pile got high enough to "start cooking" it was slow and would dry out on the top a lot, I covered it with a old tarp and it not only kept in moisture but heated up my pile, I also had a lot less flies around my bin. I now expect to have my first finished batch in a month or so.

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Halfway
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[url=https://img214.imageshack.us/I/compostbins7nov10300kb.jpg/][img]https://img214.imageshack.us/img214/7752/compostbins7nov10300kb.th.jpg[/img][/url]


This old kids pool was cracked and discarded by neighbors. It fits nicely into the grooves made by the sides of the bin so it stays in place during the wind. My fork lying on top of it helps keep it in place as well.

I don't use it to prevent leaching, but to keep it from drying out. It has made a difference.

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ThePepperSeed
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Thanks for all of the advice everyone :)

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Halfway
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ThePepperSeed wrote:Thanks for all of the advice everyone :)
Love the website TPS! I can smell the burn. 8)



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