How To Make Healthy Compost

April 22nd, 2010

A compost pile is home to a living, growing community of organisms. Experts agree that home composting of organic kitchen and garden waste represents the lowest financial and environmental cost method of diverting bio-wastes from landfills.

Factors that contribute to the success of the composting process:

1. Temperature
Bacteria in a compost pile create heat as they work and grow. The best temperature for speedy composting is about 140* at the center. To maintain good temperatures, an ideal compost pile should be at least 3′x3′x3′. You can start a small pile and build as you go.
Check the center of your pile – is it hot?

2. Oxygen
Aerobic, “oxygen-loving” organisms work quickly and without odors. If a compost pile does not have enough air, anaerobic organisms will take over and odors will develop. Encourage aerobic decomposition by turning the pile whenever you add materials.
Odor? Turn pile to add oxygen

3. Moisture
All organisms, including those in a compost pile, need water for growth. A dry compost pile will decompose slowly. If it is too wet, the oxygen supply will be limited and anaerobic decomposition could occur.
Do the “Squeeze Test” – composting materials should be about as moist as a wrung-out sponge.

4. Food
The creatures that do the work of decomposition view our waste as their food. Microscopic organisms need a mixture of carbon and nitrogen to grow & reproduce.
Generally: “green” materials are high in nitrogen (decompose rapidly), “brown” woody materials are high in carbon (break down slowly).

When Is Compost Finished?
Finished compost is a brown, crumbly, earthy-smelling, soil-like material. It takes between six months and one year for a pile to yield a finished product, depending on how much attention it is given. You should not be able to recognize the waste materials that went into the pile. Screen before using for finer compost & put un-decomposed materials back into the pile to break down further. Once the compost process is complete, you can work it directly into your garden improving the soil structure & soil biology. Sprinkling it on the lawn will keep it green & reduce the water needs of your grass.

The Benefits Of Compost:

• increases the organic matter in soil and helps build sound root structure
• balances the pH of the soil
• makes nutrients in soil more readily available to plants
• attracts earthworms, considered the “earth’s greatest recyclers”
• makes clay soils airy so that they can drain better
• improves the ability of sandy soils to hold moisture and resist erosion
• raises the vitamin and mineral content of food grown in a compost-rich garden
• reduces reliance on petroleum-based fertilizers

Compost recycling does indeed start in your own garden!

planting for the future.

-By Maggie Oldfield Thayer Nursery

Tags: Composting, Lawn and Garden, making compost, recycle
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