After raking the lawn in the fall, we always seem to have more brown than green. Putting it all in the pile at once is part of the reason it didn t work all winter. Turning or poking holes in the pile would have helped. The turning process lets air into the mixture. The microbes that break down the plant material need air to work.
Regular turning is necessary for good aerobic compost, at least once a month.
We didn t get that done this winter. Now it s time to start over. We ll break up the old pile. Sift the uncomposted stuff out and use the good, rich humus in the garden. A new compost pile needs a lot of space.