Success!!

I have been trying - unsuccessfully - to get my compost pile to heat up. I've been working on it for 8 or 10 months maybe. Best I could get was 80 degrees.

This past weekend I finally got time to chip a BUNCH of leaves I had stockpiled around the place and then turned them into the compost pile. This morning our air temp was just under 60 degrees - my pile is at 130!! Yes!! So happy. It's probably a combination of adding those good browns and the pile is finally about the right size (according to my research) - it's 3' x 3' x 3' - more or less.

Signed:
Mary McHappyComposter

Congratulations!

Now.
1. How do you measure the temp of your pile?
2. How do you "chip" leaves?
3. What's in your pile?

1. Measured the temp with a meat thermometer

2. To chip the leaves, someone dumped a non-working chipper on us for free. It needed a new carborator, that was $100 and it runs like a top.

3. Kitchen scraps including household coffee grounds, some green grass clippings, llama pellets and the shredded leaves. That's basically it. Although I top-dress with straw which gets mixed in a bit sometimes.

Here's my small compost pile. It's sitting in a corner that doesn't get much sun. Is yours in the sun? I'm thinking that really doesn't matter all that much, cause one day, I was out back where my DH dumps his grass clippings and raked leaves. He had just jumped a load of fresh, green grass clippings and I decided I needed some for my little pile. So, he gets the wheelbarrow and I followed him out there. He stuck the shovel into that pile and STEAM came out! Now, I'm trying (like you) to get heat, and this man is just dumping stuff and he's GOT heat. No rhyme or reason. And his pile NEVER sees sunshine. Go figure. It must be those leaves, huh? I compiled my pile thusly:

A layer of shredded white paper from my office. Sprinkled with the garden hose
A layer of grass clippings (sprinkled)
A layer of dried leaves (sprinkled)
Another layer of grass
More leaves

Then, I made a trench down the middle of the pile and chucked in the table scraps. Veggie peels, coffee grinds and filters. Then, I covered the trench back, and sprinkled. Left it alone. Have turned it twice. There are worms below, and the scraps are decomping nicely. But -- no heat....

Please advise.

Gymgirl, the pile gets some sun, but not a lot. I don't think it's the sun factor so much as the size (3 x 3 x 3) and just hitting the right combo of nitrogen and carbon (I *think* it's the carbon). You do not *have* to have heat, it'll compost anyway, just slower.

I was not at all meticulous in layering stuff - I just throw everything together and turn it with a pitchfork when my back tells me it's ok to do so.

Keep trying, it'll all work out just fine in the end!!