My compost pile caught fire last week and I had no idea that could happen

I've been building up my backyard compost bin for about 6 months now. Last Tuesday I went out to turn it and saw smoke coming from the top. Turns out I had way too much dry leaves and grass clippings without enough green stuff mixed in. Had to dump the whole thing out on the driveway and soak it with the hose for 20 minutes. Lost about 3 months of progress but learned the hard way about balancing carbon and nitrogen. Has anyone else dealt with a compost fire or am I the only one who messed up this bad?

2 comments

2 Comments

paul_morgan1mo ago

Wait, your compost pile actually caught fire? Ive been composting for years and never knew that was a real risk. I always thought those warnings about heat were exaggerated. I had a similar scare last summer when I threw in a whole load of grass clippings without any brown stuff. The pile got so hot I could see steam rising off it in the morning. Ended up having to spread it all out on the driveway to cool down for a whole day before I could put it back. Its a bummer you lost months of work but at least you figured out the balance thing.

finley7771mo ago

Gotta disagree with you there. The heat warnings aren't exaggerated at all, especially if you're piling up greens like grass clippings without mixing in browns. Steam is one thing, but if the core gets hot enough and there's enough dry material near the surface, spontaneous combustion is legit scary. You got lucky spreading yours out - did you ever get a thermometer in there to see how hot it actually got?