Turned the compost yesterday--a big accomplishment! There were a lot of bugs, but not too scary. I wouldn't have wanted to do it with a baby on my back. It was hard work, and it made me sore. I think it took me maybe an hour or two. I enjoyed the work so much that I lost track of time.
I didn't see much that looked like real compost. Saw some coffee-ground like stuff, but it probably actually was coffee grounds! Anyway, nothing stunk, so that was good. Also, nothing on the bottom third was really recognizable as food, except for a few corncobs.
The reason I turned it was that I had added a lot of kitchen scraps within the past month, and they weren't buried enough and were attracting some flies. I really just needed to turn it and mix everything up. So, now, the freshest stuff is on the bottom and the older stuff is on the top, and it will be much easier to bury fresh scraps well.
I also felt that the bin was getting far too dry. So I added water from the hose at several times while I was shoveling contents back into the bin. I will add more water in the future.
I think at some point I will just stop feeding that bin and leave it to rot for a year--maybe September 21st, the beginning of fall. And start a new hoop bin to add fresh scraps. Athough my compost does get quite warm, I do not think I am making truly "hot" compost since I add stuff so gradually, and my bin may not be big enough.
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