I have been getting lots of roots in my compost bin. I think I have figured out why but need to confirm and then find a solution. For my greens I have been trimming the ivy which grows all over my fences. I've been propagating some of my Pothos indoors using cuttings and then it occurred to me that the ivy might be trying to propagate in my compost bin. I have pavers, plants and a deck in my yard so no grass. The only greens I get come from kitchen scraps other than the ivy. So are the roots coming from the ivy that I've been trimming, how do I get rid of the roots in my pile and how do I get more greens for my pile? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The only way I know is to remove all the compost, then dig out the roots. It's a difficult job because the roots wander SO much - far and wide. Good luck.

Could also be a nearby tree that has discovered lovely rich soil. I have a Siberian elm 20 feet away that invades my compost bin. I used to have to chop the roots every couple of years until we replaced a water line and severed them 10 feet away three years ago. So far they haven't made it back.

If your compost heats up, I'd be surprised that ivy would survive.

I suffered the roots of Silver Lace vine - seemingly endless. Finally did get them dug out. It's been a few years so I may have won that war.

Compost greens have other benefits, too, but the necessary component they provide is a source of nitrogen. You could substitute with a nitrogen fertilizer (organic or not). A lawn fertilizer (JUST fertilizer, no weed killer) is an easy, cheaper source. Do not use milorganite.

Unless you see new green leaves on your waste, they are not making the roots. It is most likely some nearby woody plant, as others said.

It is right next to a tree but a few years ago I emptied the pile entirely and placed it on a plywood board. I thought that would prevent roots from the tree from making their way into the bin. But that did not work and it WAS a lot of work. The bin is not that big (22x22x36H) and it only heats up to 100 degrees F. I'll try the nitrogen fertilizer. Thank you everyone.

I would just put the fertilizer on/around plants that need it. I've never heard of anyone fertilizing compost before. I would chop up the roots and throw them back into the compost, or may just spread them around the surface of a cultivated area to be part of the mulch. After baking in the sun, they will be killed.

Composting is not a specific recipe that needs to be followed, just a method of retaining home and yard waste to use as a positive. If it rots, it can be composted. If you're worried that it's not dead enough to compost yet, you could steep it in a bucket of water until it turns slimy, or enclose it in a plastic bag until the same thing happens. Then make a little hole in the compost and put it in. Or things like that can be baked in the sun until surely dead, but they don't make as active of a contribution to the compost if processed that way. Chopping things into smaller pieces is also an option though I wouldn't trust pieces of ivy, in particular, unless I was sure they were dead first because one could just end up propagating that instead of composting it. (Assuming Hedera helix.)

I don't think you're going to get heat steaming from a pile that small. Heat is a very over-hyped aspect of composting that home composters often get hung-up on. For the past 20 yrs, I've been cold composting and there is no difference, except time, from the 1 time I built a pile big enough to get hot (several cubic yards of material).

It's also not necessary to compost organic matter first, if you're not having fun with the compost pile. OM can be slightly buried between plants, or hidden behind them on the soil surface. During the heat of summer, most matter will lose recognizability after just a few days and look like mulch. One can dig a hole and fill it over the course of a week, cap it with some soil or dry leaves, move to another spot for next week's hole.

I am having fun tho the roots are a little frustrating. I like the idea of using organic matter (unfinished compost?) by mixing it into holes etc. around the plants. Thanks for the tips.

My pleasure! I like to choose the easiest things, and moving organic matter only once is definitely easier.