Shredders, bins, enclosures, tumblers…the array of materiel designed to “Produce Perfect Compost!” is dazzling. Inexperienced gardeners who have designs on composting could be quickly overwhelmed by their choices.
The truth is, anyone can build a compost pile, and it doesn’t require any special equipment. A few square feet of real estate, a pitchfork, and the proper constituents are all that one needs to get started.
Compost is like a vitamin and mineral supplement for soil. It’s chock-full of nutrients, fiber, and beneficial microbes. Seasoned gardeners know that there’s never enough compost; they’re always looking for more ingredients to add to the heap.
Composting Basics
While building a compost pile doesn’t have to be a daunting task, a few rules of thumb apply:
- Don’t place the heap against a structure. Worms and good bugs will be helping with the composting process; their proper place is in the pile, not in your potting shed or garage.
- While a compost heap can be built without an enclosure, a few pallets, some old fencing, or several cinder blocks will keep the pile constrained and help to retain internal heat.
- Place the heap in a location that gets both sun and shade during the day (the closer to the garden, the better). A compost pile that’s in full sun may need more watering to keep it going; one that is in full shade may not heat up as efficiently as one that gets a few rays of sunshine.
- Only plant material should go into the compost pile. This includes kitchen scraps like carrot tops, potato peels, onion skins, or even that head of lettuce that liquefied at the back of the refrigerator. Don’t add meat, fat, oil, butter or other dairy products; eggshells are allowed, but rinse them first. Animal matter not only goes rancid in a compost pile; it attracts undesirables like skunks, raccoons, and the neighbor’s dog or cat.
- Green plant material (fresh grass clippings, kitchen scraps, garden thinnings) adds nitrogen to a compost pile; brown stuff (dead leaves, dried straw) adds carbon. A compost heap needs both. Pre-shredded material is nice, but it’s not essential.
- Don’t put herbicide-treated material in the compost heap. While some herbicides break down quickly, others persist for a long time. When transferred to the garden, these poisons can kill crops.
- Build a pile at least three feet square by alternating four- to six-inch layers of brown and green material; stack things up until you run out of raw material. Sprinkle with water. Walk away for a few days.
- Every two to three days, mix and flip the pile with a pitchfork or spade. Steam may rise from the innards of the heap, and it will emit a heady, earthy smell (the temperature within a compost heap can get up to 160º).
- If a compost pile starts to smell foul, it’s either too wet or it isn’t being turned often enough. Take a handful of material from the interior of the pile and squeeze it in your fist; if it sticks together without dripping, the heap is just moist enough. If you can wring water out, turn the pile more frequently. If things are too dry, sprinkle with water or add more green fodder. Go putter in the garden.
When the compost has acquired the look of black humus, it’s ready for the garden. Some people sift their compost prior to distributing it. Less finicky gardeners just fork everything onto the soil and let it work its magic.
