After the pile reaches around 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit, you want to stop adding greens and limit the amount of browns so that the compost can cure. Keep turning the piles regularly to add oxygen.
If you keep adding fresh material to a pile or bin, your compost will never be ready to use. Once you mix enough material, don't add any more so what's there can cook. Depending on how hot your pile gets, it usually takes between 3 weeks and 3 months to get finished compost.
Generally compost is ready to be harvested when the finished product is a rich dark brown color, smells like earth, and crumbles in your hand. Some signs that it may not be ready include: Recognizable food content still visible. The pile is still warm.
The short answer is that composted organic matter does not go bad unless you store it improperly. It does, however, continue to break down, and that's completely normal. That's how compost feeds our plants! It's also the reason why our soils need to be continuously replenished with compost.
You can store compost indefinitely, but the longer it's stored, the more nutrients it loses. Compost is at its best for three to four months after it is completed. However, compost can be used even after that. Over time, the nutrients in the compost break down further or escape the compost.
You can keep your compost bin active all year round.
In the autumn, the urban composter may look at the remains of their garden and wonder if they should let their compost go dormant over the winter. This would be an easy thing to do, but you still produce kitchen scraps even when winter has come.
If a compost pile is just left sitting, and not turned, it will take 6-12 months or longer to completely break down, depending of the climate and weather. The cooler it is, the longer it will take.
Test whether the compost is ready...
Decomposition will be complete anywhere from two weeks to two years depending on the materials used, the size of the pile, and how often it is turned. Compost is ready when it has cooled, turned a rich brown color, and has decomposed into small soil-like particles.
If you're growing a tree or shrub in a large container, you should replenish the compost every year or two. The ideal time to do this is between February and May. Doing so will improve the compost structure and provide a fresh supply of nutrients, which can be lost quickly in pots and containers.
Can I Just Put Compost On Top Of Soil? Compost can be added directly on top of the soil when introduced as a mulch layer for the plants. For a more immediate benefit, work the compost into the soil.
Compost is ready or finished when it looks, feels and smells like rich, dark earth rather than rotting vegetables. In other words, it should be dark brown, crumbly and smell like earth.
You may be surprised to learn that your compost pile needs just as much water as your live plants. Dry compost doesn't work. There are several ways to ensure your compost is getting the adequate amount of water needed to do its job.
As a rule of thumb, actively decomposing materials should be turned every three to four days. Materials with slowed microbial activity can be turned less often. In tumblers, turning two times a week resulted in higher temperature and faster decomposition than turning once a week or once every other week (Figure 1).
Active microorganisms need a moist environment. Ideally, composting materials should be between 40 and 60 percent water. When conditions are too wet, water will fill the pore space needed for air movement, and anaerobic conditions can result. If conditions are too dry, the decomposition rate will slow down.
When you need compost quickly, a covered pile is the way to go. A covering holds heat in the pile, which helps the good bacteria to work more efficiently. The cover effectively speeds up the process, shaving weeks (and even months) off the time required to produce finished compost.
Composting works in sun or shade Piles in sunny spots will decompose quicker but also dry out faster and may need supplemental watering during hot dry weather. Those located in a shadier spot will stay moist longer but decompose slower.
Remember - your compost bin is only a receptacle. Empty out your scraps every few days or every week in your outdoor compost pile OR your green waste bin to be collected on garbage day!
Choose a space in your yard for your compost pile that is easily accessible year-round and has good drainage. Avoid placing it right up against a fence and ensure there is a water source nearby. Your compost pile will break down in sun or shade.
One that might surprise you, lettuce takes 25 years to decompose! So it's important to not throw food on the side of the road or in nature, as it takes food a whole lot longer than you might think to biodegrade!
Pile composting can take between two months and two years, while container composting can take as little as two weeks. If you don't turn your compost regularly, it will take even longer. To speed up your compost, try shredding and chopping items before adding them to the pile or bin.
They are drawn to the food waste which they help to break down naturally. If you want to reduce their numbers, leave the lid off your compost bin for 3-4 days. If you do this, make sure to cover the surface of the compost so it doesn't dry out.
So a common question is: 'is it possible to re-use the soil / compost in pots'? The answer is most definitely YES. It will last for several seasons, at least, and perhaps even indefinitely.