April's
'Tip of the Month'
Making a Compost Pile
Composting brings new life to your garden from old,dead material. We are in a new age of conservation and the garden should be no exception. With landfills filling up quickly people have had to find a new home for their yard waste. Grass clippings, dead branches, dead material from annuals and perrennials and some kitchen waste can all be used for enriching your planting beds. Composting improves soil structure, moisture retention, nutrient levels and actual helps fight certain plant diseases. If you were to go out to a forest you would see that nature does this naturally. Given a year or less a pile of yard waste can become rich oragnic fertilizer for your plants. However, we need to give the process alittle help. Without moisture, warmth, air and a balanced diet the microorganisms that cause the decomposition cannot thrive. Here are a few key steps to an efficient compost pile:
1. Find the Ingredients -
There is no exact recipe for a good compost pile but a close proportion is necessary. The microorganisms that cause the decay like an equal amount of nitrogen-based material and carbon material. Carbon-rich material, sometimes called the brown material, consists of leaves, prunings, newspaper, sawdust(from trees, not pressure-treated lumber) and straw. Nitrogen rich materials are called green material and consist mainly of grass clippings, weeds, farm manure and kitchen straps. As much as 70% of household waste is compostable. It is very important not to use any meat or dairy products in your pile because you will attract unwanted rodents. Also, pet and human fecus are very bad for the garden because they promote bad pests and organisms, besides the fact that it has very little nutrient value. If your pile starts to smell cut back on the green material! A good compost pile should not smell. For fastest results chop up all material as small as possible.
2. Make the Bin
This is where you can use your imagination. However, weilded wire mesh, (found at any hardware store) is probably the cheapest. Twelve feet of mesh will make about a 4' wide bin. If you can get the mesh in a 3' wide roll that's best, but most are sold in 4' wide. Four feet will make for a high bin and will make turning the pile difficult. Secure four or five metal/wooden posts in a cirle. Drive posts at least 8" into the ground so it can support the load of the material. Attach the mesh to the posts and secure ends with wire. I would highly suggest making two bins so that turning and adding is easier. Use one bin for collection and the other for actually composting. If you are a lazy gardener the spinning barrel composters found in most hardware stores are the answer. Althougth they cost more, they reduce the work of mixing the material down to a few turns of a handle.
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3. Filling the Bin
Fisrt, layer the bottom of the bin with coarse material such as large branches or corn stalks. This will allow air to circulate and feed the heating process. Now add the rest of the material. Some people suggest layering the carbon and nitrogen material evenly,which is fine but I would suggest just mixing it in any way you want. The key is to add water as you add materal and mixing the material so that it starts out evenly marbled. If you have large clumps of grass clippings that are not mixed you will get foul odors. Make the pile at least three feet tall so that it has the mass to heat up. To really get the pile working fast add some manure or topsoil from your garden center, this will introduce a starter culture of those microorganisms. It is not necessary but driving a stake into the center of the bin will help direct water into the center of the pile.
4. Turning and watering
Turning your compost pile is probably the only work that needs to be done once the pile is started. About once a month turn and mix the material so that all material spends some time in the middle of the pile where the heat is. The center of your compost pile should be between 115-160 degrees f. If the temperature is too low the organisms will not decay the material and like wise if the temp is too high it can inhibit the growth of the organisms. This is where occasional turning keeps things in check. If the pile is at least 3' feet high about 4' wide there is no problem with getting enough warmth. During dry periods remember to water the pile as you turn.
There are to types of composting: active and passive. The only difference is how often you help the process by turning the pile. Active composting is usually practiced by experienced gardeners who know exactly what conditions are needed for efficiency. Active composting usually yields a smaller amount of finished product but in as little as two weeks. Passive composting is where you let the pile sit and do it's thing and turn only occasionally with a larger yield. Active composting is excellent for apartment renters because it requires less raw materials and space.
Keys to Success:
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1. Equal amounts of carbon and nitrogen material,(slightly more carbon material is best)
2. Moisture, add water as you add material. Don't let the pile get too soggy.
3. Warmth, make pile big enough so center warms up.
4. Turning, promotes aeration, quicker composting of all material and guarentees even mixing of materials.
Tip o' the Month Archive:
Keeping a poinsettia alive for next Christmas
Growing Plants from Seed
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