How to Use a Front End Loader to Make Compost
The secret to good compost is aeration. Without oxygen, the organisms that break down waste into compost cannot survive and thrive. Small compost heaps can be turned by hand using a shovel or pitchfork, but this becomes impractical as the volume of compost grows. A front end loader allows you to move much heavier loads than you can move by hand, so aerating a large compost pile can be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time without straining yourself. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Front end loader
- Cattle or hog panels
- Wire
- Water source
- Carbonaceous material
- Nitrogenous material
- Soil or sod
Instructions
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Construct a three-sided enclosure. Make it at least a few inches wider than the width of your front end loader. Welded wire cattle or hog panels wired together at the corners work well for this. The enclosure should be close to a water source, but not in an area prone to standing water or runoff.
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Scoop up a load of low-nitrogen, carbonaceous organic material in the front end loader. Use sawdust, leaves or straw. Dump it in your enclosure to make a layer about 8-inches deep. Tip the lip of the front end loader down and use it to smooth the layer to an even depth. Add water to moisten the layer, but not soak it.
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3
Scoop up a smaller load of high-nitrogen material. Use animal manure, vegetable wastes or fresh grass clippings in the front end loader. Dump it on top of the first layer. Smooth the layer to an even depth of 2 inches, and add water to moisten the layer if it's dry.
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Scoop up an even smaller load of dirt or sod. Dump it on top of the compost pile and smooth it to an even depth of about 1 inch. Add water to moisten the layer.
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Repeat the layering until the pile is at least 3-feet high. This is the minimum height for active heating to begin as microorganisms start to multiply rapidly and break down the materials in the pile. Initial heating will take about a week in hot weather and up to a month in cool weather.
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Remove the wire panels after the pile begins to heat well. The pile needs to reach an internal temperature of at least 110 degrees F to remove the wire panels and reassemble them nearby. Use the front end loader to scoop up the developing compost and drop it by bucket loads into the new enclosure, mixing and aerating it. If it seems dry, spray water on it to moisten it.
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Repeat the turning and mixing process every couple of weeks. The compost should become crumbly and dark brown, with a smell like freshly turned earth. In hot weather, this may be as soon as six weeks after the pile is constructed. In cold weather, it will take several months.
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Tips & Warnings
If the pile is very large, use the front end loader to load it into a manure spreader instead of dumping it directly in a new enclosure, then spread it in a long windrow to mix and aerate it.
Animal wastes like meat, bones and offal can be composted, but they take a long time to decompose fully. The resulting compost is not recommended for use around plants that produce food for human consumption.
