How do I get my compost pile to compost?

food waste is fine, animal waste isn't. my compost pile is mostly yard waste and non animal kitchen scraps (meat of any kind, egg shells are o.k.). the old saying for composting is; a layer of green (fresh), then a layer of brown (dirt). the first two years all my pile did was get larger, then i read somewhere that pouring stale (flat) soda on it would excite the microbes and bugs to do their work on it. you could also pour a cup of sugar into a pail of water and pour it over the pile, it works just as well. i now have two piles side by side, the current one i add to, and the old one from last year. i spread the old material in my gardens in the spring, then turn (flip) the new pile from the top to the bottom onto where the old pile was, this is the only time that i turn it. that flipped pile is now the old pile and anything new goes to start the next 'new' pile. maintaining my compost piles this way saves a lot of work with a shovel or fork, and my old back! the only down side is that you have to wait that first year to have any compost. i guess i'm either lazy enough to have waited or patient enough, LOL! good luck, hope this works for you too.

p.s. i don't throw any weeds into the compost pile either, why plant them next year after pulling them this year!!

I also have a compost pile, but I do not put many "animal leftovers" into it. Dog and cat feces have dangerous pathogens that can be transferred to garden plants. Safer animal leftovers include fish and eggshells, maybe leftover cows milk, but thats about it.

I would recommend digging it under, or at the least covering it with a thin layer of dirt. Digging it under will help aerate the soil, and give a better exposure of material to the soil bacteria. Once the soil becomes richer, it will compost even faster. Most compost takes about a month to degrade.

You don't want to make the pile too wet; too much water will cause anaerobic decay due to the lack of oxygen. This may cause it to smell bad, like a swamp.

Temperature drives rate of composting. Having a black compost bin exposed to the sun will really speed things up and hot water to keep it damp. Use compost activator which garden stores sell or just use septic starter which you can get at any hardware store. And the size of the particles helps. Shred everything before adding to the compost.

There are purely 2 human beings at residing house now, so there isn't something to make a compost pile with. Leaves at the instant are not falling yet and the backyard would not want mowing. So we are having to purchase ours on the nursery in luggage.

Turn it frequently, about three times every two weeks. Add grass clippings. Check for wetness. It should have the moisture content of a damp sponge. You can Google for composting information.

Yes you have to rotate it twice a month to be best. also, pine needles, leaves, and mulch is a great additive.

cover it from the sun add some dirt