where are you.. big city name ...

whats in the bin other than the needles ...

how can it be in 'sun' .... if the needles are falling in it???

maybe a pic will help us understand whats going on ...

welcome

ken

I'm not sure how it's in sun if it's under a tree either... but composting can be done in shade too.

I'm also curious about the tree if it's dropping masses of needles in quantity enough to require scooping out every day too. Is it dying or something? I'm assuming dropping brown instead of green needles... You can leave the needles in if you are also mixing in other green materials to match the needles.

What have you been doing with the pile for months other than daily removal of needles?

Cover with a bit of old carpet or sheet and shake off once in a while.

Sun or shade compost happens. Pine needles are great and I’ve composted large quantities so they are not inhibiting anything. Your issue is with what makes up the rest of the compost.

tj

Can't you just leave the needles in the compost pile? I'm a little confused....

:)
Dee

Tree is north of the compost pile.

OP does not live at the equator.

Sometimes it’s calm; sometimes the wind blows.

OP wants pile to benefit from sun in winter to maximize ( even if only by a bit) composting, when it’s real cold outside, and colder still in the shade.

Thanks for the info riffs... I'm guessing you know the OP or something?

It's OK if the pile is near the tree, the OP just needs to add in the right other stuff to mix with the needles. Needles are a fine addition to a compost pile. If they are green, add browns- if they are brown, add greens.

One need not to live near the equator for composting in the winter... it's OK if sometimes it's windy or not. At worst, a compost pile slows/cools down in the winter. If it's warm enough to flip, it's OK.. if it gets frozen up, it will start composting again when it's warmer again.

Is the OP looking for high turnover or hot pile all winter long?

Sorry for not being clear.

The tree is about 40' tall and has very long branches, and I live in Oakland, which is pretty windy pretty often.

The needles aren't breaking down. In the pile I put vegetable peels, lawn clippings, leaves, corn cobs - basically, all the vegetable/fruit stuff that doesn't get eaten. I also put a few branches here and there, some trimmings from plants in the yard.... the stuff that I understand one should be putting into a compost pile. I've been composting for about 6ish months - maybe more - and nothing is breaking down. What have I mentioned that would prevent composting?

Maybe I'm being impatient?

Yes, a bit of impatience perhaps. Are you turning your pile? If not, it's going to go slower, sounds like along the lines of what you got going on.

If you want your pile to go quicker, try turning it. If you are OK with a slow pile, don't.

I'm a slow pile person- I build cages that hold everything for a year or two of filling up and breaking downs in the spot I want a new bed part in. Other folks around here put in a lot more effort than my lazy butt... and can give you good advice on how to make your pile quicker.

Is the heap moist? Dry material take ages.

..,and how big is it? Any chance of a pic or two? The smaller the pieces the quicker it breaks down. Even cut up corn cobs last as long as human teeth...wait, how would I know that? Seriously, the right proportions of air, water, carbon and nitrogen are what you need to shoot for. If it’s as windy as you say a small pile would dry out and needs watering so that it has the dampness of a wrung out sponge.

tj

I am watering it but probably not enough. Probably not turning it enough either. Thanks so much for the tips, everyone! :)

A tarp over the pile would help retaining the moisture.