Hot Composting - too hot?

Sure I wrote the software that allows vegetable gardeners to layout and plan their garden. But I also enjoy composting to help put my own fertilier in the garden. This journey is to discuss with other Compost Crazy people the secret recipes for great compost and how to avoid and recover from composting mishaps.

One thing you always read is that "Compost Happens." But if you are into hot composting, you can have things go wrong and need to recover.

First, what is "Hot Composting" it is when you go with lots of green waste. This generates a huge amount of heat when put in a large pile, say in one of those 3x3x3 foot or 1x1x1 meter compost bins.

The most common source of material for the greens is grass clippings. I get a collection from myself and neighbors that don't use chemicals, fertilizers or herbicides.

What can go wrong? Simple put too much grass in and you know it is wrong when a few days later you open your compost bin and turn it. First a huge batch of steam will come right at you. Followed by a strong odor of ammonia. This can be very strong and repulsive to say the least. The other problem is the grass clumps up into gross green gobs. If you experience that, then you are too hot, or have too much green. The smell of ammonia is the valuable nitrogen you want in your garden going up your nose (and maybe your neighbors that want to enjoy a barbecue without thinking they are in a New York subway).

How do you prevent this?
The best way to prevent this is to find a supply of hay. For me it are friends with goats and I get the bedding from them. Shredded newspapper or dry leaves are other items that can help keep you from your compost from getting too hot. I find it is best to have the straw on the bottom. When I add the grass, I shake it down into the hay and then turn to get it mixed right. I also found a small coffee roaster near me and I get the dried hulls of the coffee bean and I add that. BTW, the coffee can clump together too, so it needs to be mixed well. Getting the right mixture will mean that you will get some ammonia smell for a day or two, but it won't be very strong.

How do you recover from a compost pile over heating?
If you have had a compost pile that got too hot in the past, then you know what I am talking about from above. And the solution is simple. Before you add your big load of greens to the pile, make sure you have a stockpile of browns next to it. Sure you could compost everything at once, but the point here is to find the right mixture to give you that quick compost result that you are looking for. You want the pile to get hot in a controlled way so you don't have to wait 6 months to harvest compost. You want your compost in weeks not months. So have a stack or bag of straw next to your compost as you fine tune your composting technique.