Why Your Compost Pile Isn't Breaking Down: 10 Tips from a Pro

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Hi friends! In this video I talk about the one essential tool that will change your composting game that I don't see enough folks using. I also share all of wisdom I've learned along the way about composting...much of it learned the hard way through mistakes...Thanks for watching!

Cheers!
Anne

0:00 Compost Thermometers
0:35 Why do we compost?
0:55 Why Temperature Matters
2:07 Berkeley Composting Method
2:51 Check Your Temperature Often
3:20 What does flipping your pile mean?
3:38 Let's talk tools (shovels and pitchforks)
3:59 What do I need to compost? (the essentials)
4:50 How do I correct low temperatures?
6:04 A word from our sponsor
6:49 One last tip!

MORE ABOUT ME

I'm Anne of All Trades. In NASHVILLE, I have a woodworking, blacksmithing and fabrication shop, a selection of furry friends, and an organic farm. Whether you've got the knowledge, tools, time or space to do the things you've always wanted to do, everything is "figureoutable."

I became "Anne of All Trades" out of necessity. With no background in farming or making things, I wanted to learn to raise my own food, fix things when they break and build the things I need.

8 years ago I got my first pet, planted my first seed and picked up my first tool.

My goal is to learn and share traditional techniques and skills while showing my peers how to get from where they are to where they want to go, how to do the things they are passionate about, and what can be done TODAY to engage their own community and grow deep roots.

Whether it's carving spoons, making my own hand tools, restoring my antique truck or growing heirloom tomatoes, the farm and workshop definitely keep me busy and support - whether financially through Patreon, through shopping my affiliate links, through buying merchandise, plans or project videos, or even just liking, commenting, and sharing my content with others helps me GREATLY to keep producing quality content to share.

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[cadthunkin]

I use round plastic bins which work great as you can alter the diameter as needed for larger or smaller pile. You want a pile as deep as it is wide so heat is not lost too easily. Now, the easiest turning strategy I found is lifting the bin off so you have a pile. Then use a fork to drag the top material to a spot in front, mixing as you go. Then get a black concrete mixing bin and "sweep" material into it like a big dust pan. Lift that and pour into bin that is on a clean spot now, I alternate left and right. Add water every 6 inches. Repeat. The nice thing is lifting a bin maybe 6 times is way easier than 30 fork lifts, where 50% of the weight is the fork itself. It hard on the back. The bigger the pile the more the back savings.

[evermetalhead]

Cheers 🍻 to you to lady.
Thanks for the useful info. 🙂👍

[rhamapefan]

Hi Anne thanks for the information, couldn't have come at a better time. literally building a compost this weekend for the back garden. It's like you knew 😆

[stevejohnstonbaugh]

Good day Anne! Two thoughts for you;
1) It is much easier and more effective composting (in my experience) if you turn your material with a long handled pitch fork. The pitchfork by it's very design separates strands of the composting material in a way that a round shovel can not. And it slides into the material so much easier than a round shovel (which actually is compacting)
2) Bins; Unless you live on a postage stamp size lot in the city you don't need a bin. In my experience, building your pile right on the ground makes it easy to build, much easier to turn and if you lay some perforated pipe cutoffs on the ground before you start, aerate. You don't have the fronts and sides of the bin to negotiate and that increased contact with the earth gives more earthworms the opportunity to move up into the pile when the temperature is right and more native beneficial bacteria to move from the soil into your compost.. In other words - unless you must, don't get hung up on bins. Just build your darn pile on the soil and go for it - with a long handled pitchfork! 😊

[johnford]

Very useful information and a very supportive, encouraging presentation. Thank you.

[clifc]

Your Garden looks beautiful and so healthy. Thank You for your tutorial its the best way for some of us to learn. See One, Do One, Teach One. Thank You for making this video and Thank You Adam of production trades for your technical work.

[Wildbodyschool]

Binge watching your content!! I love that you are a “Anne of all trades”….I am similar and have finally married all my passions in one place. It took a minute to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up! From fitness to farming. I love your spirit and your easy to follow content. Keep it up!!

[shAnnn]

Anne, Morgan from Gold Shaw Farm suggested that we take a peek at your channel and your content!! So, here I am!

[FredMcIntyre]

Awesome stuff Anne! 😃👍🏻👊🏻 ... definitely want to put this knowledge to use once I can get out of the City!

[planetbob]

When I was a kid I never sent hungry because my parents always had a garden. Any time I wanted to eat I just went out into the garden and picked stuff to eat.

[beerbuzz]

Awesome as always, keep the videos coming

[steveday]

Great video 🖒. You could always build yourself a hotbin composter, does save some the turning process

[lpmoron]

Love your videos. We are in western Arkansas. Been really dry here.

[TaylorParnell]

ALWAYS GIVING US ALL THE TIPS AND TRICKS ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[calmarcalmar]

You are looking very good with the scarf and all.

[RexChua-ddor]

Very informative videos thanks for sharing this❤
+1 from new friend here😊

[sdspivey]

We flip the pile to get more oxygen into the center, for the beneficial bacteria. I am sure that gravity will compact the small pieces together. Also, flipping helps large pieces to fall apart.

[motleydigger]

You can also dump staight molasses in it to if you have everything else right. I through a bit from my prior pile in the new one

[jay-byse]

I was so confused about what she was saying about composting animals I'm thinking how is there a safe temp when they have a year to decompose? Then she says it's done in 18 days. That's amazing!

[NA-sujk]

Just an idea - if flipping / mixing the compost piles is a frequent thing, there may be better setups than shoving out/shoveling in each time? A rotating bin, front loader style? A two tub system on an axis - attach top tub, flip, remove.... like a plate over a frying pan? Or even just keeping the piles in side by side silos with a removable middle partition: open up partion, slide it all over with a shovel, close partion, repeat next time?