Cold Composting and Composting: 2 Distinct Types of Organic Compost

Compost has been forever recognized as the most important addition to the organic garden. The addition of compost to the garden has been shown to increase organic yields, fix nutrient deficiencies, maintain ideal soil moisture, and improve soil structure. Compost is a humus-rich material formed by the breakdown of organic materials. Not all composts are the same, and there are different ways of making compost with differing results.

The first and most widely used method of composting is called hot composting. This method involves creating a mound of material in a 30:1 ratio of carbon to nitrogen. This is the typical compost pile that contains leaves, sawdust, shredded paper, vegetable scraps, eggshells, or any other material containing nitrogen and carbon that will be broken down by thermophilic bacteria.

In hot composting, a starter is usually added to the pile in the form of garden soil or some other inoculant containing bacteria that will break down the pile. As the bacterial populations grow the pile heats up and organic materials begin to break down. This form of composting is the easiest and fastest method to obtain finished compost.

The other advantage that hot composting has is its ability to kill weed seeds when the pile gets over 140 degrees. The disadvantage to this form of composting is that the pile will sometimes get so hot that it sterilizes the pile to the point that it kills off some of the beneficial fungi.

The second method of composting is called vermicomposting. This form of composting utilizes the gut of composting worms to break down organic materials at a much cooler temperature. As the worms break down the organics, they secrete mucus and calcium over their humus rich castings, creating vermicast.

Vermicast is an ideal fertilizer as it contains more phosphorus and potassium than compost created in the hot composting method. The disadvantage to this method is that it takes longer to obtain finished compost and since it is done at a low temperature, weed seeds aren't killed off as they would be in the hot composting method.

Neither of these methods are a complete method but both are beneficial to the organic gardener. My advice to you is to use a combination of both of these methods. Vermicast and traditional compost both provide advantages that can help give your garden a complete nutritional profile.