Source
r/composting•
mrthesis

There's a dead compost in my new yard, can I restart it or should I start it over?

I have a compost container like the one linked below in my yard. It's full of VERY dry material. The bottom part behind the cover is loose material, probably dry "finished" compost? In it is living an ants nest. Above it, the top third of the container seems to be layers upon layers of compacted dried leaves that I cant seem to turn, even with my rake.

Can I somehow salvage this, or should I empty the contents at the landfill and start over?

http://humus.dk/images/humuskomposter.jpg

Posted Jul 17, 2021, 3:50 PM UTC

83
midrandom•

Personally, I'd empty the whole thing out, use the finished material at the bottom, mix the old dry leaves etc. with fresh lawn clippings, add some water and put it back in the bin. No point in wasting all that good biomass.

15
[deleted]•

[deleted]

15
Hot_Larva•

If your goal is to use the finished material for ornamentals then I’d restart it. If you use it for your vegetables then I’d toss what’s in there in a separate pile. You don’t know what kind of harmful chemicals/heavy metals that could be lurking in the source materials.

4
StainedTeabag•

Add water, flip/mix, then continue adding your new material. No reason to throw it all away.

4