Compost - what am I doing wrong?

[Sunflower]

My neighbor fertilizes his whole yard with a compost pile, but I don’t think I’m doing it right. He showed me how to build a pile by stacking up tree branches and yard clippings, but my pile isn’t working. It’s taking forever, and weeds keep sprouting up. What am I doing wrong?

[george]

I'm moving this thread over to the Soil/Composting forum...

Can you tell us a bit more about your compost pile? What ingredients did you put in it? Is it wet or dry?

If you're going to build an outdoor pile, one of the most important things to consider is aeration. The bacteria that break down scraps need plenty of oxygen to work. Build your compost pile like a fire - use twigs and wood scraps to create airflow. It's also important to turn your compost pile with a pitchfork or hand screw on a regular basis. Stirring everything up ensures that oxygen gets deep into the pile.

If the compost is too wet, this can block the flow of oxygen. It's important to keep compost damp, but not soaking wet. Aim for the consistency of a damp sponge.

Compost should include a mix of "browns" and "greens". Brown scraps are things like leaves, twigs, and lawn clippings. They're high in carbon. Green scraps are things like banana peels, apple cores, and cow manure. They're rich in nitrogen. It's important to have about 3 times as much brown material as green.

Here's some more information about compost:
Making Compost

If you want an easier way to make compost, you might want to consider a compost tumbler. Those are enclosed units (so they keep rodents away) and most of them break up clumps without the need for a pitchfork or aeration tool.

[MasterComposter]

Sounds like you have too many carbon rich materials (like leaves, sticks, dried grass) and not enough nitrogen rich materials (like coffee grounds, freshly cut grass clippings, vegetable scraps).

Basically, carbon rich materials take a really long time to break down if they don't have a balance of nitrogen rich materials to heat up the compost pile.

Here's a page I wrote that might be helpful:
All about Carbon and Nitrogen materials

Also, too many carbon rich materials tends to make your pile too dry. Adding water with a hose might help. A compost pile should be about the dampness of a wrung out sponge.

[DanD]

If your compost pile is working, it should get hot enough to kill any weeds. The bacteria should generate their own heat, and reach temperatures in the 160-180 range if you do everything right.

[dumbledorf17]

Try improving the air circulation by turning the pile with a spading fork.

Don't let it be too dry or too wet-----just plain moist.

Don't let it be compact because there is lesser air circulating in it. Remember the microbes need air.

So goodluck....Toss on like a garden salad.