How To Turn Compost In 6 Steps

Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:53 pm

Turning compost is a sensible measure for a number of reasons. Everything you need to know and step-by-step instructions on how to do it right, can be found here.

  • Turn compost at least once a year
  • Separation of decomposed and unfinished compost
  • Rearrangement for faster humus development
  • Easy and quick to do

Why turn compost?


The main reason for turning compost heaps is the rapid formation of humus and consequently quicker use as fertilizer. In addition, turning compost takes up less space, which makes turning compost especially useful when the composter is overflowing or is about to overflow. In detail, turning brings the following advantages:

  • loosening for improved air permeability accelerated decomposition by microorganisms
  • new mixing of materials for faster decomposition
  • Favors independent heat generation and uniform heat distribution for better living conditions of microorganisms
  • reduction of volume by sifting out ready-to-use compost
Kompost umgraben

Best time to turn compost

How To Turn Compost In 6 Steps


A composter can theoretically be turned all year round, provided it is not frozen. However, the times in early spring and autumn bring the best arguments for implementation. Additionally, for the best timing, make sure the compost pile has dried out somewhat after several rain-free days.

Early spring/winter end

When temperatures thaw the compost pile in February, it is the most appropriate time to implement. At this time, it helps to reactivate the rotting process that stops during the winter season. This leads to the following benefits:

  • microorganisms are awakened from their winter dormancy and resume their work
  • sufficient remaining time for humus development in time for the start of the gardening season
  • screened finished material is already available for bed preparation and initial fertilization
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Mit Kompost düngen

Tip: Compost fertilization should only be applied where “early” plant varieties are present, set or sown. Varieties that do not awaken from winter dormancy until May could be “disturbed” by too early compost fertilization.

Implementation in autumn

Plenty of compost usually accumulates in the garden during and after the summer season from, for example, numerous lawn clippings, tree and shrub prunings, and leaves. Early fall is the last possible fertilization for most plants, so this can be optimally combined with transplanting. In addition, fall transplanting also has other advantages:

  • from the first frost, continuous death of pests in the compost heap
  • better aeration facilitates freezing, which leads to improved compost quality
  • less gardening in spring when fertilizing is already done in autumn
Kompost im Winter

How often to turn compost?


Transplantation should be carried out at least once a year. Depending on the required availability of humus, it should be done in early spring or autumn. However, there is no reason why it should not be applied two or more times a year. Experienced amateur gardeners with high fertilizer requirements often even turn their compost piles every other month so that valuable humus is available even faster. In the case of many garden/compost wastes, as they occur especially in larger and very plant-rich gardens, multiple turnovers per year are recommended, especially for volume reduction.

Material needed


Before starting the conversion, the following required utensils should be ready to hand:

  • Shovel
  • digging or pitchfork
  • Large sieve plate or special compost sieve (size at least 80 x 80 centimeters, mesh size 19 x 19 millimeters)
  • work or gardening gloves
  • new compost container, if necessary
  • fresh garden/compost waste
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Tip: If you put screened material into a new compost container when turning it, you will save yourself a noticeable amount of work because you can start layering directly after each screening, thus “turning it over” from top to bottom.

Turning compost: Step-by-step instructions

StepsActivities
1 shovel sampleIf compost falls easily from shovel, it is dry enough to move
2 create new composter coatingUse branches, wood chips, etc.
3 sieve out materialon sieve put remaining material into new composter (top layers now as bottom layers)
remove coarse branches, stones and other non-rotting material
sifted through is finished humus; put aside
4 fill compost in the 3.layer system1st layer of unfinished “old” compost (between 20 and 30 centimeters high).
2nd layer: spread one to two shovels of ready-to-use humus evenly thick on surface
3rd layer: add fresh garden waste.
5 watering converted compost heap
6 incorporate remaining mature compost into bed soil

Tip: To reach the composting goal even better and faster, compost accelerator can additionally be mixed in. To prevent fungal infestation, it is also advisable to add rock flour.

Frequently asked questions


How should I hold the sieve when turning it?


The more slanted you position the sieve, the more fine-grained humus will pass through it. However, the sieve should also not be positioned too steeply so that sieving can take place at all and the material does not simply fall off to the side. A slope between 45 degrees and 65 degrees is ideal to screen out the best humus.

What else helps to speed up the process of maturation of compost?


Frequent turnover is the best method. In addition, you can also water during dry weather conditions. Moisture will promote rotting and, accordingly, you will get valuable humus faster. You can also use a slurry of valerian leaves, nettles, fern fronds and comfrey as a compost accelerator. After fermentation, however, you need to dilute it with water in a ratio of 1:10. With this, then water the compost pile once or twice a week, depending on the weather.

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What to look for when using the same compost container?


To encourage rotting, it is important when moving that the previous stratification changes. This means what was previously at the top of the composter should now be layered at the bottom. You can compare this to digging around, where the bottom layers also go to the top and the top layers go to the bottom. If you sift everything into a pile, you must accordingly “dig up” the immature, compostable material once so that the previous upper layers can be filled into the composter first.

Author

  • James Jones

    Meet James Jones, a passionate gardening writer whose words bloom with the wisdom of an experienced horticulturist. With a deep-rooted love for all things green, James has dedicated his life to sharing the art and science of gardening with the world. James's words have found their way into countless publications, and his gardening insights have inspired a new generation of green thumbs. His commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship shines through in every article he crafts.

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