My compost pile hit 140 degrees and I'm not sure if that's good or bad

I stuck a thermometer in my compost bin yesterday and it read 140 degrees Fahrenheit. That's hot enough to kill weed seeds and diseases, which is great. But I've also read that if it gets too hot, it can kill the good microbes that break things down. My pile is mostly grass clippings and kitchen scraps from the last month. I turned it to cool it down a bit, but now I'm wondering if I should just let it cook. Has anyone else dealt with a pile getting this hot, and what did you do?

3 comments

3 Comments

dakota_taylor3913d ago

Ngl you're fine, I've had my pile hit 150 before and it was fine after I added more browns and turned it. Just keep mixing in dry leaves or cardboard every few days and it'll balance out on its own.

xenah121mo ago

My neighbor had that happen with his grass clipping pile last summer. He just kept turning it every couple days when it got that hot, said it was like a race between cooking the good stuff and keeping it alive. It finally settled down after he mixed in some shredded brown cardboard for more carbon. His garden did great that year, so I guess it worked out.

tarac161mo ago

Yeah, turning it is key when it gets that hot... sounds like your neighbor @xenah12 had the right idea. Adding browns is a must, like dry leaves or even that shredded cardboard. I've had to use a pitchfork to fluff up a steaming pile and mix in straw, otherwise it just turns into a slimy, stinky mess. It's a lot of work but it beats losing the whole batch.