Sounds good,
I would have left the heap for a few days before forking it over again, but
it doesn't matter too much. The heat means you have the right combination of
ingredients for composting....I have found I needed to add a bit of water to
any parts that may have remained dry. This can make the heap heat up again
cos you improve the conditions. It will cool down again after the bacteria
have done their job, so that's part of the process.... After a bit bugs and
worms will come into the heap to finish the job, and they couldn't do that
if it was too hot for them...
If you are really keen to get it into the garden you could conceivably add
it after two or three weeks, but I prefer to leave mine till its quite fine,
dark, soil like and almost crumbly.... If any parts are not broken down
enough when I add to the garden, I just put them in the next heap...
Love and peace
SyrianPrince


"Petesin" wh@tthe**** wrote in message
u...
Last Sunday I started my first attempt at composting. I read heaps about
it before I started and thought I would have a crack. I used mostly lawn
clippings and some leaves that I had mown up and put in a pile about 12
months ago (very dry). I layered the grass, leaves and some soil from my
vege garden until I had what I estimated to be over a cubic metre. I have
the heap setup in the 120cm sapce between my garden shed and the
colourbond fence behind it with a barrier in the middle about 1.5m high.
After the layering I forked it all over the otherside of the barrier to
mix it all up. That afternoon I stuck my hand in the heap and had to pull
it quick. It was really hot. On Monday I forked it all back over the
other side. I was wearing thongs and the compost falling on my feet was
quite hot and very uncomfortable. I threw it back over the other side
again Wednesday, Friday and again yesterday (Sunday). It was yesterday
when I realised it was noticably cooler but still warm. Today it still
has a good warmth when I stick my hand in but is not really "hot" like it
was a week ago. I though it would be at least another week before it
cooled down significantly. Is this normal? It is looking very good and
most of it has composted quite well but as this is my first time I'm not
really sure how decomposed the final product should be.

Any thought?