What are you seeing in the mix? If it looks like a lot of undigested material, straw, yet you may need a Nitrogen source, maybe some moisture, maybe some air, maybe some of each.

I'll try adding grass clippings. It's not dry and I've turned it every 1-2 days so it shouldn't need air.

A pile will not stay hot all the way to the point of finished compost. It has to mature for a time after the hot stage. That said, if the pile had insufficient greens, they would expend their 'heat' before all the browns were used up.

You may be turning it more often than necessary, too. A certain amount of turning will speed up the process, but at a certain point it's just extra work that doesn't do a whole lot for the pile, and also tends to cool it off faster by exposing the warm center to cool air. I make compost in a triple bin system by turning each batch twice in a season. Try going to once a week if you just can't stand it. :-]

Was nice and hot today. back on track

Sometimes a too small pile wont heat up. ADD MORE until waist high and higher:-)

I think I figured it out. When I add UCG it gets hot quickly then gets cold. When I look at it there's lots of "browns" in it. So I think I just need more greens to finish this off. I added a bunch of grass clippings today so I expect it to warm up ...

Yep. Mine is the same way. Thank god my grass grows like the devil!

Ive found that I start one pile up against the fence and add my grass clippings and shredded browns until the one in the bin is done then I empty the bin and add the pile by the fence into the bin. I keep adding a few more cuttings and browns until I get the bin almost full and then start a new pile up against the fence. Its a two pile system. One new pile up against the fence and one almost finished pile constantly cooking in the bin. The new one gets added to the bin when the bin gets emptied...make sense?? Lol

jrmckins, if your compost pile heats up after adding some coffee grounds and then cools down that could indicate that more of a source of Nitrogen is needed, but may also indicate the material may be too dry or too wet. Generally, turning the mix too often could slow the digestion process, although those that do the 14 day composting method are turning about every day and getting good, finished compost in 14 days.

Here is a link that might be useful: Compost in 14 days

It's definitely not too dry and I don't think it's too wet. I turned it frequently (every 2-3 days) at first but then have let it sit (turning it once a week). I'm pretty certain I need to crank up the N for a while. But I'll experiment and see.

120 degrees when I checked around 6:00PM ...

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After two weeks, 120 F is fine. Time to let it finish and start a new one. I'm betting you've killed any weed seeds in there.

Keep turning about once a week and you'll be done somewhere around the first week of June. Maybe sooner if you're not too fussy. I can't be too precise in general and I haven't composted straw myself.

to sense
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Two weeks? It was Straw is, apparently, a pain in the ass to break down completely.

My second pile was about 100-110 today (stone cold yesterday). I mixed in two wheelbarrows of freshly cut grass and expect it to be 120-150 tomorrow.

My pile just stopped being hot about 3 days ago and I noticed there is still alot of unfinished paper and some cardboard. I did add more browns than green so tomorrow I am going to cut my grass and add the clippings and see if that will heat it back up to finish it off.

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My mistake. The thread started on Apr 15.
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Would urine work instead of grass? The grass hasn't grown enough yet to mow so I've been adding urine (after drying pile out) but it hasn't heated up yet. The pile is over 4' in diameter and nearly 5' high. I've got 7 more piles,mostly browns, scattered around that are all cold. I can drink lots of water to get urine (LOL) but mother nature will have to decide when the grass will grow.

The piles are all in shade and the weather's been cold. When the weather warms up do you think the piles may heat up or will the urine have dissipated?

One pile is staying steady between 140 and 150 the one where I added the grass is just under 160 (temp taken it 4 different spots so it's pretty even).

I think urine will add nitrogen but wont necessarily give the organsims anything to eat so to speak. I think you need to add some solids (and not the brown kind either) =-)

Thanks blazeaglory - We don't have enough kitchen scraps or UCG to make much difference so I'll just have to wait until the grass grows.