Friday, April 26, 2013

Good morning,

So what exactly goes into a healthy compost pile and what do you need to do in order to turn it from grass, leaves and kitchen garbage into a valuable product you can use around your own home?

The answer is very little. Basically keep it damp and attack it once a week with a shovel.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find out how little work goes into maintaining a healthy pile and producing valuable compost.

Thanks for reading,

Your Living Green editor

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What goes into your composting pile...

Two parts brown to one part green. A compost pile is a teeming community of micro-organisms that help break down yard debris into compost. The best mix of nutrients for these microorganisms is two parts carbon-rich "brown" materials, such as dried leaves, mixed with one part nitrogen-rich "green" materials, such as grass clippings.

A compost pile with these proportions of brown to green will promote large populations of microorganisms that will heat up yard debris and produce compost quickly. Other proportions of brown to green will create good compost, but will decompose more slowly.


Maintaining your compost pile...

* Compost piles or bins should be placed on flat ground, in an area that is convenient to the garden and easy to reach with a wheelbarrow. The best place for low-maintenance com- post pile is on the shady side of a building, like a garage, or under the shade of a tree, where it is easy to keep moist in summer.

* Air. Composting is the natural, healthy decomposition of organic material by microbes and bacteria. In order to get these microbes and bacteria to thrive you need both air and moisture. Turning your compost heap once a week with a manure shovel or fork will ensure plenty of air.

* Moisture. Compost materials should feel like a wrung out sponge; moist to touch, but no more than a few drops of water should come out when compost is squeezed in your hand.

* During extended dry weather you should water your compost pile, and then only enough to moisten it, not drench the contents.

* Proper temperature is very important. Much heat energy is released by microorganisms as decay occurs. Check the tem- perature with a thermometer. The experienced composter usually checks the temperature by putting his hand 8 inches deep in the pile. The compost should feel too warm to hold your hand in for more than a few seconds. The temperature of 140-150 F is needed to kill many of the pathogenic diseases and weed seeds. Failure to reach this temperature might be caused by too much water, improper aeration, too little nitrogen or too small a pile.