Subject: Compost Problems

From: [email-masked] (M. Giessler)
Date: Tue, 07 Mar 1995 08:45:13 -0700

I started my first compost heap about 3 weeks ago (in Phx, Arizona). I
built a chicken wire enclosure about 3ft by 3ft in size. I started with a
foot high layer of mulch, mixed with cut grass, some leaves, some bought
topsoil, and some compost starter and fertilizer. Since then I've been
adding detritus from the kitchen every so often, in particular cut citrus
peel in large quantities. I've watered it regularly and turned it a little
every time I added something to it (just enough to cover the new stuff).
In building the compost, I did not follow any particular recommendation,
but rather 'composted' the info from various sources (probably obvious).
Now, I know it's still very early to note any real problems, but here's
what concens me: so far, I have yet to to notice any heat production. I
can see some 'composting' taking place in that the heap is getting smaller
and the mass darker- but no heat. Is this normal? Will there ever be heat?
What might I be doing wrong? There's no foul odor emanating from the pile
as far as I can smell. The other thing that worries me are large quantiies
of what I believe to be fruit flies (tiny flies with narrow, translucent
wings and small, longish black bodies). There are neither horse flies nor
any other flies. Are they a problem? I don't mind some of them, but when
depositing new stuff I inevitanbly step in to a dark cloud of flies (or so
it seems). Anyway, if any astute composter notice serious flaws in the
above 'composition', I would be very thankful if you could flood me with
hints and observations.
TIA.
Matthias