GardenMaid| Compost Heap Basics

Compost Heap Basics

The compost pile is basic building block of organic gardening. It is also something that every gardener should have. Even if you are a gardener who fall off the organic wagon when the critters start eating your plants you should add organic matter to your soil. The best organic matter is compost.

All yards generate organic waste from grass clippings, leaves and dead plants. Why would you waste money and time having these wastes transported to a landfill? It isn�t just a waste of good compost; it�s a waste of everything consumed in the process; the garbage man�s time, the money you pay for the removal, the crude oil, etc.

All this garbage that people are sending to the lanfill can be made into a better supplement for your garden than any fertilizer or chemical. If you properly facilitate the decomposition of all of the garbage, it will alter chemically until it is in such a state that it can be nothing but beneficial nutrition for other plants. Therefore you can turn all the stuff you would have thrown away into top grade fertilizer for your garden.

The thought of a compost heap usually brings to mind disturbing images; heaps of rotten garbage emitting a horrid odor. However, if you maintain it correctly you�ll be able to produce great compost without producing an offensive odor. The first time composter frequently makes several fundemental errors like; not providing the proper oxygenation, keeping the pile too dry, and incorrect content ratios.

When choosing your spot for your compost pile, you should aim for a higher square footage. A maximun depth of 3 feet is desirable because in a really deep pile of compost the deeper sections won�t be exposed to anything that is required for the process to work properly. It is better to spread it all out over a larger area. The shorter wider pile also makes the process of turning and areating the pile much easier.

Any organic garbage from your yard, garden or kitchen can included in a compost pile. This includes leaves, grass, any leftover food. Meat and grease products should not be included. For the most part I limit mine to leaves, grass, plants, vegetable matter and some but not all of our coffee grounds.

Materials added to the pile should be chopped into the smallest pieces possible to hasten the process. The pile should be kept damp but not wet. As the materials start to compress and meld together as they decompose, you will need to aerate the pile. I prefer a long handled pitch fork for this process but a shovel will do. You can mix it all up and turn it over (fluff it), or can simply poke dozens of tiny holes into it. I use different methods at various stages of the process. This areation process will increase the oxygen flow to each part of the pile, and oxygen is required for any decomposition to take place.

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