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Should A Compost Pile Be In The Sun or Shade?

There are a lot of myths about composting at home and how to do it just right. I have shared a series of posts answering common questions about composting at home, and I’m here to answer the question about where your compost bin should live. Read on to find out if your at-home compost heap should reside in the sun, in the shade, or if it even matters.

Spoiler alert. Whether your compost bin hangs out in the shade or soaks up some sun doesn’t matter. What matters is how you manage it.

A healthy and productive compost bin needs to be damp but not wet and also needs to have a little bit of warmth to create the right conditions for microbes, bacteria, earthworms, and all the other bugs to turn your trash into garden gold.

Compost Bins In The Sun

A hot spot in the full sun is a great place for your compost bin. You may need to water it once in a while because it may dry out faster in the heat of the sun unless it gets a good bit of rain. You may find that a compost heap in a sunny place needs fewer carbon materials like paper, sawdust, cardboard, and dried leaves as those materials typically help a pile dry out.

Compost Heaps In The Shade

You can also set your compost bin in a shady place in your yard. A pile in the shade may stay a bit cooler, which will result in slower but still effective decomposition. Your compost heap may also remain a bit damper in the shade relative to a bin in the sun. Therefore, you may need to add extra carbon material and turn it more often to mix the greens and browns and ensure it doesn’t get soggy and wet.

What Climate Are You In?

Whether your compost bin or heap prefers sun or shade may also depend on the climate in which you live. If you live in a cooler climate, your compost pile at home may benefit from more sun to heat it up and help speed up decomposition. If, however, you live in a particularly hot climate, the compost bin probably prefers a shady place so it doesn’t dry out from excessive heat too quickly.

Manage the Mix of Ingredients

No matter where you live though or how much sun or shade your compost bin or compost heap enjoys, the magic is all about the mix of materials. Your compost needs the right mix of water, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen, and that’s it! 

Finding the right combination of composting ingredients is not hard at all. It’s as simple as sneaking a peek and taking a whiff; you’ll know right away if your compost pile is on track.

If you don’t already compost at home, go find the perfect place for you and your yard, and know that, with a little love, your compost pile will thrive in whatever location you love the most and makes the most sense for your family. 

If you’re not sure where to start to compost at home, check out all of the resources I’ve developed for everything you need to know about composting at home. If you compost at home, where do you keep your compost bin?

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2 Comments

    1. As long as the pile doesn’t get too dry in the sun, the sun will help it heat up faster, so I’d put it in the sun and then just make sure to water it periodically if the pile gets too dry.

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