How to Make a Simple Compost Pile
Composting is a process of speeding up the breakdown of organic matter. If you have even a few feet of space to spare in your backyard, simple composting can be accomplished with very little effort. All that is necessary are a few basic elements that would be found curbside, including kitchen scraps, newspaper and yard debris. Good compost matures in as little as a month with a bit of intensive effort, but if you have little time and plenty of patience, a simple compost pile will produce basic fertilizer for your garden in six months to a year with almost no work. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Manure
- Kitchen scraps
- Yard Debris
- Topsoil
- Bucket and lid
- Pitchfork
- Thermometer (Optional)
Instructions
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Find a suitable space for your compost pile on soil in the yard, so that aeration and water flow can be maintained through the pile. An area that gets a half day's sun is best, and you will likely want it far from the neighbors house as well as your own, so as not to attract undesirable insects or smells into the house.
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Collect kitchen scraps in a lidded bucket in your kitchen. All leftovers except for meat and dairy are compostable in a simple composting pile. Save yard debris as well.
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Layer your starting pile like lasagna Lay down kitchen scraps and yard debris, add a small amount of manure to heat the compost, and then add a thin layer of topsoil to add microbes in your pile, which can be as small or as large as you have room and materials for. Repeat these layers as many times as you have material for. Make the ratio of yard debris to kitchen scraps about 30:1.
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Add organic matter, meaning kitchen scraps and yard debris, as desired. Layering and the addition of topsoil and manure are unnecessary after the initial construction of the pile.
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Turn the compost pile using a pitchfork. Mix up the pile, moving the outside of the pile inside and vice versa. This helps to aerate the soil and keep it heated, as well as moves fresh material to the center where it decomposes more quickly. Repeat this weekly, or every time you add new material. Unturned compost may take more than a year to mature. Turning a compost pile once a month yields a finished product within half a year.
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Water the compost pile. At any given time, the pile should be moist but not sopping wet. A general rule of thumb is that taking a handful of compost and squeezing it should yield one or two drops of water, no more or less. Water accordingly.
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Check the temperature of the compost. If it is composting properly, the temperature should be between 110 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature is lower, the pile is either too dry, needs to be turned or is ready to use. If you do not have a thermometer, check the pile when turning it, if it is hot in the center it's doing all right. You can also stick a metal pole into the middle of the pile and hold onto the other end. If it heats up after a few seconds, it is decomposing properly.
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Apply your compost liberally to your garden to enhance microbial activity and ensure the health of your plants and vegetables. Finished compost has a pleasant earthy smell and looks like rich, dark soil. When your pile is unrecognizable as a pile of organic matter and resembles a pile of dirt, it's ready to use.
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Tips & Warnings
If your compost pile smells of ammonia, add more yard debris and fewer fresh kitchen scraps until the smell subsides.
If you live in a cold climate, insulate your compost pile with a tarp in the winter months to maintain decomposition through the winter.
Bad smelling compost is a result of anaerobic bacteria, which can carry pathogens into the soil that ruin your compost and make it potentially harmful to soil life and plants. Do not overwater, and turn your pile if these smells are emanating from your compost pile.
References
- Photo Credit Martin Poole/Digital Vision/Getty Images Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
