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how do you make Good compost? (A.K.A "Not Bagging and Trashing Leaves")
Composting will take place even if you do nothing. Your job will be to control the speed and quality of the finished compost. There is really nothing to it. But, lets go through the whole process to avoid the common problems and remove obstacles.
Supplies organic matter to soil Attracts earthworms Stimulates beneficial soil microorganisms Increases soil water holding capacity Increases soil nutrient retention Improves soil tilth and friability Improves soil drainage Loosens heavy clay soils Suppresses soil-borne plant pathogens (diseases)
Compost is not a fertilizer, but does contain plant nutrients Nitrogen and phosphorus are mostly in organic forms Released slowly to plants Not readily leached from the topsoil Compost contains many trace nutrients that are essential for plant growth
Picking a Site for a Compost Pile
When picking a site for a compost pile or bin there are many things to consider. The ideal spot will have all of the following features;
Now that you have a site you will need to decide how to contain your compost while your decomposers (bacteria, fungus, and other microbes) do their job. The most trouble free compost is made aerobically, so getting air moving through your pile is very important. Too big of a pile will prevent this air-flow. Too small of a pile and the decomposers won't be able to maintain the correct temperature. This is why a 3 foot cube is the ideal size.
A bin can be as simple as nailing 4 pallets together (as shown on the left of the picture, with the green organics). You can add additional bins for finished, aging compost, or for raw materials (leaves, grass, food scraps, etc.).
Typically, a 3 bin system is the most effective. The first bin is the active pile that you are adding organics to until full. The second bin is the full composting bin that is turned and stirred while the composting digesters are breaking the organics down into "black gold" compost. The third bin is the aging and storage bin for your finished compost. Rather than moving the material from bin to bin, just rotate. Once you have emptied the finished compost storage bin(3rd), use that empty bin as your active bin(1st). Once its full, use it as the composting bin (2nd). Once the compost is ready it will become the finished compost storage bin (3rd) all over again.
There are other alternative piles and bins. A cylinder of chicken wire makes a good composter, although moisture will have to be watched more closely. An old trash can with drilled air holes on all sides works also. Even a loose pile on the ground will yield good compost, as long as it doesn't become too big and is stirred often enough.
Consider buying a commercial bin. Most Home Centers carry composting bins in a variety of styles. These bins help control moisture, eliminate pests, speed composting and look nice.
This is my commercial bin, an "Earth Machine". Note its convenient location to the backdoor, and the water spigot is right behind the bin.
Anything organic will eventually compost. However there are certain things to prefer and certain things to avoid.
Balancing the " Browns and Greens"Most problems can be solved by maintaining the right mix of "browns"- carbon rich organic material, and "greens"- nitrogen rich organic material. A good balance will also speed the time it takes to make finished compost. Browns- Dried Leaves, Straw, Paper, Small pieces of tree branches. •Decay very slowly •Coarse browns can keep pile aerated •Tend to accumulate in the fall •Tie up nitrogen in soil if not fully composted •May need to stockpile until can mix with greens •Decay rapidly •Poor aeration – may have foul odors if composted alone •Tend to accumulate in spring and summer •Supply nitrogen for composting •Best composting if mixed with browns
A good balance of Carbon (browns) and Nitrogen (greens) is 30:1. This doesn't mean 30 pounds of "browns" to 1 pound of "greens", since all organic matter has both carbon and nitrogen in different proportions. For example, although fruit wastes are a "green", their C/N ratio is 40:1**. And although dried leaves are a "brown" , their C/N is 60:1**.
For more information on C/N ratios and balancing them try City Farmer www.cityfarmer.org or the Spokane Regional Solid Waste System at www.solidwaste.org.
Things that Should not be Added to Compost Avoid animal organic materials and weeds that could cause problems during or after composting
Shredding Shredding will speed the composting process, but will create some issues that will need to be carefully watched;
I shred myself (to get compost faster) but too much moisture, too many grass clippings (greens), too small of a particle size, too much ash (I use ash also), can all make the compost pile go anaerobic.
Basically, your yard waste gets eaten and what the ravenous digesters leave behind is the finished compost. There are a few details you need to know about the process.
Decomposers – These are the microbes ( bacteria, fungi, molds, actinomycetes, and others) that do all the digesting and processing. They exist naturally in abundance, and are just waiting for the chance to eat their fill. Food for the decomposers -- The organic stuff your trying to get rid of (leaves, grass, vegetable scraps). This will become your "black gold" compost.
Air, water, and warmth are the only other ingredients to make the best alternative to heavy chemical fertilizers.
These digesters use Aerobic (with oxygen) and Anaerobic (without oxygen) digestion. Anaerobic produces odors, gases, and mold problems (and not the best compost either). Encouraging aerobic conditions will yield the best compost.
Your pile can go dormant in the winter, but as the temperature increases, 3 different types of aerobes appear;
Turning, mixing, and stirring the pile can keep oxygen available for these processes, and can also ensure that the entire pile gets properly digested. Quite often a cool pile can reheat within days of turning. All stages of this cycle require that the pile maintains proper moisture. Throughout the pile it should have the moisture of a damp sponge. Too wet and we go anaerobic. Too dry and we go dormant.
Good compost can be made in a pile that never gets hot, but decay will be slower and it will take longer to make compost. Not enough air, too little or too much water, or too many browns in the mix could all keep a pile from heating.
The most rapid composting is achieved by adding properly mixed browns + greens, controlling pile moisture, and turning the compost pile.
If after turning the pile, it no longer heats up, allow it to age (sit) for at least 4 weeks. Then test the compost before using it in your gardening.
As you'll see throughout these instructions, maintaining moisture and aeration will be critical to your success. One of the simplest way to accomplish this is "Turning". Turning is the process of mixing your pile, and should be done regularly to avoid odors, mix browns and greens, speed up the composting, and keep the outside of your pile from drying out. Make sure you mix the pile thoroughly. There are many tools you can use, from simple pitchforks and shovels to many commercial types. A few compost bins rotate, mixing the compost and eliminating the need for a tool. I've included a picture of my tool of choice.
Compost is mature when the color is dark brown. It is crumbly, loose, and humus-like and has an earthy smell. It contains no readily recognizable feedstock. The pile will have shrunken to about 1/3 of its original volume. Some simple tests of your aged compost, can tell you if it is ready to use. The easiest one is placing a sample in a sealed bag and letting the bag sit for 4 days. If you open the bag and get an ammonia or rotten smell, the compost isn't fully matured. Good compost should have an earthy smell (think of the smell in a forest after a rain). Another test would be to sprout some seeds in a sample of the compost. If they sprout up in a few weeks, then the compost is good. If they don't sprout, give the compost some more aging time.
Turn the pile every 5 to 7 days, move outer material to the pile center and add water if needed. During the first few weeks temperatures should reach 140oF. After about 4 weeks less heat will be produced and compost will maintain lower temp (100oF). After about 4 more weeks the pile will no longer heat after turning and volume will be about one third of original. Allow the pile to age without turning for 4 more weeks before using the compost.
Odors are one of the most frequent but easily avoidable composting problems. Usually results from anaerobic conditions, excess moisture, or compaction. Solution:
Ammonia odor Too much nitrogen (greens) Solution:
Low pile temperature Pile too small, cold weather, too dry, poor aeration, or lacks nitrogen Solution:
High pile temperature Pile too large, insufficient ventilation Solution:
Pests: raccoons, rats, insects Presence of meat scraps or fatty food waste, rotten odors Solutions:
Be sure that compost is mature, has an earthy smell (no ammonia or rotten smell), looks dark and crumbly with no recognizable feedstock. Use as a Soil Amendment in Gardens and Planting Beds Compost improves soil health when mixed in the top 4 to 6 inches (work in no more than a 2" layer of compost) Garden Compost will;
Use as Surface Mulch in your Landscape and Around Trees For Trees use a maximum 3" depth and start 3-4" away from trunk. Also, try to extend out to the tree's dripline. This is a circle out from the trees approximately the same distance as the branches. By mulching the tree base out this far you will be allowing nutrients to reach all the roots. Mulch provides:
Use as a Lawn Topdressing
Use as a Potting mix
http://www.composters.com/main_comp.html
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/sustainable/slidesets/kidscompost/cover.html
For Compost Aerators
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