There are certain tried and true procedures for good compost making. It's more than just throwing anything into a pile and expecting to get good results! What you'll end up with a mucky mess or a dried out pile infested with ants or other pests. Here are some time proven tips:
1. It's OK to compost poisonous plants, such as rhubarb, yew, or poison oak, etc., because the heat during compost making will break down all the toxins. If you have some poisonous plants that need disposed of, don't burn them! The smoke will get in your lungs and can cause all sorts of problems. Just put them in our compost pile.
2. To have successful compost, you need a mix of green materials, such as grass clippings, kitchen refuse, cow and chicken manure, and sturdier brown materials, such as twigs, cardboard, paper, plant trimmings. The larger pieces keep the pile from matting down and turning to goo. After your compost is finished, if you still have some twigs or other bigger pieces, you can sift them out and put them in your next batch.
3. Don't add diseased plant material to your compost heap.
4. Don't compost dog feces or cat litter boxes, cooked food, fats, or disposable baby diapers. Cow and horse manure, poultry manure and the bedding in your barns is great for compost making.
5. It's necessary to keep the pile moist, but not overly wet or it won't get enough oxygen (aerobic) and than will be considered an anaerobic (without oxygen) pile. Anaerobic piles take much longer to decompose.
6. Whatever method of compost making you use, the pile must be turned or rotated frequently. This properly aerates the pile and speeds up the decomposition process.
7. Keep a compost crock or compost pail in your kitchen so you have an easy way to transport your kitchen refuse to the compost pile. Both come with filters to control odor.
8. If you don't generate enough materials, get leavings from canneries, or all that produce they toss out at Farmer's Markets, ask you neighbors for their lawn cuttings, get barn sweepings from farmers, or ask if you can go out in their pastures and collect "cow pies." You are only limited by your own imagination and resourcefulness.
Here are some different methods of compost making:
You can have a successful compost pile using just a pitchfork. All you need to do is keep the pile together and turn it frequently. Don't let the edges get too dry, or the top get too wet. You might have a problem with rats, ants, and other pests with an unprotected, uncontained pile.
The use of a compost bin protects your pile from pests and helps keep the moisture even. There are many available for purchase; however, these are simple to build with wooden stakes, wood pallets, chicken wire, wire mesh or a host of other materials.
The use of compost tumblers is the easiest. There are several varieties available from drum shapes you roll on the ground to elaborate crank operated systems. Some come with internal baffles to help the compost materials aerate better. You either roll the drum around the yard or turn a handle or crank to aerate your compost. No need to use a pitchfork.
Here's another suggestion - in the Autumn when there is a surplus of leaves, it is a better idea to put them in a black plastic sack and make leafmold. The process will take about a year or so and definitely be good for your garden.
The time it takes for your compost to finish varies depending on the materials you've included, the time of year, and the type of compost making method you have chosen. When it is finished, you will have something very good for your garden, and it was all from free materials that you saved from the landfill.
