CARING FOR COMPOST-
Once you have a foot or so of mixed green and brown stuff in your
bin, the material will start to compost. You will know this is happening
when the pile starts to heat up and eventually shrink. You can continue
to add layers of new materials on top, or you can mix the new materials
right into the pile (remember the half-brown, half-green rule) as
you get them.
Your compost pile needs to stay moist, not dry or soggy, to work.
In dry climates you will need to add water as needed. You may also
want to line your bin with plastic to reduce moisture loss. In rainy
climates you will need to cover your pile to keep the rain off it.
A sheet of plastic or a hinged plywood lid will do the job.
Compost produces its own heat, but in freezing weather it may
lose heat faster than it can make it. Cover your pile with clear
plastic to help collect and hold the sun's heat. You can also insulate
the sides and top of your bin with bales of straw or sheets of rigid
insulation to keep it cooking through the winter. Or you can let
it freeze and wait for spring to start it going again.
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Once your bin is full you have two management choices: the slow
and easy way or the faster, hands-on way.
The Easy Way-
Once your bin is full, just let it be and you'll have ready-to-use
compost in a year or so. If your bin is movable, you can take the
bin off the pile and let the pile slowly decompose where it is.
The Faster Way-
You can have ready-to-use compost in as little as 1 to 6 months
(depending on what you started with and how warm or cold the weather
is). Each time you turn and mix the decomposing materials in your
bin, you speed up the process. Here are two ways to mix your compost
pile:
-
Compost tool: A compost
tool looks like a cane with two little wings at the bottom end.
When you push the tool into the pile the little wings the wings
stand out sideways and pull bits of the pile with them. Push
in and pull out all over the pile and the compost gets mixed
and loosened.
-
Fork: Use a garden fork
or pitchfork and move the pile from one bin into another. As
you turn, put the dryer outside material into the center of
the new pile. Mix or turn your pile every two or three weeks
until it is reduced in size and a uniform crumbly dark brown.
USING YOUR FINISHED COMPOST-
Compost is a wonderful soil and plant food. You can work it into
the top few inches of the soil or use it as a surface mulch. Either
way, it will improve your soil texture and add a slow-release source
of plant nutrients. Compost, once mixed into your soil, also attracts
worms. The worms in your garden aerate the soil and help break down
organic matter.
Your finished compost may have some
large, woody chunks that have not broken down, These will not hurt
your garden, but if you don't like how they look or want to use
a spreader to apply it, you can screen them out. To make a serviceable
screen, staple 1/4-inch hardware cloth to a wooden frame. Toss the
larger bits back into the new pile for another cycle.
Store compost until you need it in
covered cans or by covering the finished pile with plastic to keep
off the rain.
In Your Vegetable Garden-
One to three inches of compost makes a perfect pre-planting fertilizer
for all vegetable crops. Just spread it over your planting bed or
row and work it into the top few inches of soil.
In Your Garden Beds-
Compost is a great slow-release fertilizer and top dressing
for your flowers, shrubs, and trees. It also makes a very attractive
weed-suppressing mulch. Spread an inch of compost under your ornamentals
once or twice a year.
On Your Lawn-
Compost is good food for your lawn and will help reduce watering
and disease problems. Spread a scant 1/2-inch layer of compost over
your lawn in early spring and again in fall.
