Is my compost heap a go-er or a dead loss ?

[ukmastiff]

LO all, I would appreciate experienced advice on this and I know its hard without seing my 'heap'.

I have all the space you could want and as I keep ducks so I have been heaping the used straw bedding hopeing that I could make compost. This has been started at least a year ago. Now I know it shouldnt be all straw
( plus a bit of duck poo) but TBH I dont really have much else other than kitchen scraps and the odd leaf I can scrape up so if anything it is too much straw.

Now for the possible problem , at the bottom it is clearly rotting and there is 'some' look of compost to it but it is wet and sludgy but with no nasty smell at all.

Being hopeful it looks like maybe it is on its way to being compost but well off getting there. I do turn it every month and get some of the bottom stuff on top but we are talking a pile that is 12 foot wide 6 foot deep and 5 foot high its massive.

Is this heap just a rot box or does it sound like compost in the making, is there anything I can do to speed it up improve it etc ?. Also havign read other threads , should I put a plastic sheet or similar on top of my heap perhaps to keep the rain off and dry it out a bit/keep it warm ?

It would be a shame not to compost all this used straw and to just burn it as I go through loads. One of the reasons I didnt grow last year was I was so miffed at having to spend so much on compost and I really want to make my own as it costs a fortune.

Cheers

Mas

[zazen999]

You need to add more browns to your greens; cardboard, newspapers, shredded paper etc. Mix it in each time you turn it.

As your heap is so big; I'd layer it wet and then the above; and then leave it for a good time and then turn it. It should dry out over the summer anyway...popping a tarpaulin or something over the top should help to keep the heat in.

[ukmastiff]

Forgive my ignorance , does the straw count as greens ?? , I thought I might be lacking in greens due to my using mainly straw, which i assumed was ' browns' if you know what I mean.

By all means please do tell me what to add and I will , I can get tons of finely shredded paper in my office at work is that any good or is paper from the shredder too shredded ? , also do I mix it in with the huge heap I already have or layer it on top it is rather high already

Regards

Mas

[zazen999]

I can only presume that the bedding is sodden and that it then is a little too 'wet' to be considered browns?

Obviously I cant see it here. Could you post a photo of the bit that you say is wet and looking a little like compost?

Have you got lots of worms in it? Perhaps adding as many as you find will help to break things down.

[Aberdeenplotter]

taking the wet material to the top isn't the answer. It needs to get a real good mix up. If it is really wet, there will be a lack of air withing the heap. That is where the "browns have real value in the heap as they generally start off dry with some rigidity keeping the structure of the heap open. So throw the stuff about really regularly. Also, it is really useful to have more than one heap. I use three. The one I'm loading material into this year. The one I loaded into last year and the one from the year before that which is the one I'm using compost from presently.

When the one I'm using from is empty, I'll turn last years heap into there as its final treatment and the one being loaded this year will be turned into the empty bay.

Lots of movement = lots of aeration.

The duck poo should add loads of nitrogen which is necessary but a handful of growmore on the odd occasion can act as an accelerant also . A shovel full of soil scattered occasionally can also help.

I never cover my compost heap but then I'm only filling mine in the better weather whereas you are doing so the whole year round.

[ukmastiff]

Thanks for the advice so far people , heres the pictures as suggested, 1st tip im picking up is that I didnt want to over disturb my heap and ruin what was going on inside but maybe I am quite right to turn it and chuff it up more than I am.

It's not a giant rat ! I made this hole to show you whats inside.



This is whats inside at the bottom only , its mainly very wet but there is a bit of semi compost mainly right by the ground



This bit is just about compost but only the actual bit right on the ground scraped up to show you , above it is the rather wet bit.


This is the bottom 9 to 12" which is the very wet bit.


Regards

Mas

[Glutton4...]

I'm no expert, but with stable compost heaps it takes a good couple of years to rot down, and the outer layers take longer still. Yours looks to me like too high a straw content. Can you get any manure to add to it? Also, if you 'stack' it properly, ie a neat squared-off stack instead of a pile, it will rot more quickly. Periodically chopping a few inches off the sides and putting it back on the top of the stack, will not only keep it neat and tidy, it will also aid decomposition.

[taff]

It looks just like a giant manure heap
you're quite right, turning it will probably help it rot quicker, and as Aberdeenplotter says, a few heaps may get you quicker and more manageable results.
Can you split the heap into smaller parts? If it's roughly always the same size, after you add your regular amounts, splitting it into 6 or something heaps will be easier for you to turn, and to mix with various other things. Like a series of |_|_|_|_|_| that kind of thing [not necessarily pallet thingies, maybe just a series of small heaps], where you turn each smaller heap into the next compartment or area, and so on till you either get to the end and use, or return to the beginning of the area you use.

[taff]

forgot to add,it's a lot of work though.....

[womble]

The only thing I would do with it, is to make it into different piles, that start at different times. So you know which one will be ready first.

I think you've got a perfect mix of stuff which will break down fine, just needs alot of time. If you have any other garden stuff, I'd throw that on as well and if there isn't enough duck poo in there, then wee on it, alot.

The only reason I reckon it's wet at the bottom, is because it's a huge heap of dungy straw on the ground! It will be wet.

[zazen999]

That's a heck of a lot of straw! I would have thought that if the bedding was 'more used' by the ducks it would rot down quicker.....are you replacing it before it is sodden and thus in reality - it's still mainly fresh rather than being used?


What I would do;

Use the straw for mulching all your plot and at the bottom of bean trenches; and leave the old stuff in one pile, the newish stuff in another and work backwards that way.

As it is so fresh - it's not like a normal compost heap so normal rules don't apply...it's more like leaf mould and as such, will take much longer to rot down.

[Two_Sheds]

composting straw? Some folks use straw bales as male urinals - the urine (high in nitrogen) helps the straw rot down quicker.

some more reading if you're interested: How To Build A Fast-Burning Compost Heap With Straw Bale

Have you got access to grass clippings? (beg from your neighbours). They're also high in nitrogen. http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_5627789_compost-straw.html

[ukmastiff]

Thanks for everyone fr the tips and reples. It seems the concensus s tha the heap is far from a dead loss so I will give it until next year ! and hope I get some free compost then.

As a direct result of all the tips/info I am going to try three heaps , I have two already really as it sort of splits down the middle so I'll split it a bit more. I have an area ready for a third so I'll stop piling number 1 any higher and start on numbers two and three

I expect duck urine is also high in Nitrogen as wee is wee so to speek so I'm probably O.K there and yes there is of course duck poo in there. I will try and find worms to gently chuck in ( no worm cruelty here!) and maybe sprinkle shredded paper and as many other bits as I can grab. I have also now given it a god turn / mix up as suggested.

Thanks to all and hoipefully 'next' Spring I will have something positive to report back, patience being a virtue and all that.

Regards Mas

[Two_Sheds]

I will try and find worms to gently chuck in

Not earthworms though, they don't eat compost. Compost worms (aka brandlings, or tiger worms) will find their own way in. Or, you can buy some from angling shops

[ukmastiff]

I know im the beginner here but most of the help sites re composting and worms ( which ive only looked up after the suggestion here) seem to give the same advice, composting worms as you have mentioned in compost bins but in open large heaps , redworms or common earthworms. Perhaps like lots of things there are several trains of thought on that one I will look in to the worm bit as it seems a good idea anyway.

Regards

Mas