Six weeks of compost temperatures

9 May 2026

I built a one cubic metre heap on 28 March from grass clippings, shredded cardboard and the winter's kitchen waste, and took a reading at 30 cm most mornings.

week 1   peak 61 C   turned on day 6
week 2   peak 55 C
week 3   peak 48 C   turned on day 17
week 4   peak 39 C
week 5   peak 31 C
week 6   ambient + 4 C

The second turn bought about four more days above 45 °C. I would not bother with a third: by week four the heap had shrunk by nearly half and was too small to hold heat.