Hi everyone. I am a novice gardener and first time homeowner who has a question about composting. I have a corner in my backyard that I have used to dump grass clipping, leaves, and small twigs for the better part of the year. Now that spring has sprung, I walked to that corner of the yard expecting to find some black gold that I can use on my rose and vegetable garden. But what I found instead, was a bunch of stinky wet leaves that were blackened, but not fully decomposed. Now I figure that everything is in the process of decomposing, but I thought that I would have had more by now. So here are my questions:
- I am generally lazy, so will the compost pile still decompose if I don't go out and turn it? Or is turning it a must?
- Are there any additives I can add that will naturally speed the decomposition process? I remember hearing on TV that bone meal can be sprinkled on the pile in between layers, but I wasn't sure if that did anything.
- Are grass and leaves enough variety to get a good pile going? Again, I am lazy, so saving and bringing food scraps out to the back of the yard is really a bummer. :)
Thanks for your input!