Compost turning question

[Compost Rebel]

I compost quite regularly, and am by no means going for a hot compost necessarily, but I also am in the habit of turning over my compost a couple of times a week. Is there any disadvantage to doing this? Is it sometimes better to leave it be for longer? Any info from reading or personal experience would be appreciated.

[pixelphoto]

if you arent going for a hot compost then I would say save yourself the work and let it sit.
Yes it will get some air into the compost and help break it down. but most people who turn compost are looking for a hot compost. People who let the piles sit usually use windrows or cold compost let things rot naturally.
either way is ok the hot method usually produces faster in my opinion.

[homegrown]

if you don't want hot compost, you are looking to ferment it instead to retain more nutrients. it uses different microorganisms so it burns hot enough to support the fermentation, but not too hot to burn off nutrients.

I would try bokashi or your own carbon source with added efficient microbes. you would have to keep your pile covered and not turn it at all. it wont smell like other compost, so that's a plus, also the drainage or juice from it will be quite beneifical to your yard. only thing is... if you are not able to keep it covered it might take a little longer.

[pixelphoto]

I do the hot compost method so I turn my pile reguarly. But only when it needs it. How do I knw when it needs it? I have a compost thermometer that I test the temperature with. I like to keep it around 140 degrees or better. If it starts to get cooler its time to turn the pile to get the microbe activity higher.

[a white rabbit]

..if you don't keep the compost temp high you won't kill the weed seeds. a compost heap is not rotting, its a cooker/ chemical conversion site..

..a good compost heap should be able to reduce a full-grown chicken (err a dead etc) carcass to bones in a matter of weeks..

[Gardener Don]

Composting is a great delight. I bag my grass and throw it on my pile along with all the horse manure, which is mixed with sawdust, that I can get. All of our green scraps from the kitchen and out of the garden go in my piles. Even on warm days it steams when I turn it. It is important to keep the pile moist, but not wet. I really like the barrel idea. A friend of mine made himself one and it is amazing how fast his material breaks down. I live in the country, so my piles start out about 4' wide, 3' tall and 6 to 8' long. Turning the pile seems very important to me in order to keep air in the pile otherwise it will simply sit there and rot; example leaves or grass left in a pile and not turned can turn into quite a mess. Doesn't take long until I have great compost for my garden. I started reading Rodales organic gardening books and magazines back in the early 70's and love the results. Gardener Don

[easygoing]

My compost is not turned at all Once a week or twice if I remember I used a thin steel tube blanked at the end with a series of holes drilled down the legnth of it and connected to my air compressor I inject High pressure air into the bin this wakes up the microbes and keeps them working I get excelent quality compost in quick time

[Grey]

I'm still learning about compost. So far, I have done almost everything wrong at least once: let it get too dry, got it too wet, not turned it, gotten too much brown in it, not layered it properly...

Someday, I'll know how to make killer compost.

[Candida]

I have 3 types of compost piles myself. One is just a large pile on which goes most kitchen scraps, large green leaves and no seeds or roots becuase it does not get hot enough since I am lucky to turn it once a year. This does not smell bad, but the critters come and snack at night and drag stuff out of it sometimes, so if you live where there is any chance of rats, you don't want to do this.
Second pile I layered properly with brown/green ratio in a 3 1/2 ft. tall ring of fence that I made. This one is right in one of my gardens among my blueberries and garlic. They get the benefit of leaching nutrients. I put a couple of pvc pipes with holes drilled in them through the pile for aeration/moisture and I go give them a shake once in a while, but I do not turn this pile either and it seems to be decomposing pretty fast. If you want to make compost quick, you do have to turn it every few days as you are doing.
Lastly, I have a very large pile in which goes everything else that I cannot burn, this obviously takes forever to decompose and I have all kinds of flowers growing out of it from putting roots, seed heads in there.
and that my friend, is my 2 cents
ps I also move the small pile to a different spot in the garden every year and it is on a slope so I put it somewhere on the upside.