"Jane" wrote
This is my first attempt at making compost. I have a plastic dalek
bin and I've been adding vegetation as and when I have it, over the
past 6 weeks. I've added things in layers so as not to add too much of
one thing at once, and I've poked it a few times to stir it around a
bit. I know it'll probably take a year before it's ready to use, but
at the moment nothing seems to be actually happening. Should the heap
be hot or warm to the touch or is it normal for it to be cold? Is
there anything else I should be doing, or is it just a matter of time
and patience?

It is time and patience really, but if you want to hasten things along
and are feeling energetic, it can help to give the contents a more
thorough mixing every now and then which will aerate the material each
time. With a dalek bin you can lift it right off, throw the contents to
one side with a garden fork and mix well - avoiding the robin which will
dart in to steal worms - replace the bin and throw the material all back
in again. You also get the bonus of an aerobic work-out too!

Stick with it - it's very satisfying using your very first batch of
rich, crumbly, home-made compost.

--
Sue