In article , Phil L
writes
Kay wrote:
:: You could also add cardboard etc - or do the rodents dispose of
:: all that too?

No but lawn cuttings and cardboard aren't going to make anything worthwhile
are they? - or are they?

I don't see why not. It would add a bit of air and structure to the lawn
cuttings.

I put a large amount of cardboard on mine, along with weeds and veg
waste - at this time of the year it's mostly cardboard. Not the greatest
compost in the world but still a very big improvement on the natural
soil of the garden. So the cardboard itself seems to be not a problem.
I'd have thought grass cuttings plus cardboard would work better because
the ready breakdown of the grass cutting would help the breakdown of
the cardboard.

TBH I'm getting a bit peed off with it where it is but I don't have any
ideas about how to go about building something...I have plenty of
materials - 50 gallon drums, old plastic dustbins, timber, mesh etc and
plenty of space too, but it's now just plonked directly on the ground in
permanent shade (and severely wet) behind a shed, which is a bit of a task
getting to with sacks of lawn cuttings in summer.
Is there any websites (UK based pref) concerned with building some kind of
compost heap?

Basic principles are
1) as big as possible - mine are 4ft x 4ft x 3ft
2) As cubic as possible (minimise ratio of surface area to volume to
maintain heat)
3) contact with the ground so the worms will move in
4) you need at least two heaps. I have one filling, one stewing and one
emptying.


From what I've gleaned on here, there's hot and cold? - I don't think I
could maintain a hot one though as the lawn cuttings are a foot deep at a
time.

I'd have thought you were getting quite a bit of heat generated in that
lot? After all, it's the same principle as spontaneous combustion of
poorly dried haystacks.

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"