Wood ash

[lynb]

I find my mix is sometimes too wet, gets a bit smelly, temperature drops, and a lot of leachate. I wonder if anyone has tried adding ash from a woodburner to the mix? Cheers, Lyn

[WiseOldBloak]

Hi Lyn,
The only way you can really address moisture levels in the HOTBIN is via the addition of shredded paper and cardboard. Evenly encorporating drier material like this should help to absorb the excess moisture preventing things getting overly wet and going smelly.

With regards to the woodburner ash I would say yes but obviously only when its cold and only in small amounts. If you add too much, the air flow through the HOTBIN will get blocked and you will turn the compost waste strongly alkaline and slow down the composting process.

Hope this helps