In article ,
Martin Brown wrote:

I suspect our positions are much closer than it may seem. I only ever
cut the grass when it is nice and dry and I don't overfeed it. I ensure
plenty of air is mixed with the grass added to the heap and add some
water if it looks too dry and dusty. I suspect some of the problems that
people have are due to anaerobic slabs of compacted grass out of
"clever" lawn mowers.

I suspect that almost all are! But it is not just overfeeding and
choosing your time that causes the trouble, it is whether the sun
reaches the grass to dry it out :-(

You don't even need the temperature. I run a cold heap, and 1/2"
thick privet prunings rot down quite happily - in a year or two.

I am more impatient. I like my hedge clippings to disappear ASAP. The
down side is that the wooden palette sides of the heap also rot away.

This is the point at which I quote Kipling:

There are nine and sixty ways of constructing tribal lays,
And every single one of them is right.

The same applies to composting.

It really is quite hard to make a complete failure of composting,
given that the solution to almost all problems is to rectify the
compaction or dampness problem and try again!

I agree. If all else fails mix some new stuff into the heap and it will
go. My own experience remains that within reason you can add 1-2m^3 of
almost any aerated green garden waste to a heap and it will go hot.

It may even be worth doing the hedge cut and lawn mowing together to
obtain enough bulk once or twice a year. I am convinced that a hot heap
makes a better compost with much less viable weed seeds.

I am not. I find that a cold heap works perfectly well, and produces
a more fibrous compost (useful for clay and sand). But it takes much
longer.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.