Compost questions

I have a good sized compost pile, about 3 feet high. It contains lots of layers of kitchen scraps like potato and orange peels that I don't give the chickens, manure and straw from goats and chickens, leaves and little branches I rake up in the yard and I add some dirt from time to time to try to get it working a bit better.
I wonder if it is lacking something. The pile does nothing at all during the winter. Is this normal? Should it not be heating a bit and decomposing, even during the winter time? Even in the warm seasons it takes forever to get some nice rich compost to add to the garden. One thing I don't do is stir it up. Tried that once and it was such heavy, back-breaking work I didn't think it was worth the effort. Thanks for any input!

Composting can be very simple or incredibly complex. If you want beautiful black soil from your pile in a short period of time, it actually takes work. You need to monitor the temperature of it and mix it when it starts to cool. It also needs moisture. The carbon-nitrogen ratio is extremely important if you want a quick, hot compost. There are many books on the subject, and I don't type fast enough to explain it all to you in a post. There is also a slow method, which I think is more accurate a description of your situation. Throw everything on and wait. It is effective, but not as fast. Composting does take time, and even an active pile that is watered and stirred often, will become less active or even inactive in the frosty temps of a Canadian winter. I would suggest that in the spring you stir it well about weekly (buy a long thermometer and take readings), or when it starts to cool. Water I so it is moist, like a wrung out sponge, add coffee grounds or other nitrogen-rich things to get it going and you will have a big pile ob black gold in no time.

One other thing,...to get a good hot compost going, you need a pile that is about a meter cubed. Pile it high and deep to get the temp up.

Thank you Bowker. I guess I am looking for the simple, non-complex and lowest effort option!
So I suppose that will mean lots of waiting for the results...which is OK with me.

If you want fast with little effort, get (or build) a compost tumbler. Easy peasy and really fast. I have one outside my back door on the south side of my house. Just give it a tumble when you throw something in it. It takes about a month to fill mine then I tumble every other day for about another month and I empty the whole thing and start over. The more air you can get into it the better. Now, if you want less effort try bokashi. You fill the bucket and sprinkle the EM infused bran in layers. When the bucket is full, let sit for a couple of weeks to age then dig a trench in your garden, dump it in and cover it up. Will feed your plants just like that.

I am full of compost ideas. Don't get me started.

If you have composting questions, I recomend the book "Let It Rot!" by Stu Campbell. Its detailed, yet written in simple terms, so you get the knowledge, without the glazed look in your eye (or at least I did!). Our local library had it, you might be able to find it at yours!

Plant some squash in it next year. Pumpkins, Acorn, any will do.

I will also run my rototiller through my many piles to fluff them up occasionally.

KathyS wrote:Thank you Bowker. I guess I am looking for the simple, non-complex and lowest effort option!

In our climate, I'd guess about 5 years, maybe more. And 5-6 feet high if you can manage.

Schipperkesue wrote:Plant some squash in it next year. Pumpkins, Acorn, any will do.

I will also run my rototiller through my many piles to fluff them up occasionally.

Anything viney for vegetables will love the pile, and also help with your compost. My manure pile is a pumpkin patch (among other vines) come summer. As soon as I harvest everything, it's all soil and pretty much ready for use.