compost bin location

[robren]

Should compost bins have a certain amount of sun?? Would it be OK to have one in a shaded area. I am in NH and growing season is pretty short so I'd like to try to get really good soil.

 

[baymule]

I have compost piles in the sun and in full shade. It really doesn't seem to matter. I always have some cooking around here. I also use the chickens to make my compost, I just toss in grass clippings, leaves, garden trimmings, pea hulls, corn shucks and cobs. They eat it, scratch it apart, poop on it and mix it all up for me!

 

[okra]

The sun has nothing to do with the heat being generated by the bacteria that is digesting your composting material. However the sun may cause moisture loss by heating your material causing evaporation which may slow down the decaying process, so putting compost in the sun can be more of a problem than a help.

 

[Daffodils At The Sea]

I try to make sure the dampness of the pile of compost is consistent. Mine is in the sun, but I cover it with a tarp. I've also read that cold rain will slow it down, so covering it holds in moisture and let's you control the temps. If compost is too dry it's not working. if it has ants in it, it's too dry. It should be slightly shiny wet, like a wrung-out sponge. I rarely turn mine. I add to the top, at least 3-4 feet high, and take from the bottom only when the ingredients are unrecognizable.

 

[MEMama3]

I'm in Maine and I keep mine in the chicken run. It's along the back fence and gets Sun for about 8 hours. It has trees sort of hanging over it which keeps it from drying out. If it seems dry I just wet it down a bit while I'm filling caterers.

 

[~~gd]

Should compost bins have a certain amount of sun?? Would it be OK to have one in a shaded area. I am in NH and growing season is pretty short so I'd like to try to get really good soil.

Sun MIGHT help a new bin get started but after that They are pretty much self heating. I don't lnow your climate but here in the mid south we have to leep it moist in the summer [hot dry]season} but if too wet it will start to stink. Frankly I took my longest hose and used that as an arc [I didn't want to be able to smell it] did the same from the garden spot and the chicken house and placed my bins where the three arcs crossed one did end up under a tree and frankly I couldn't tell and difference between the bins. but my chickens liked to hang out on the shaded one {maybe for Hawk protection] ~gd

 

[kittiekat]

I'm sure that it's better to keep it in a sunny or semi-shaded place. But make sure that it doesn't get too dry and will still retain a little moisture.

 

[Dragonwriter]

I have two compost bins that get mainly kitchen scraps and occasionally leaves. Last year I broke down and bought a compost thermometer but neither pile got very hot. They are both in black round bins, but I suspect the lack of heat is more mismanagement than the container. There were a lot of kitchen scraps, vegetable peelings, coffee grinds, egg shells and so on.
I have eight beds approximately 4'X8' and I need that compost to get cooking this year!
I think there's lots of "wet" material that went in but how do I get it cooking?
I live in Northern Ontario where it is currently -15 degrees F.
Any thoughts?

 

[Wannabefree]

Add some manure and old bedding, that should get it heated up a bit.

 

[Smart Red]

Add some manure and old bedding, that should get it heated up a bit.

Ditto! Just what I would suggest. Break the composter open if you can, add the manures as you replace the compost material. If it is wet, it is probably frozen. In that case you will have to wait a bit before you can disrupt the compost.