To turn or not to turn

[CompostDan]

Hi there,


For the first time i have removed the base layer (everything in the bottom half) of my HotBin as it was full and had been running 6 months. The bottom was very wet and claggy and i ended up mixing it with existing compost for my garden. I was kind of expecting it to be like this as it never really got hot during the first few months and it went dormant over winter.

The mid layer has now dropped down this is a bit of a mix (2 months old to fairly recent). The oldest stuff is cold and doesn't look composted at all, still very wet and im thinking its going to stay this way. The top is running at a healthy 70 degrees FYI.

Question is, while its running hot on top and there isn't lots in the bin shall i give the whole thing a big mix or shall i just leave it and hope the bottom layer eventually composts...

[HotBinDjinn]

If the bottom layer isn't composted I would take some of it out, mix it with fresh, dryer material, and put it back in the top, stirring it in. Repeat this until the stuff you get at the bottom is better composted. You might need to add more shredded paper and partially composted woodchips as a bulking agent. Bulking agent is key to getting a good air flow. You can sieve out any wood chips that haven't fully composted and reuse them, that's what I do.