Compost Pile Tips
A successful compost pile heats up as the materials decompose, which helps speed up the composting process and helps your compost mature more quickly. The methods you use to build and manage your pile directly impact the speed at which it matures. A well-built and maintained pile takes little time to manage once it's constructed. Does this Spark an idea?
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Contain the Pile
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While not necessary, a compost bin helps contain your pile so it doesn't take over too much space in your yard. Bins also prevent animal pests from invading your pile, which is especially important if you compost kitchen scraps. Bins don't need to be expensive or difficult to build. Construct a simple wire mesh enclosure from poultry wire or use four wood pallets to make a box for holding the compost. If you choose not to use a bin or containment unit, help mark out the compost area by creating a base of chopped brush. Place composting materials only on the base. The base has the added benefit of allowing air circulation underneath the compost pile, which helps speed the process.
Choosing Materials
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An ideal compost pile has a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 30 to one. The amount of carbon and nitrogen in the composting materials varies, which makes figuring the proper ratio difficult, but you don't need to get the ratio perfect for your pile to compost successfully. Grass clippings and dead leaves make up the bulk of most compost piles. Equal amounts of both grass and dead leaves provides a ratio close enough to 30:1 for the pile to work properly. Remember that brown waste, like leaves, provides carbon while green waste, like clippings, provides nitrogen. Strive to keep the amounts of brown and green equal and your pile should heat up and break down quickly.
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Moisture Concerns
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A dry pile doesn't heat up or break down, but an overly wet pile also doesn't decompose properly. Feel your compost every few weeks, and more often during the heat of summer, to determine the moisture level. Properly moistened compost feels as wet as a wrung-out sponge. If the pile is too dry, water it with a garden hose. Add dry materials to an overly wet pile. Form the pile so it has a slight depression on top to help route water into the center of the pile. If your area is experiencing heavy rain or snow fall, cover the pile with a tarp to prevent it from becoming too moist.
Management Practices
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Once your pile is built, you can leave it alone and it will eventually turn into compost, though the process may take as long as a year. By turning your compost regularly, you keep the materials evenly mixed so they all heat up and decompose at the same rate. Turning every two weeks can speed up the pile so it turns to compost in as little as four to six months. Turning weekly can produce finished compost in as little as two to three months. When you turn the pile, move the materials on the outside into the center and the materials in the center to the outside. Once the materials are completely decomposed and the compost resembles a dark brown to black soil-like substance, your compost is ready to use.
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