Q&A for How to Build a Compost Pile

Either is fine. In either case, keep the pile slightly wet.

You can try putting it in a natural soil-based bag and leaving it with a few tiny clumps of dirt on top. Eventually it'll compose itself along with the other stuff, just as winter will end. If you don't have those, regular plastic garbage bags work extremely well too.

No, you just need to have sustenance for the bacteria that make the compost pile work. Leaves, apple cores, and other biodegradables will work.

Yes. Rabbit droppings are an excellent source of nitrogen. Rotted by itself it makes an excellent fertilizer. Herbivore feces are always good, you don't want to use carnivore feces.

The earthworms will find your compost pile, given time, on their own. You can add red wiggler worms to your pile, but they are more suited to worm bins than compost piles and live just below the surface. Birds and rodents would probably find and eat them.

No, I don't recommend using weeds in your compost pile as it could cause weeds to begin sprouting up around the area.

Yes. They will appear toward the end of composting and are excellent at helping compost piles to finish.

The only way to prevent this is to build a bin and raise the compost off the ground. The pile needs drainage, so you can't put a barrier underneath it. You can try weed cloth, but it makes the pile more difficult to turn and roots often find their way through it.

Yes, and they are a excellent source of nitrogen for your compost pile. You can also use peelings like from carrots, cucumbers, apples and oranges are all great material for your compost.

Not necessarily - just chop the vines to 1 cm cubes. Chopped tissue cannot grow, so long as it is without root hormone. However, it is good practice to not include any parts with seeds, those should be binned in the usual garbage disposal containers.

You are missing carbon (like red and brown leaves). That way, there is something to use up. Lawn clippings are nitrogen and only fuel the microbes. You need to mix it with the carbon so that it can be decomposed by microbes.

You should check the weather conditions. Is the climate too dry? You may have to invest in an irrigation system. Send soil samples to a lab to see if it contains too much alkaline. If so, you need to balance it. Grow clovers and they will enrich the soil. Consider applying a sheet of cow manure or whatever livestock preferred.

Yes and no. You need wood ashes from a pit. However, it would not like ash from treated wood or briquettes. And charcoal dust contains chemicals that kill the bacteria needed for composting, so no in these cases.

No, it is not necessary. The 'good' bacteria takes over a pile once starting, so if some contaminated material enters the pile, the good bacteria is in the majority.

In fact, the carbon goes first. However, you can blend everything together and there will be no difference once the fermentation process has been boosted.

You can thrown them in whole but chopping the fruits is better. Chop them to 1cm cubes and clean your knife thoroughly.

No. Though every cell contains protein, which means nitrogen, it doesn't have so much. Onion peels actually contain several important elements essential for growth such as potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and iron, in addition to a host of other minerals and vitamins.

Yes. Make sure you are wearing gloves before handling the manure. Use a long shovel to work in the animal manure. Wash thoroughly after, as the manure may contain parasite eggs and diseases that can be passed on to humans.

Just mix in, as it has been started and the grass chopping will blend in and start ferment.

Yes but that would take too long. To speed up the process, try chopping the material before adding.

Yes, but it would be best first to chop them to 1cm to 3 cubes (0.33 inch cubes) so they break down properly. Theoretically, anything that rots may go in.

That can't be better. A commercial composting device actually "heats" the pile up. Just make sure the pile is damp.

That is happening because the roots are alive. You may try chopping the roots in the pile with a shovel, or relocate the compost heap.

The nitrogen level, or level 2, just beneath the top soil level. Blood meal is a source of nitrogen.

Theoretically yes, but not a good idea. A poly tunnel may keep the pile warm, but the odor may build up. Also, the air flow is limited. Plus, a pile may encourage weeds.

Yes, in fact that's wonderful. Banana peel is a good source of nitrogen and potassium. In fact, some gardeners swear by their homemade banana peel compost and could go on for hours about the magical powers it has.

Yes, they are a source of minerals. Don't use onion peels if you use earthworms as a compost agent, and do not more than a few handful per day, that's fine. Mix well.

That's normal, as it contains so much organic matter the ants just come in. Dampen the pit more often.

Yes, but make sure the wood is not treated. Don't add too much of them. They are alkaline, not so good for composting. Make sure that when you add the ashes in your compost you shouldn't be able to see them. They should immediately mix with the rest of the matter in the compost. If some pieces do stick out, that might mean you are adding more than you should.

Yes, too much of these is not good for compost, as they contain essential oils that kills the bacteria. When composting, you want "good" bacteria to thrive.