Most composters learn by experience.

I turn my seven mesh piles when:

1)It is hot and I want to add ingredients. If the new ingredients are problematic materials like fish parts or veggie and fruit wastes, they go in the center area. If coffee grounds or fresh cut grass are to be added, they can go into the whole pile.

2) If the air and water are used up. This is learned by experience, but it might be five to seven days for a hot pile (for me 140F to 165F core temp).

3) When too much water has been absorbed into the top few inches of the compost pile.

A compost thermoter (mine cost $15 and was purchased at a garden center) is a big help. It is placed in the center(core) of the pile, since that is where the heat is retained the longest.

Hi egganddart - there aren't any absolutes to composting - no "you must do this and you must do it now" rules. In other words, you can't do it wrong. ;) And what discourages most new composters is that they try to make the process too complicated and worry about it too much. Compost happens - as I'm sure you have heard - and your pile will compost even if you do absolutely nothing to it. It just takes a little longer. ;)

The answer to all your questions depends on what is in your pile, how well it is balanced, how active you want to be with it, what your weather is like, and what you want to use the compost for.

*do i wait till it cools down before turning?*

You can wait till it cools or if you are adding new ingredients you can turn it while its hot. Either way is fine.

*will it heat up again?* Probably, depending on the weather and what the balance of the ingredients is. But it may not and that is ok too.

*how many times do I turn it?*

No way to tell. There is no required number of turns. It all depends on how well the components are breaking down. You'll need to stir it up some each time you add more new stuff or if you get a heavy rain or if it dries out. Otherwise just eyeball it and if it looks like stuff is still recognizable then turn it some if you want.

*when is it done?*

It can't be rushed - that's why all the claims of 14 day compost by some of the tumbler vendors are so laughable. It depends on all of the above and how you want to use it. When it smells good and looks nice and crumbly and few of the things you added look like themselves it can be used.

Just relax and enjoy the process and welcome to the wonderful world of compost! :-)

Dave

I am now reading a book entitles "The Rodale Guide to Composting". One idea in it was the wandering pile method of turning a pile. First off, it says the minimum size pile for good heating is five feet wide and four feet high. New ingrediants are added to one face of the pile. Each week six inches is shaved off the back end of the pile and either used or moved to cover the front face where the new ingrediants, if any, are. By doing this your pile will move about six inches a week, and over the course of several months will move in a line around your yard. Eventually all of the material will get its turn in the hottest center of the pile. I think I will use this method on my five cubic yard pile I have now.

I just came across some directions for a 12 day pile, which says the pile should be turned every 3 days. It furthur says more frequent turning causes faster composting, but never turn more than once a day. However more frequent turning causes more nitrogen loss as it allows the ammonia gases to escape. Water the pile if necessary while turning it. The best method for determining when it is done is the smell test and temperture. When the temperture drops to 110 degrees F twelve inches inside the pile it is finished.

You would want to turn your compost just after the high temperature peaks and that should be around 3 to 5 days after you build it. A compost thermometer is your best way to track those temperatures, but the general rule of thumb is fine. Once the temperature has peaked the first time your turn again after it peaks again, about 3 to 5 days.

Turn the pile when you feel like it OR when it feels like it. Every hot pile needs food, water and air. The food is all that stuff you want to make into compost. If the pile feels like a damp rag there is enough water. Air you give by turning the pile. A good rule of thumb for a hot pile is every three to four days but if you miss a few days, no sweat. The worst that will happen is the pile will go anaerobic for a few days until you get around to turning it. If you use a thermometer, as long as the pile inside is above 130* leave it alone. A candy thermometer from the dollar store works as well as an expensive compost thermometer. If you are not using a thermometer, when it is not longer too hot to leave your hand in it, turn it. After it no longer heats up too hot for my hand following a turning, I know it is ready to use. I run mine through a 2" sieve after the third or fourth turning. The sieved stuff gets used and the rest goes to the gathering pile.

Here is a link that might be useful: Compost Central

A candy thermometer will not have a long enough probe to reach into the compost pile to find out what the real temperature is. A compost thermometer will have a probe at least 18 inches long.

The fact is- you don't NEED to turn a pile at all if you don't want. I'm generally a one time pile turner. Once when it starts cooling off, to make sure the stuff on the outside gets cooked some. (super easy to do with a wire fence bin)

If you want it done faster- turn it more. Go nuts. Turn it every 2 days. get some exercise :)

i know it'll become compost anyway, but recently i've gotten excited about the idea of making it all at once and having it get hot. i started with a 4x4x4' pile of layered weeds and dry stuff. (i put in whole weeds, without shredding them, and some, like the crabgrass, were pretty big.) it has gotten hot, thanks to advice i've gotten here. but i'm still wondering: how long does it take to become compost, if i keep turning it when needed, and keep the moisture level right?

There are, very labor intensive, methods for making compost in 14 days, but generally 3 to 6 months is necessary for most people that turn the compost once a week or so, depending on the material put in.

I agree with kimmsr on time, but if you don't mind chunks and are topdressing a bed- you can spread it on a bed half finished. It will finish up in place and act as a mulch.

Of course- some of us just spread compostables on beds and let them do their thing there as well.

thanks, 3 to 6 months -- that's good to know.

yesterday i used chunks of unfinished, strawy compost over the potatoes i was planting because i was out of finished compost. i really want to make as much this year as i can, so i'll have enough next year.

Er, Once a year when I turn it out of the container and into the garden every fall? It then lays all winter where I want it to be before I plant anything. Weed seeds sprout and are easily picked before I do any planting.