Advice on Making a Hot Compost Pile

[Hutchy17]

Hi guys new user on here but some advice needed.

Making a hot compost pile any tips please, cheers Hutchy

[Newt]

Hi Hutchy,

This should answer all your questions.
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/backyard/compost.html

Newt

[opabinia51]

Dead simple; just have a 50:50 mixture of greens to browns and cut everything up as much as possible.

For next year, corn husks are great to use as greens.

You want to keep the pile as wet as possible and do not build it next to a house or other structure. What I do (after the advice of the proprietor of a local organic nursery) is wet each layer as I lay it down.

Works like a charm, in a month you will have soil.

[peachguy]

I am having trouble with getting my compost to heat up, its now going into winter and I have had it outside since june, and doesn't heat up like you said Opa. and now I just think once winter comes it is just going to frezze and do nothing all winter. Also it is wet, I don't if it is too wet either. We've had a lot of rain this fall and even though it is in a black composter that I can spin the compost just seems to wet.

[Newt]

Peachguy, did you read the link I posted for Hutchy?

Newt

[peachguy]

yes I did, after I posted and found that the season is out, sorry guys

[opabinia51]

Hi peach guy,

if you compost is not heating up; that means that you have to many browns.

Though, don't despare; cold composting has it's merits as well. The main reason why people use hot composting (aside from the fast soil production) is to kill seeds. So,if you don't have seeds or disease organisms (another reason to hot compost) then, it's not necessary to hot compost.

[garden_mom]

Also, you don't want your pile to be too wet, just consistently damp, like a wrung out sponge.