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Rockporter · April 4, 2017

I am bringing this compost thread back to life today because I am in trouble with mine.

So, we took our dear passed dog's 6' x 6' x 6' kennel which has two doors on opposite sides to use for my compost pile. We put the cardboard down on the cut grass/weeds that make up our yard and began piling on the stuff after wetting the cardboard. It was working well, seemed to be breaking down but then it became bad. So, I looked for more I could add to it to make it less green and more brown. I found the straw at tractor supply to add to it and stirred a bunch of that in along with some chicken coop no stink stuff to get it moving.

This seemed to be the trick, and I have continued the layering, I have only tossed it a couple of times since, but now I am plagued by all the weeds coming into my pile from the sides, mostly weed grass on long thick rizomes. It's two feet taller than the compost heap. I don't know how to get my compost back.

I started this compost before my stint in the ER last year and it seemed to be doing well. It doesn't smell like anything bad at all. I have been using straw, paper, carboard, coffee grounds, and kitchen scraps. I have collected some oak leaves from a kid down the road that are currently bagged. I want to kill the wooly worm eggs that like to make homes in the trees here before I add to the pile. Here those eggs live for at east 10 months in the trees, and the worms come out beginning in spring. Yikes!

How do I get my compost pile back before the weeds take it over completely? We decided to use the kennel because there is a family of opossums that like to use our fence for their nightly foray into the neighborhood. They are also the culprits I believe to be causing damage to my garden plants.

Update: I have also been able to find composted chicken manure to toss into the compost bin for heat.

April 4, 2017	#21
Rockporter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Texas Coastal Bend Posts: 3,205	I am bringing this compost thread back to life today because I am in trouble with mine. So, we took our dear passed dog's 6' x 6' x 6' kennel which has two doors on opposite sides to use for my compost pile. We put the cardboard down on the cut grass/weeds that make up our yard and began piling on the stuff after wetting the cardboard. It was working well, seemed to be breaking down but then it became bad. So, I looked for more I could add to it to make it less green and more brown. I found the straw at tractor supply to add to it and stirred a bunch of that in along with some chicken coop no stink stuff to get it moving. This seemed to be the trick, and I have continued the layering, I have only tossed it a couple of times since, but now I am plagued by all the weeds coming into my pile from the sides, mostly weed grass on long thick rizomes. It's two feet taller than the compost heap. I don't know how to get my compost back. I started this compost before my stint in the ER last year and it seemed to be doing well. It doesn't smell like anything bad at all. I have been using straw, paper, carboard, coffee grounds, and kitchen scraps. I have collected some oak leaves from a kid down the road that are currently bagged. I want to kill the wooly worm eggs that like to make homes in the trees here before I add to the pile. Here those eggs live for at east 10 months in the trees, and the worms come out beginning in spring. Yikes! How do I get my compost pile back before the weeds take it over completely? We decided to use the kennel because there is a family of opossums that like to use our fence for their nightly foray into the neighborhood. They are also the culprits I believe to be causing damage to my garden plants. Update: I have also been able to find composted chicken manure to toss into the compost bin for heat. __________________ In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt ~Margaret Atwood~ Last edited by Rockporter; April 4, 2017 at 05:03 PM.