Composting Article

Composting is a great pleasure for me. When I compost I am very in tune with the natural abundance of the circle of life.

When I first got into composting I realized how much matter there was being under utilized and or thrown away. By utilizing many of these for composting I was able to generate 1,000's of lbs of compost per week with very little cost and effort.

Compost is essential for any truly organic garden to produce in an abundant fashion. With really good compost plants don't need fertilizers. Because they are so strong and healthy not only do the produce abundantly but they are not subject to many diseases and other ailments.

I love organic sustainable abundance!

The main understandings important to efficient composting are 3 fold:

1 moisture. Compost wants to be moist not wet.

2. Air Flow. Compost wants to be able to breath but not be super exposed to the elements. So usually the smallest size compost we want to have is 3x3x3ft. A container is good but only if it has some breathing space. I love to use pallets, chicken wire or old pieces of fence to make my bins. Bins are not necessary though.

3. Nitrogen. Nitrogen is what speeds up the decomposition process. Nitrogen is availabe in most green mater such as grass, vegetable scraps or manure. This needs to be added whenever the compost is no longer hot (135 df or hotter) to continue the fast decomposition process. This is not necessary as compost will decompose anyways however it is quite possible to fully compost leaves or straw in 1.5 months turning it twice a week and adding a nitrogen source.

What is awesome about all this is that water, air and compost able matter are all over the place and very free. I collect thousands of bags of leaves from suburbs that are all free and going to the trash. Not only do I get free compost matter but I also save the land fill and lots of gas getting it there.

I also get lots of free wood chips DELIVERED to my property from tree trimming companies. One needs to be wiling to get at least a truck load but other than that its a sweet deal.

These are the to largest sources of carbon in my compost. There are many other carbons available.

Matter is decomposing commonly. Composting is just a way to spead it up and utilize it for a purpose. Even metal or plastic left in the elements is going to decompose. Now we may not want to use this for the garden and it may take years but it is decomposing also.

So in composting we want to speed up this process in an efficient abundant manner for us.

By creating an environment where it is moist and active microscopic life forms start to flourish eating and composting the matter. Producing us with compost!
Its all about creating and nurturing a specific environment for this purpose.

So to start composting find a site.

I like to choose a site close to where I will use it as it cuts down on my transporting of the compost. I build a bin out of whatever I have available. If I use chicken wire I will cut a length of chicken wire at least long enough to make a 3 foot diameter circle. I will then connect each end together to form a cylinder. I can then fill this with layers of compost. If I made a bin out of pallets I would take 3 pallets and stand them up on their sides. I would then tie each one together so that 1 pallet is tied together on two corners and the other two are tied on one corner to that base pallet. This forms a 3 sided square.

To begin the compost I start with a layer of carbon (dried dead organic matter) for me leaves or wood chips. I then do a much smaller layer of nitrogen (living active matter) for me it is green grass clippings, manure or vegetable matter. The ratio for carbon to nitrogen is about 30-1 in volume not weight, 1 being the nitrogen.
As I layer the carbon and nitrogen I want to wet the layers with water. Depending on how dry the materials are will dictate how much water I use. Just remember that the compost wants to be wet not dry. The life thrives in moisture but is very much inhibited by flooding.

I just then repeat this process of layering carbon, nitrogen and water. It is a very simple and natural process that when nurtured profits great results.
An active compost will get up to 150-170 degrees F. You will know it is active because if you stick your hand in the center of the pile it will be to hot to keep near. If it does not get hot at all then there a few elements that can be out of whack. 1. To much or not enough water. 2. Not enough nitrogen (cant have to much if its a natural source) 3. No circulation, meaning it cant breath. This is not normally an issue.

If the compost does get hot then its working. Some people have compost thermometers that are a couple feet long that they stick into the centers. When the temp starts to drop its time to turn it and and nitrogen and water.

The main question is how much and how fast are you wanting compost. With the right ingredients and the proper nurturing it is quite possible to have a pile composted in 1.5 months. This will require turning about 2 times a week while adding a nitrogen source and the proper moisture. Do not add carbon during this phase. Carbon is only added in the begging. This is of course if you are wanting fast compost. Basically the nitrogen composts fast and the carbon is what takes "time" so by adding more carbon every time the compost will not really fully compost until months after the last addition of carbon.

The pile will get smaller and smaller every time it is turned as the matter becomes more compact and of smaller particle size.

Healthy compost does not stink. It is a common mis conception that compost stinks.
If it does stink it is because there are ingredients that are not ideal such as flesh, fatty foods, litter box, etc or its not getting turned so the matter is just rotting on top instead of composting.

After a very short time of experimenting with composting it will feel very natural and one can evolve techniques based on this.

I myself do not even turn compost any more. I have so much compost going at 1 time that I can just use my huge loads from a season before instead of needing it every month.

So what I do is create many large long term compost piles. I build large piles 4 or more feet tall and 10 or more feet wide/long. I then mix in nitrogen and moisture to get it started and leave it. The only thing I do is keep it moist by running a sprinkler on it every now and again depending on when its feeling dry. This takes longer but in the long run it saves me a lot of "time" and I still have just as much compost when I need it.

If there were 1 factor that is most important in composting I would say its moisture. A dry heap will not compost at all. Actually even good compost if it gets to dry will be much less nutrient. I feel that a lot of the benefit to fresh healthy compost is the living microbes in the soil that play many over looked rolls. So I always keep my compost covered/protected from the sun.

This is compost at its finest. Here is a list of many common abundant materials for composting:

Carbons Sources
1. Leaves
2. Wood Chips.
3. Straw/hay or brown grass clippings.
4. Cardboard, junk mail & Newspaper.
5. Yard Scraps.

Nitrogen Sources.
1. Green Grass.
2. Manure
3. Coffee grounds. All Starbucks save their grounds for composters. Stop in and ask.
4. Vegetable Scraps.
5. Pretty much any living green matter.