COMPOST
Sooner or later gardeners come across the word "compost."
As easy as it is to say, compost has a reputation for being difficult to master.
Yet nothing could be further from the truth.
Compost recycles organic materials, from apple cores and coffee grounds, to dried leaves and Shredded Wheat.
Compost improves any, and all, soil types.
Compost provides the basic nutrients of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) as well as dozens of micro- and macro nutrients that are vital for healthy plants.
Compost "gives back" nutrients that flowers, herbs and vegetables remove in their normal growth processes.
Compost prevents nutrients from leaching away from plant roots.
Compost protects soil against wind and rain erosion, drought, dust storms, earthquakes and other extreme conditions.
Compost extends the life of landfills by reducing space needed for food and yard wastes.
Did you know you can have finished compost in just 3 to 4 weeks?
By combining the right ingredients, your compost pile will not only heat up to 140 degrees (F) or more,
but it will "cook down" to a fluffy material that is ready to use in the garden
For a hot, active compost pile, you need to build it all at once, not over weeks or months. Imagine making a cake by sifting the flour one day, adding eggs the next and then waiting a week before mixing everything together and getting it into the oven. It would be a flop. Start collecting ingredients. Go on organic treasure hunts. Talk to your neighbors, ask your friends, scan the classified ads, and remember to check your own back yard.
You're looking for a combination of ingredients that will provide the right living conditions for the microorganisms and bacteria that break down the materials in the compost pile. This tiny work force of actimomycetes must have food, water and oxygen to do their job. They need nitrogen (N) in order to use the carbohydrates or carbon (C) materials.
Therefore, you want to try for a nitrogen (N) to carbon (C) ratio of about 1 to 3.
Nitrogen (N) materials include: "Stable scraps" such as horse, rabbit, goat, chicken and other manures, green grass clippings (minus any chemical fertilizers and herbicides), fish meal, cottonseed meal, trimmings from grocery store produce, and garden waste, such as weeds and trimmings.
Produce trimmings are a good source of nitrogen (N).
Carbon
(C) materials include: Straw, dried leaves, sawdust (in small amounts), wood
chips (also in small amounts), and shredded newspaper, cardboard and brown bags.
One of the best and easiest combinations to come by occurs in the fall. Mix 3
parts dried leaves to 1 part green grass clippings to make a compost that is
light, airy and fine.
Materials you DON'T want to add to a
compost pile include: meat scraps, oily products such as salad dressings, peanut
butter and mayonnaise, pet litter and food, branches and other large woody
materials, slick magazine pages, and waxed cardboard.
If you live near a coastal community, kelp and seaweed is a must-have ingredient. Pound per pound, kelp supplies more minerals than any other material on the planet. In the garden, it also aerates the soil and makes an excellent mulch around potato plants, fruit-bearing shrubs, bulbs and perennials. And, contrary to popular belief, seaweed does not add harmful salts to the garden.
Kelp is a "neutral" ingredient, in that it doesn't fit in the nitrogen or the carbon category. Yet, it benefits every compost pile by adding fluff.
Once
you assemble your ingredients, you're ready to build your compost pile. Here are
some basic guidelines:
Work with a minimum size of 3x3x5 feet. (If you live in a milder climate, then 3x3x3 feet is large enough). The key is to make a compost pile large enough to retain heat and prevent ingredients from drying out. Expect temperatures of 120 to 160 degrees (F).
Use an enclosure, either ready-built, or one make of heavy wire screen, wood pallets, etc.
Coarse materials should be chopped or shredded.
Build the pile in layers, like a cake, alternating nitrogen and carbon materials.
Hose down the layers with water. The ingredients should feel like a damp sponge.
Turn the pile every 4 to 7 days to aerate it and to provide the microorganisms with fresh food. With tumblers, simply give it a spin occasionally.
For bin enclosures, use a pitchfork to turn the pile, moving the inside materials to the outside, and the outside materials to the inside.
How do you know when the compost is done?
The compost pile is done cooking when it no longer warms up within a few days of turning it.
Incidentally, the pile will shrink to about half of its original size.
Troubleshooting the compost pile
Here
are some common problems and their solutions:
Problem:
The compost pile doesn't get very hot, even though it has enough materials.
Solution: You might need to add
more nitrogen ingredients such as green grass clippings or manure to correct the
nitrogen to carbon ratio.
Make sure the ingredients are damp. Too dry, and they won't start cooking.
Problem:
The compost heap heats up and cools down like it's supposed to, but a lot
of the materials are large and not broken down.
Solution: Because the materials
are big and chunky, they don't provide enough surface area for the
microorganisms to finish their work.
Chop the materials as best you can.
Problem:
Whew, the compost pile has a strong odor.
Solution: The pile is undergoing
what's called "anaerobic decomposition." Anaerobic means "without
oxygen" which is why it smells like the beach at low tide. You need to add
introduce oxygen back into the pile by turning it at least once a week.
Problem:
Animals on the loose!
Solution: If dogs, mice, rats,
cats or raccoons are getting into to your compost pile, fence it in, cover it
with wire and avoid adding meat scraps, bones, and fish waste to the pile.
How to use compost
Apply a 4 to 6-inch layer of compost-mulch around woody perennials in the fall to reduce damage from winter winds.
After the soil has warmed up in the spring, apply compost around warm season vegetable crops such as zucchini and tomatoes.
Spread compost on the garden a couple weeks before spring tilling.
Add compost to container gardens, hanging baskets
During the growing season, side-dress your plants with compost to provide a slow-release source of nutrients.
Make compost tea. Add a shovelful of compost to a 5-gallon bucket of water and allowing it to steep for a few days. For larger quantities, add compost to a 55-gallon drum. Use the nutrient-rich tea to fertilize lawns, shrubs, perennials, containers, hanging baskets, as well as annual vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Dilute the tea for younger plants.
Apply a 1 to 2-inch thick mulch around flowers, trees and shrubs in the spring to maintain soil moisture and discourage weed growth.
Use compost as a growing medium for seedlings and potted plants. After screening out large particles, you'll need to pasteurize it before using it.
Charles Roberts 912 Sunset Circle Columbia, MS 39429 E-MAIL