"Jeremy Lunn" wrote in message
news:slrnbaa3ak.152.spammers-must-

I'm not sure that you can gaurantee that it'll be hottest in the centre.
There are other physical factors to take into consideration.


The hottest part of a good compost pile is always on the inside, toward the
middle.
If the outside of the compost is warm (due to sun, ambient temp) and the
inside quite cool, then the compost isn't composting and it's not working at
all.
Dig a hole to the centre in a compost pile that is a week or 2 into breaking
down, stick your hand in it, and I guarantee if it's a good one you won't be
able to hold your hand there too long :-)

Most weeds do die when their roots are exposed to the atmosphere, though
what about hardy weeds like couch grass?

Good point to bring up.
Ok, I know the description of a "weed" is "something growing where you don't
want it". I was thinking along the lines of general garden bed weeds. Any
pulled out grasses with runners should be left out of compost piles/left out
of putting them back into the garden.
These grasses can be grown from "sprigs". Part of a node touching the soil
or composted material, right temperature, right moisture, and it will take
off. Also this grass will not die easily.
Grasses caught in a catcher from mowing can be used in compost piles at
times. This alone will create heat when breaking down, and should not give
any trouble, careful with Kyke though.


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Jeremy Lunn
Melbourne, Australia
Homepage: http://www.austux.net/
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