Turning compost

We compost as much as possible at Beechgrove. There are large bays turned annually by a digger, but also several domestic bins. It can take a year or more to get really good compost from them. Being smaller and in a shaded location, the process is slower, but turning the contents helps speed things up. We put a tarp down and empty the bins on to it using a grape (long handled hay fork) then fill it back up again or move the pile into another empty bin. Material is redistributed so that less decayed components are introduced to the middle, where decomposition is faster. Turning introduces more air − essential for the microbial action responsible for the composting process.