On 3/17/2008 3:36 PM, Tom J wrote:
Phisherman wrote:
On Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:54:35 -0700 (PDT),
"
wrote:
Hi everyone. I am a novice gardener and first time homeowner who
has
a question about composting. I have a corner in my backyard that I
have used to dump grass clipping, leaves, and small twigs for the
better part of the year. Now that spring has sprung, I walked to
that corner of the yard expecting to find some black gold that I
can
use on my rose and vegetable garden. But what I found instead, was
a bunch of stinky wet leaves that were blackened, but not fully
decomposed. Now I figure that everything is in the process of
decomposing, but I thought that I would have had more by now. So
here are my questions:
1. I am generally lazy, so will the compost pile still decompose
if
I don't go out and turn it? Or is turning it a must?
It will still decompose, although more slowly and more unevenly.
Get
yourself a D-handle fork and use it once a month. It will help get
oxygen into the pile and you won't have the stink.
2. Are there any additives I can add that will naturally speed the
decomposition process? I remember hearing on TV that bone meal can
be sprinkled on the pile in between layers, but I wasn't sure if
that did anything.
It is best not to add anything, except water if needed.
3. Are grass and leaves enough variety to get a good pile going?
Again, I am lazy, so saving and bringing food scraps out to the
back
of the yard is really a bummer. 
The best mix is 50% green and 50% brown. So your mix of grass and
leaves will work fine. It is better to add vegetable scraps, coffee
grounds/tea bags, etc. To get your pile to really cook a 1 cubic
yard
of material is minimum.
What I haven't seen anyone list is soil. I add in dirt that contains
earthworms.
I only added dirt to start the composting process. Dirt adds the
necessary molds, yeasts, and bacteria. A good compost pile might be too
hot in the center for worms. Once the pile is "working", I just leave
some old compost in the pile to "innoculate" new material.
--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/