Spreading My First Compost - What's the Worst That

Good Morning, All...

I hope y'all are looking.
I got some fears.
I'm new and,,,

I have a nice heap of compost - I think. Been filling a tumbler (kind that builds a little heat and is insulated some) and when the tumbler is full and what I think is sufficiently "cooked", I transfer that into a bin. It's all vegetable matter. No meats or bread or anything like that. Veggies. Has been collecting for more than 2 years. I also add ground/shredded cardboard. Quite a bit of it.

The stuff in the bin looks and smells good. But I am still worried about spreading it all over the lawn. Thinking that if it is not "READY" it could burn the lawn, kill the grass, or have some other un-wanted outcome.

Sorry to be here begging for reassurance, but I need some.

Today, I have a large "spreader". Round barrel with diamond grating for walls and I would like to spread it out.

How can I KNOW the compost is good to go???

Super grateful for ALL and quick replies. It's Sunday, 7.30am, and I would like to get some of this done today IF it is infact ok to...

J

I'd just pay attention to your brown/green ratio while adding materials to your compost. Doing roughly 50% brown and 50% green is a good and easy starting point and should get you a good balance of nutrients. You can play around with the ratio when you get more experience.

As for the lawn, I don't have experience adding compost to lawns. I don't like lawns much but I'm glad they exist because it gets me work in irrigation.

Good luck to you.

Over the years, I have read members advocating using compost in just about every state of decomposition.  And, I have used just about every approach at one time or another.  I seriously doubt if you will see damage after you make your decision. Do note when you put it on the ground and what state it is in. Make any needed adjustments next time.

The worst thing tht can happen is that you will grow wonderful veggies.  Go for it ...

If you are simply wishing to empty your compost bin, do you have any trees or shrubs, vegetable or flower beds in your garden?

Compost is most often used as a mulch to improve the soil and would be more beneficial applied in these situations than spread over a lawn.

Some folks utilize a germination test if they are wary about their compost for whatever reason. Unfortunately this will take some time to get results if you are adamant about spreading it out today.

Essentially, you would pot up some of your compost and plant some peas in it. If the peas grow without any issues, you know your compost is good to go. If the peas are twisted and sickly, your compost could still be hot or have something else wrong with it.