help my compost heap work?

Nitrogen aids in the processof organic materials breaking down.(no i dont mean into a dance. hahaha)seriously though i would 1.add nitrogen. 2.add water and 3.stir. and last but not least, once its broken down and dark and rich, you have instant nutrients. keep in mind that with products decaying it causes a loss of nitrogen in the soil, make sure all the product is broken down well before use or it could cause more of a hinderance than a help. I hope this Helps. Happy Gardening!

Make sure that what you put into the compost is in small pieces. Do you have 3 separate bins or piles? If not, you should. One is for new material, one is for material that has been breaking down for a month or so, one is for material that is ready to use.

Also - are you turning your compost with a pitchfork?

Check the link below, which recommends turning your pile every 1-3 days and adding water.

I don't know if you have worms, but they work miracles in breaking down soil.

Adding nitrogen will help (Chicken guano is a rich source and this sounds disgusting but I am sincere, if it can be done without offending the neighbors, have a guy pee on it once in a while...urine is sterile but very rich in nitrogen in an easily absorbed form), turn the heap weekly,and make sure you're keeping it moist enough.

Keeping it covered in a dark tarp will also help the heap generate the heat needed for proper breakdown. Adding a few punds of earthworms will hasten the process, too.

You have to see what is the proportion of materials in your pile. Too much of carbon material (leaves, sawdust) and your pile will not activate properly. Too much nitrogen (grass, vegetable scraps) and your pile will be smelly. What I use on my piles and works all the time (given that I have a good mixture of materials) is adding alfalfa meal and mollasses. It gets my pile cooking all the time. Turning the pile often also helps aereate, so that the pile does not go anaerobic. Usually not much of nitrogen materials after fall and winter... so have to be creative with nitrogen materials. Try adding coffee grounds from starbucks. I study gardening in South America and down there we used to apply urine to our piles... a great source of nitrogen!

if you put a black plastic over it. that might help it heat up therefor breaking down things faster that and make sure you dig/turn it once in a while. I would do a general search on the internet. I have a black thumb so I'm not sure.

Some common garden fertilizer mixed in will speed it uo. It must be moist throughout.

try adding worms to speed the decay, also, turn the pile every couple of days to help to decompose evenly. :)