How to Make Hot Compost (Start to Finish)

Join @jacquesinthegarden and I as we make the first pile of compost here at the Epic Homestead, going over all of the elements you need to consider. It CAN be overwhelming, but we'll offer a few suggestions to simplify the process, as well as discuss materials you should and shouldn't add to your first pile.

00:00 - Intro
01:10 - Key Components
04:36 - Surface Area
05:35 - Layering Pile
10:53 - Final Layer

IN THIS VIDEO

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[Kneenibble]

The first time I got a truly hot pile working, and could not recognize nearly any trace of the original material in the dark brown fragrant soil that resulted, was magical! It's worth attempting just to marvel at the transformation.

[RisenPhoenix]

I've worked in the produce department of a large North Carolina grocery store for over a year, and as such have ample access to scraps and cardboard for my dad's compost. I regularly take home corrugated cardboard and cut them up into small squares into 13-gallon trash bags, and whenever he needs greens I just go through the waste in my department's back area, and voila!! For the most common greens I get are cabbage leaves, corn husks, bel pepper shells, and asparagus trimmings. Sometimes broccoli stems.

[h.s.]

Scrap paper, toilet paper rolls, and tissue also are good to add to the bin when you are struggling to get enough brown. The rolls help add pockets of air too!

[thehangmansdaughter]

I was gifted a bucket of half composted material from my neighbour's pile to get mine started. Worked a treat!

[sonyahogan]

I just built my very first compost bins/bays so wish me luck! I built a two bay bin with each bin 4x4x4 feet. I only made two bays because I have a 3 foot wide by 8 ft long and 2 ft high bin right next to my garden where I kept leaves in for making mulch. Thank you for simplifying this for me, it's a little intimidating as a beginner.😊

[kingjulian.r]

A tip I'd recommend is adding a 1.5 inch PVC pipe with small holes all over in the center to make sure the water is being well distributed all the way to the bottom

[StillOnTrack]

I bought the compost thermometer and I'm really glad I did so I can monitor my pile instead of just guessing if it's working. I've been succesfully keeping it between 140-150°F, watering every fews days, and flipping once a week which is all I have time for. That's also usually when the temp starts to dip and tells me it's time. Going well so far, though all I have to use as my browns is fallen oak leaves, which are resisting breakdown and i don't have a chipper shredder or even a lawnmower to speed the process up. Its okay though. I'm patient. As long as I can see that the temp is where it needs to be I'm fine. 😊

[Ottawajames]

When I used to live somewhere I could have a compost pile, I started one but I had really poor sandy soil underneath it and after a couple of weeks nothing was really happening in there so I went over to a section of the yard where I had healthy bioactive soil and dug up a few shovelfuls and I made sure to get a bunch of earth worms in there too and dumped it all into the middle of the pile and that really seemed to kick start it...within a few weeks I began to be actually be able to feel the warmth coming off of the pile (in the cold mornings in autumn it would literally be steaming!)

One thing I'd be careful about composting though is potatoes, even just the peels...If you get a bit too much 'eye' in there they could take off...My compost pile became a potato pile sometime around the third year I had it going... Great for the potatoes but not so much for my beds as they wanted compost too.

[kimberlywills]

omg, i LOVE you guys! I replayed 4:10 about five times to watch Jacques's head get bigger when he took off his hat!😆
When I want information from Youtube videos I usually play them at 1.5 or 2x speed just to get to the point or get the info, but not with you guys; I actually WANT to watch you! You just got a new fan! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[SatyreIkon]

Interesting that you can get so systematic about it. I just threw everything into the same compost bin and got some OK compost material out at the end, but I'll try to be a little more "managed" about it next season. Thank you!

[WynterDragon]

I have used and abused (left outside all seasons) that same thermometer for years and I love it! I also use it for checking my soil temps in the spring to see when I can start planting.

[vee]

Thank you for refreshing me how easy is really starting compost, perfect timing for me when I’m getting ready to start cleaning the garden, is always fun watching your videos apart from the much knowledge you guys share ❤

[marikapaprika]

Great job guys!!
Here in Australia 🇦🇺 I make hot compost piles every year in winter!
My favourite part is getting the thermometer out and testing the ° .
It’s so exciting to watch them get hotter and see them at night time and in the early morning steaming against the cold weather 💚
My second favourite part is the mushrooms that pop up all over them as they cool down. This is how I know they’re allllmost ready to use!
My vegetables and sunflowers LOVE it 😊

PS, leaf litter is always one of the best ingredients to add to your hot compost, there are no other ‘browns’ like it.

[LeverActionLarry]

Great video! I use the corkscrew compost turner so I don't kill the 100s of red wigglers in mine! Looking forward to seeing the results video!

[keithkishishita]

To get enough browns, I go to the local park to gather sycamore leaves, as they fall to the ground year-round. Those cardboard food trays are also a good source of browns. I live in So Cal, too.

[Brovillion]

While camping I taught my boys how to make a compost pile to stay warm. They were blown away.

[myconfusedmerriment]

Well at least now I feel less bad about so many tomatoes going in the compost lol. This year when my parents were doing their spring leaf cleanup, I asked for a few bags of leaves. Then I took them home and mowed over them with the lawnmower bag on. Great way to get a lot of brown material and it put all those leaves to good use!

[oryxified]

One very interesting method I've heard about was putting in a bottle the urine you'd, err, "release" first thing in the morning and splashing that on your compost pile. The reason for using that particular urine is because it has stayed in your body for hours while you're sleeping and it has absorbed all kinds of enzymes and stuff which helps it break the materials the pile is made of, allegedly.

[veryberry]

I just started gardening this year, and decided I wanted to try my hand at composting...except I don't have a lot of money, so I'm following some other youtuber's tip of using a 32-gallon trash can with a bunch of holes drilled in it. Haven't actually gotten it set up yet, so I'm both excited and really nervous about doing it wrong and attracting pests (which is what my boyfriend really does not want happening!). Here's hoping! Thank you for making an actual step-by-step so I could get a feel for how it all works!

[geneewert]

No nerding in my piles. I watch the mix but it is more like "some of this" and "some of that". I have been doing fantastic compost for 25 years! I have 5 bins and at least one always is full of browns ready to add to the mix at any time. LOVE your videos. Thanks for not making it hard. Just go for it.