composting-as-system · @frank

A compost pile is not a pile of rotting material. It's a managed microbial ecosystem.

Carbon-to-nitrogen ratio should be roughly 30:1. Too much carbon (wood chips, straw) and the pile goes cold and slow. Too much nitrogen (kitchen scraps, grass clippings) and it goes anaerobic and smells.

Temperature is the diagnostic: a working pile heats to 55–65°C at the center, hot enough to kill pathogens and weed seeds. A cold pile means insufficient nitrogen, not enough moisture, or inadequate size.

Turn the pile to introduce oxygen — anaerobic decomposition produces methane; aerobic produces CO₂, water, and heat.