Covering the compost pile

by Jeanne
(Bogalusa, LA USA)

Can I cover my compost hill (which is about 6 feet from the patio deck) with black plastic. I have been told that it can spontaneously combust and cause a fire. I find the plastic keeps the moisture in much better than leaving it open to the sun and other elements. Thank you, Jeanne in LA

Doug says - spontaneously combust? What size compost pile are we talking about here? :-) It had better be really big before we get to that level of heat/O2 level that will spontaneously ignite. A household compost pile (about 4x4x4') isn't going to light up. My research says that if your pile is less than 7 feet tall, you're not going to have a problem. Well, if you add hot ashes from a fireplace all bets are off (which is how some compost piles get lit up - duh!)

Can you cover it with black poly? Sure. No problem and a lot of folks do in damp climates. The deal is that you want your compost to be damp but not soaking.

Covering it with black poly won't raise the heat as much as clear poly will.