yeah, it'll all get there eventually ... if ya want it faster tho' it does sound like you need more N, and prolly the reason you had the dry patch is leaves tend to shed water, especially if not shredded - would help if you mixed the food waste you do have in a bit more, the "sludgy" description indicates that area is too wet

Bill

Adding water to the top doesn't get the bottom wet- even with lots of rain. You really have to add water as you build or turn it.Put the hose on it all day and the bottom will be dry. water chanels form that divert the water. add a bucket and you'll see tea-looking water leaking down the sides.

The black "sludgy" stiff in the middle is compost and that is whre most all of the activity will be. Unless you wet that material on the bottom water, or moisture, will simply have a hard time getting there because water always follows the path of least resistance. With an uncovered pile and lots of rain the top 1/2 could easily be too wet and the bottom very dry. Turn, remix, and as your do add some water to everything, not much because a little too much will dispace the air and you will have anaerobic conditions.

Thanks all, I'm working on getting more N, I'm gonna be pulling more UCG from work and I'm going to try to make a trip to Starbucks. A little later in the spring I'm going to pick up some alfalfa to get the pile good and hot. In the meantime I'm adding all of our foodwaste to the pile, including the remains of the Christmas turkey. Does it make me a wacko to think of Christmas dinner as an excellent excuse to get N for my pile? 7 pounds of squash and 5 pounds of potatoes produces a goodly pile of skins, blemishes and seeds.

I had the same problem with my last pile. I went to use some of it (three months old/never turned) to make a lasagna style bed for next year. It was good looking in some parts and totally dry in many others. I think if you are going to use dry leaves, shredded or not, it's almost necessary to soak them before building the pile. I just restacked a new pile with a sprinkler going on it the whole time. All shredded leaves, with 50 lb of alfalfa pellets added as I went. I'm still not sure if it will stay wet enough. I agree with squeeze and pablo_nh. No matter how much you water from above, it just runs through, the leaves not absorbing much of it. I think this style pile needs turning so I can add water as well as oxygen.