When I was young I used to wonder about the compost piles my mother maintained off to one side of our property. She kept two piles that were next to each other: into one pile we constantly added certain table-scraps and lawn/garden debris, while the other contained the broken-down scraps from last year, or mature compost. A set-up like this allowed us to have a substantial amount of fresh compost to spread on the gardens each season. I remember spending a lot of time down by the compost digging for worms — the warm organic material proved to be a haven for earthworms, and nearby trout streams had me visiting the piles frequently with spade in hand.
Of course, some people have a compost and some people do not. That right there tells you it isn’t mandatory to have one in order to harvest big juicy vegetables in the fall. But here’s the thing: composting is easy, cost effective, and rewarding to both plants and soil. So why not throw all your lawn trimmings and veggie scraps into an outside pile to be used later? After all, the final product of compost is humus, which is a vital ingredient in the world’s best soils.
As you’ve probably learned before, decomposers like fungi and bacteria work hard at the scraps you throw in the pile. As they eat, they break down the organic material into nutrients that can later be absorbed by a plant. The trick to keeping a successful compost pile is creating the conditions at which these decomposers can thrive; by doing so, your table scraps break down faster and you’ll be able to use the rich compost sooner.
So how do you successfully maintain a compost? Keep the following things in mind:
Moisture – Decomposers give off a considerable amount of heat as they work, and as a result, water evaporates from the pile. Without moisture the decomposers can’t do their job, so spraying your pile is important when you notice it becoming dry, especially on hot days. A good moisture content also deters rodent infestation and ant populations.
Air – Decomposers can not survive without oxygen. In order to keep an adequate amount of air in your pile, flip it periodically (a couple times a month) with a pitch fork.
Alkalinity – As the decomposers work they eventually create an environment that is too acidic for optimum performance. In order to bring the pile back to a more suitable pH, growers can sprinkle on a small handful of lime between layers of organic material.
Nitrogen – Decomposers use a generous amount of nitrogen in order to do their job. Periodically supplying a nitrogen-fertilizer helps fuel these microorganisms and hastens the decomposition process.
Remember, start your compost on bare ground or wire mesh/chicken wire; you want your pile to breathe, leech moisture, and warm/cool with the earth. Also, valuable decomposers already in the ground will access the fresh material easier without a barricade in the way. The overall design of your compost pile is not terribly important, as long as you can provide the conditions listed above for the decomposers. Spend some time exploring different designs and pick one that compliments your yard and agrees with your budget.
Lastly, a couple troubleshooting tips: Do not compost meat or dairy, and do not add feces from anything but a herbivore. If your pile is too stinky, or attracts rodents and scavengers, add high-carbon materials, or “brown” items, such as dead leaves or wood chips. Make sure to cover anything that animals might find particularly interesting. If your pile is not giving off much heat and seems to be breaking down slowly, add nitrogen-rich “green” items like grass trimmings and table scraps.
For more information on advanced composting, research “carbon-to-nitrogen ratio” in order to understand the benefits of a compost pile balanced with the right amount of carbon and the right amount of nitrogen—this becomes especially important with large-scale compost piles that deal with less diverse ingredients.
Compost can be added in the fall or spring time as a soil conditioner or during the planting season as a fertilizer, mulch, or conditioner. Happy planting!
Sam…thanks for the tips. My compost is slow to” mature”. So, maybe I need to pay more attention to details. Thanks.
We compost our table scraps and yard materials year round. Would dumping last year’s failed dill pickles into our pile be detrimental? Vinegar and salt do tend to kill bacteria, but I hate to waste anything that can be composted.
Thank you Marge – If you’re compost is maturing a little slow, don’t forget to spray the pile periodically and add plenty of grass clippings and other green items.
Julie – As long as you have a good sized compost (and not a ridiculous amount of bad pickles that you are adding) then you should go ahead and throw them in. I wouldn’t add them to a compost that I was in any rush to use, this way plenty of rain can leech away the excess salt before it is introduced to a garden. As for the vinegar in the mixture, it should be all right in the compost, (especially if it’s apple cider vinegar!), though again, the amount of pickles/vinegar in relation to the size of the compost is important–too much vinegar from the mixture might discourage the hard-working decomposers if your pile is too small. Personally, I’d drain the brine if anything but apple cider vinegar was used in order to avoid the possibility of bringing the pH too low, mostly a risk vs. reward kind of thing. (Apple cider vinegar is LOADED with trace elements, minerals, and vitamins so it would be a worthy addition to your compost in the right doses). If you do add the brine, I would simply avoid adding it all at one time. Great question!
Sam, I have 3 compost piles going, each spaced a year apart. I deposit vegetable scraps and coffee grounds in the compost all year round. The compost I’m using now is three years old and once that space is empty I will turn over my 2 year compost there. About the pickle recycling, I’ve read that cooked foods attract rodents so I stay away from that. This year I want to buy a dark tarp to drape over the 3 piles so weeds don’t grow and eat up nutrients, but like you were saying they will need moisture. I find your technical info (nitrogen, alkalinity, etc.) very helpful. Great pictures.
I enjoyed reading your article, Sam. It contains a lot of great information and the pictures have definitely sparked my interest to get out working in the garden this spring! I look forward to your next article.