In our new home we'll have a big garden / grass land which is completely overgrown. We're busy working on the house, but I'm also working a little bit on the grass land and garden from time to time. Mostly also to avoid the weed from overrunning everything.

I've created a first compost bin with pallets and am adding the material for composting there.
I also have a small plastic bin close to the house.

Now I'm wondering about several things;
for the bigger pallet bin; would you add the 'complete plant' if I pull them, or would you cut off the roots?
If I include it, would it be considered as brown material? (I tend to pull most weeds right before they are about to flower).
adding materials: I often times read about a pile being 'complete' and people start a new pile. Is this just when you filled up the bin completely or is there another reason for leaving a pile at one point? Up till now I always just kept adding to a bin whenever it shrank enough to hold more material again ;)

Do you always sift your compost? I've had to sift an older pile that didn't compost completely (too much big branches in there) and was just wondering how 'fine grained' you want the compost to be.

A small bin turned warm ok-ish (60 degrees celcius) but I had to turn it because I suspected it had a lot of anaerobic pockets. It smelled like ammonia so I guess the grass clippings were sticking together too much.
After turning the pile it cooled to 40 degrees though and isn't heating up anymore. How can I kick start it again? or should I just leave it be and it'll compost just a tad slower ;)

layering versus mixing; Was wondering about this as well; I read a lot about 'lasagna style composting' where you really put in layers of material. I tend to try to mix as much as possible, but is layering better?

looking very much forward in reading all your experiences... not sure why, but composting is somehow so much fun and satisfying

would you add the 'complete plant' if I pull them, or would you cut off the roots? - I would put the whole thing in. Too much work to trim it or cut things off, unless the bin is not large enough.

would it be considered as brown material? - I can't say for sure sorry.

Up till now I always just kept adding to a bin whenever it shrank enough to hold more material again ;) - this sounds fine to me. If you are not going to use the finished product any time soon you could just keep adding to it.

Do you always sift your compost? - Nope. Not as frequently as I would have liked, and it made no difference to me.

It smelled like ammonia so I guess the grass clippings were sticking together too much. - sounds like not enough brown material to me(and maybe it was too wet).

or should I just leave it be and it'll compost just a tad slower ;) - depends on what you going to do with it, I would leave it be and keep adding material(preferably more brown)

layering versus mixing - I kept pile mixing to a bare minimum. I know it would help aerate the pile, I am just too lazy (and busy)to be bothered. I think layering is the best method if you can get the C:N ratio right.

I would do it for the end product(the earthly smell of the finished compost is transcending). When I cannot find enough brown material, I would resort to using my chicken manure.

Nik_a
You'll get as many techniques for composting as there are gardeners! Some are on the calculate-N:C-ratios, keep-track-of-the-temperature end of the spectrum, others are at the other end of the spectrum and just dump it in a pile and check it in a year. I'm in between and I've done it a few different ways. Weeds are green if they are green, brown if they are dry and crispy. That applies to most plant material. Sifting is your preference. I take out the big chunks and clumps that aren't fully cooked and toss them back in the bin for better breakdown and remove pieces of branches or large wood chips. Sometimes I sift if I plan to mix it with potting soil. Layering v mixing: Initially I think mixing breaks down faster. However, I turn mine periodically with a pitchfork and move the less composted material into the center, so if it started out layered it gets mixed eventually. I think fresh grass clippings do need to be mixed with plenty of brown. Left in clumps they turn into stinky slime.

My philosophy is that composting is like making chocolate chip cookies. The cookies require certain basic ingredients and can contain other optional ingredients. The ratios of the ingredients have to fall within a certain range, but that is variable. They need enough heat to cook, but the temperature and cooking time can also vary a lot.

And...Every cook swears their recipe is the best.

Agreed with Zoe. The making of compost consisted of air, moisture, weather , and material in a certain C:N ratio. Just these simple things, for us gardeners to experiment with. I hope your piles get smoking hot!

thanks for the reactions!
One big requirement of the method I'll be using would be just that; that I'll be using it hehe.
So it must be practical and simple, yet fun.
I'll be measuring temperature from time to time, but most likely also will not for periods of time. Adding to the pile day by day (kitchen scraps, we eat a lot of fruit, banana's for Potassium!;) ) and not throwing away weeds is important.

How are you handling branches and material that's more difficult to break down? I've added it to the pile a bit too much in the past I think, which caused me to have 'some' good compost but with a lot of material that didn't break down yet. So I've broken down this pile, sifted out the good compost (my first 1/4 bucket of compost, yey!) and am adding the rest to the new pile from time to time.
Do you have a separate pile for branches or are you shredding it or....?

To speed up the compost, it's is a good thing to reduce items put in to the smallest pieces possible.
To get it to heat to a hot temp, I think layering is best. Make the base a layer of soil, then layer of green, brown, another thin layer of soil, and so on. A light sprinkling of a 10-10-10 granular fertilizer between 6 layers or so can help speed the process. Branches and sticks are fine; but they need to be reduced as much as possible, the best way is a shredder.
Green items consist of weeds and do NOT put weed seed heads in there in case the pile doesn't get hot enough, garden clippings, and don't include clippings or leaves with possible diseases, a variety of vegetable skins and kitchen wastes, not citrus, and grass clippings. You need to be very careful with grass clippings; too thick a layer and you end up with that ammonia smell.
Brown includes leaves, shredded and chipped branches, newspaper, cardboard boxes as long as the backside of the box is grey, used paper towels, as long as they weren't used to clean up grease and they are plain white, the inside cardboard tubes of paper towels and toilet paper. You can also use shredded all cotton clothes and even old all wool carpet.
Baked tortilla chips, coffee grounds, used tea bags and bread can also be put in a compost pile, along with eggshells, but be sure to crush the eggshells very finely. I've used compost from my pile that had "cooked" for 6 months and found eggshells essentially intact!
What not to put in a compost pile? As mentioned, weeds with seeds, diseased plants, dog and cat poop, chicken, horse, sheep and rabbit is ok, no kind of grease or meat products, no dairy products, no citrus rinds because they take so long to compost, no shiny paper, no polyester materials.
I usually put over ripe tomatoes in mine, so every year I have tomato seedlings growing in it. I've heard from other gardeners who have hadgourds, tomatoes potatoes and even pumpkins growing out of their compost beds and bins. What better place to grow?

This is a perfect example of what I meant. I have absolute respect and faith in Gardenfish's (Lynda) gardening knowledge, yet I disagree with some of her composting advice, although I agree with most of it and the other points aren't biggies. Yes, in a perfect world you have the space and budget for a shredder. Or if you have room, a brush pile makes a wonderful wildlife habitat. I'm grieved to say that where I live now, most branches go in the trash ☹️

I disagree with putting soil in the mix because it just adds bulk, no humus or nutrients. A handful or two might add beneficial microbes as long as it is healthy soil. Nothing wrong with citrus rinds...not good in vermiculture, fine in compost. Grass clippings also fine, just don't let them clump. I'm not convinced adding fertilizer does anything unless you're short of greens (nitrogen) in which case I'd use blood or feather meal.

Water is crucial. You didn't mention your location/climate. In rainy areas, some people cover their bins to avoid sogginess. Where I live keeping it wet enough is the challenge, so a tarp reduces evaporation but I still need to add water.

Thanks, Zoe, totally forgot about the water! I cover mine with a tarp, too, to keep excess rain out.
The reason for putting fertilizer in compost is to help jumpstart it and turn the heat on. Not really necessary if you have a good mix in the summertime, but helpful in the winter when it's really cold. The only reason I said no citrus is due to its longevity in the composting process. A lot of folks throw kitchen scraps whole on the pile, and then are dismayed to find them literally looking just the same 6 months forward when they go to use the compost. I'm really lazy and don't like to cut citrus rinds up. 🤣 I used to let my son smash the Halloween pumpkin and put the pieces in the pile every year, and you wouldn't believe how long it took to totally compost!
In a bin you wouldn't have to start the pile with dirt because it's enclosed. I find it useful to begin with a layer of soil because I compost directly on the ground, and this helps keep the bad elements out of the pile, such as soldier flies.
I sometimes use a thin layer of soil between green layers to hold down the smell in the summer. Compost still has an odor when it's cooking, of course, not like ammonia, but it definitely smells. I don't want the smell to draw lots of flies that might get into the house.

Yeah, agreed with what Zoe said again. Not a fan of putting fertilizers on compost too(or using fertilizer in general haha).

Fertilizer has its place in regular gardening. Most soil just doesn't have enough of the right nutrients to grow healthy plants, despite the addition of compost. There may be folks in some places that are lucky enough to have perfect soil, but the rest of us have to make do with what we have. And that includes using fertilizers.

@Lynda : Yeah it's fine putting fertilizer in compost I guess. Just like Zoe said, not only compost but the Gardening itself can have its own different recipe to each one of us. Lynda would put ferts in compost, and I would not put ferts anywhere(I don't really have the reason to do so), some would chop up the brown before composting and some would not etc, I mean it is fine as long as our garden is happy. I believe that is has very little to do with "top efficiency" when it comes to our kitchen garden, we are mostly not commercial farmers managing acres of land if I assume correctly. Just do what is best to your garden and what you feel comfortable doing. I will not feel "guilted" to say that I do not have to resort to using fertilizers at all, it is not personal. Hope you understand Lynda, I am sorry if i hurt your feelin.

What I was trying to say is, I am not aware that it is a privilege to not have to use fertilizers in my kitchen garden. To me, it is a simple matter of choice, since my life is not depending on my garden and the fertilizers to do the heavy lifting. I hope anyone else would not be offended when I say things like that. Sorry for anyone bad feeling caused.

Update:
My main pile is sitting out in the open. We had quite a bit of rain, but after 1 sunny day the top layer was quite dry already as well as some corners. I'm covering it with some cardboard, but other than that not much I want to do as the pile is in plain sight in the garden.
I turned it a bit and saw some nice composted material already and also some mushrooms growing.
Not sure if that's good, but I guess it could be a sign of a healthy pile? I guess it will just take a bit longer this way.

Will try to make another pile/bin then for the hot composting as I do want to get rid of weed seeds somehow.

John, no problem, and no reason for apologies! Like you said, we all do what works best for each of us. We just make suggestions here as to what works for us, and the members take and use these if they wish.
@nik_a, your pile looks very good to me, and yes, it appears to be composting well! Mine was an open pile for the most part, just like yours. I call mine a cold pile, and yes, it does take a little longer, but still works well and produces some really good compost. Yours will, too. 😁

thanks:)
the only thing I'm a bit unsure about still is how to handle new incoming material. Do you just keep adding and turning until it's kinda filled up?
I'm going to make a 2nd (and 3rd I think) pile next to this one, but at the moment haven't got one yet.

oh.. and do I also turn a cold pile or would I just let it be?

I would keep adding materials and keep turning. The turning insures the ingredients get all mixed up. And be sure the pile stays damp, that helps speed the process. About as damp as a wrung put sponge is the general rule. 😊

I also dump my vacuum sweeper canister contents into my compost bin - it composts very quickly.

A good idea.

There is so much dirt and plant material in my vacuum cannister I could just dump it straight into the flower beds!

nik_a said:thanks:)
the only thing I'm a bit unsure about still is how to handle new incoming material. Do you just keep adding and turning until it's kinda filled up?
I'm going to make a 2nd (and 3rd I think) pile next to this one, but at the moment haven't got one yet.

oh.. and do I also turn a cold pile or would I just let it be?

I have had cold piles for decades, I do use compost booster usually once a year but it depends on what I am putting in , and IF I am putting anything in.

My piles sit for years, any where from 3 to 5; they are both in wire frames and when the bottom feet start to collapse, i.e, the lowest area is just loose and dry, with the density of a leaf pile that has been pulverized and mixed with fine dirt, I then will use the pile as compost over my potato garden, though some times as this spring, I buried part of one to boost an area of the garden and roto-tilled the rest into the other half of the garden. ---- (I had put in a goodly amount of hard to compose stuff, peony bushes, hosta plants etc. that were better to use by mixing it into the soil rather than putting it on top of the soil).

These piles consist of mainly leaves used to cover my roses, some times dirt from edging the side walk or removed for planting new roses, garden scrap plus kitchen scraps, milk, old soup no wants to eat, old coffee, pickle/olive juice and some times the lower levels have old cat litter, including poop and pee, and once in a while some human pee, plus what ever I decide should end up there.

My biggest pile is near arm pit high and I am six feet tall while the other is three or four feet high depending if I bury the lower area of the cage into the soil, while that one is approx. 4 feet square , plus or minus, the other is approx. 3 1/2 wide by 5 feet long.
When I do use them, if the top layers have too much material that is hard to compost or is just not very old, I either dig a hole and bury it in the spring, or use it at the base of the newly started pile.

I rarely turn the pile but on occasion when it is to young to be useful or has too much on top that is laughing at me, I will turn the top and add compost booster plus what ever greens I have that can boost the process, often cut grass or old fruit , tomatoes that are laying on the ground or unknown contents in plastic bags in the fridge. .