5. VISIT POTENTIAL APARTMENTS

As you add materials, make sure to spray it down with the hose every few inches. Optimum conditions require the compost pile to be moist, but not wet. Periodically after the pile is assembled, dig into it a few inches and stick your hand in (if this part grosses you out too bad, maybe composting isn't for you). If it feels moist to the touch, but not so wet that it would drip if you squeezed it, it's perfect. If it's too dry, spray the hose on it and then mix it up with a pitchfork or shovel to evenly distribute the wetness. If it's too wet, stir it around some to aerate. If it's really wet, throw in some dry browns to help absorb the moisture as you stir. Also make sure it's not located in a hole or depression where water tends to collect. This is all pretty much common sense on keeping it moist but not soggy.

It can take anywhere from six weeks to two years to produce healthy compost, depending on the materials you use and how much attention you give your pile. What will happen in a pile that's actively composting is that the center of the mass will heat up. This is a result of all those millions of little microbes munching away at your materials. But you don't want just the inside to get warm; you want the entire pile to decompose. For the love of God, what can you do?!

Answer: "turn" your pile. Mix your pile up so that the outside stuff is on the inside, the top is on the bottom, and everything is mixed up as thoroughly as possible. Here are some ways to turn your compost:

  • Dig the materials out into separate piles, and then throw it all back together mixed up.

  • If you built the spare bin mentioned in Step 2, you can simply shovel from the full bin to the empty one. Your bottom stuff will naturally end up on top (funny how that works).

While your turning your pile, it's a good idea to moisten it as well, spraying every six inches or so with the hose to maintain the right balance. If your proportions are correct, your pile is evenly moist and aerated, and your microbes are working at full force, then you can turn the pile a couple times a week and get fast results. If you don't turn it at all, the same healthy pile might take a year to decompose.

If the center of your pile is not getting hot and nothing's happening, it's possible that you need to do some troubleshooting. For instance, your pile might be too small to insulate itself. Or you might be low on greens. (By the way, if you're low on greens, you can sometimes use an activator to boost the process. Activators are nitrogen and protein-rich elements like blood meal, alfalfa meal, fresh manure or fresh grass clippings that speed up the composting. Make sure to mix the stuff in well so that it's dispersed throughout your dormant browns enough to make a difference.)