Starting a Compost Pile

It's often called black gold, the gardener's best friend. You can use it as a mulch, soil amender and even mix it with your potting soil. It's compost. Simply put, it is the reduction of basic garden and kitchen wastes to a crumbly, cake-like consistency by nature's own hand through decomposition of organic matter. That is one of the key factors to understand about composting. Only add organic matter.

Composting is a very simple process. Through careful layering of materials, the addition of water and the circulation of air through the material, any gardener can create compost. A good place to start would be the creation of a bin or receptable. There are many ready made composters on the market. There are tumblers, wood frames and even recycled plastic compost bins; however, you can start simply by creating a pile.

In the example we will base our information on a simple wood frame with wire mesh. It is a good idea to create a base of rough materials such as twigs, leaves, straw or grass trimmings. Create a base of about 5-10" of materials. Wet it down to a point where it is just moist, but not soaked. You can add ground limestone or a handful of fertilizer in accelerate the decaying process. The limestone is helpful in reducing any odor problems.

Next create a layer of organic refuse from either your garden (spent flowers, weeds without seedheads, old plants) or from your kitchen (eggshells, banana peels, or any fruit or vegetable waste). To speed up the process try to reduce the wastes to as fine a consistency as possible. Use a blender for the kitchen scraps. For your garden waste, spread it on the lawn and collect it again by going over it with a lawn mower. This does a great job of shredding. Add it to your pile. Repeat the layering process. Water and leave it to next time.

To achieve air circulation, try turning it with a pitch fork or aerating it with a hoe plunged deep into the pile and raised through it repeatedly. Keep the pile moist, but not wet and let it cook! From start to finish in might take a season or two till you have finished compost!