Composting is a great way for gardeners to make their own soil additives and save money at the same time. Using your own compost can increase your harvest immensely. It can also cut down on disease in your gardens.
It is simple to compost and the benefits are immense. People often complain that they have to bring their materials out to the compost bin. However, they would need to walk the waste out to the trash can anyway! For many gardeners, compost piles are a necessity. Home compost assures the gardener that nothing has been added into their soil additive that they don’t want in their growing areas.
With a little bit of effort, your compost will make your garden incredible. If your pile isn’t yielding lush compost, see below for some common composting errors.
Oh! Can You Smell That Smell?
Compost piles should not be malodorous. If there is a stench emanating from the area, Houston, there is a problem. Many composters complain that their pile smells like rotten eggs. This is never a good sign. When this smell occurs, it means that the pile is being compressed and lacks proper circulation. Simply adding wood chips to the compost and turning it over with a shovel should do the trick.
Ammonia smells coming from the compost means that there is too much green matter in the bin. You can fix this by adding dead materials such as leaves, broken up branches or wood chips. Mix the compost with the brown material and the odor should clear up in a day or two.
Nothing’s Happening
If your compost pile is not degrading, something is wrong. Look carefully into the bin. If it is dry, you may need to add some water and turn the material to get it damp. Too much brown material can also impede composting. Adding green matter such as grass clippings, fruit or veggie scraps, coffee filters with the grounds, teabags, eggshells or the manure from herbivores and then giving the pile a good turning should help improve development.
Proper aeration of the compost is necessary for the matter to decompose properly and without odor. Turning the pile over frequently is an important part of the composting process.
The Edges Don’t Change
When the center of the pile seems to have changed but the edges do not, you need to start working. The outer edges can become dry and if that happens it means the pile requires moisture. Adding water and mixing it up will enhance decomposition. Be sure to do this regularly.
Pesky Pest Invasion
It is important to bury all food scraps in the middle of the compost pile. This will deter rodents. If you are having a problem with critters or wasps invading your compost area, it usually means the matter is too dry. Add water every few days and mix up the compost. Pests do not like moist compost and will leave it alone.
Heat Things Up
The optimum temperature for a compost pile is 110 to 170 degrees. Without this intense heat, the weed and grass seeds will not be destroyed and will regrow in your garden. The pile stays warmer in the middle so regular turning is necessary for adequate results. Adding nitrogen such as coffee grinds will increase the heat throughout the pile and promote quicker decomposition.
Want to learn more about composting?
Check out these sites:
Making and Using Compost from University of Missouri Extension
Backyard Composting from University of Maryland Extension
Can I compost year round..I like vedos on composting. I would like to learn about worms,and how to raise them.
Year round composting depends on temperature.
Worms & Composting: search “vermicomposting”
You mention adding grass clippings. I was told by our Master Gardner at the community garden not to add grass clippings since it can contain seeds of weeds along with the clippings. What is your take on this?
And I re-read the article and just noticed the Heat It Up section. Does this mean in cooler weather avoid grass clippings?
Adding grass clippings should be done with caution. Be sure that the lawn has not been treated with selective herbicides, insecticides or fungicides. These can really mess with the natural processes happening in compost.
As to using grass clippings during cooler weather, my lawn and garden produce much less green material in cooler weather. It has not been an issue.
I am always amused by discussions of so called ‘experts” and their opinions when it comes to composting telling others to “do this”, don’t do that, you shouldn’t do this or that”. I compost year round in the mid Atlantic. I use an aerated, three bin, composting system. I compost the manure and bedding from four horses, leaves, grass clippings, garden waste, and green waste generated in the kitchen. My method of composting kills all pathogens, parasites and weed seeds. (I know this because a microscope and the knowledge to do bio assays on the compost plus a litany of research tells me that it is true). I have often found Master Gardeners to be no more knowledgeable about subjects such as composting science, macro and micro bio activity and environmental requirements, than any other lay person. First, the absolute basis for a healthy garden is having healthy soil and one of the fastest ways of destroying the eco system that lives in several zones in your soil is by rototilling. Rototilling is a terribly destructive way to start a garden. It’s also a great way to bring weed seeds that can withstand several centuries to the top of your garden. I was one of those, who every spring began by rototilling my garden patch not realizing how I was totally annihilating the ecosystem that lives in that top six to ten inches of soil. If you are rototilling—stop doing it! Read “Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web” , Jeff Lowenfels. Second, there is no substitute for aerated static pile composting. There are lots of useless devices, rotary drums that you turn daily, wire mesh composting bins, wood working plans for building composting bins all sold through a variety of garden retail outlets and at the end of the day they mostly separate you from your money and the junk they sell usually ends up hidden behind the garage or in the trash. If you think throwing a variety of organic compostable material into a pile and leaving it alone will yield suitable compost then you are kidding yourself. Google a company called “02 Composting” and investigate the process, methods and equipment of “Aerated Static Pile” composting. (I have no financial association with 02-nor am I an employee). I do have, as a geologist/engineer (married to a micro-biochemist) experience at designing-building large scale municipal composting systems; and as a gardener with 35+ years of gardening, I have learned a thing or two along the way.
Jim,
I’d love to have specifics about your method…someone gave me a barrel composter…nothing is composting… its a pain to turn and..the water drains out of the bottom..??? ug..
any help making it easy..
Nice to know thank you
I always love to see my composting as layered. And it works fine. When I say layered composting
add all scraps (green material, brown material, food scraps etc) as one layer. add ground soil as next layer (Sometime I include already prepared compost along with this soil). Repeat this for 2 to 3 layers and close the lid. As and when require, water the bin. I usually keep it for 4 to 6 months without mixing and stirring the compost soil.
As people usually say don’t use spoiled milk, oils, pickles etc, but I never followed that approach. I use whatever kitchen waste I have goes directly to bin.
Finally I am seeing that I get very good compost.