How Will Your Garden Grow? Creating a Compost Pile

Chances are, if you live near a farm, or have an avid gardener in your neighborhood; you've seen and smelled various compost piles. Compost is a material that is produced through the breakdown of organic material to produce a nutrient rich fertilizer without the harsher chemicals found in commercial preparation. While a compost pile can give your garden the extra boost it needs, creating a compost pile can take a bit of work. If you're interested in creating a composite pile, here are some helpful hints to get you started.

Make a Container

One of the most essential parts of a compost pile is the container that it is kept in. The purpose of this container is to hold the material in while still allowing easy access and air circulation. There are a few different kinds of containers available, ranging from chicken wire around a few wooden posts to a 55 gallon steel drum with holes in it. The cost can range in price from under $50 to over $200. With this range of possible containers, however, I've found the best for me is the simplest. By taking six wooden stakes, and attaching the chicken wire around them to create a fenced in enclosure, you'll have easy access to your compost material, and the air can easily circulate. Of course, one of the drawbacks to this type of container is the appearance. I'm sure everyone has seen how much of an eyesore a compost container like this can turn into over time. So, if appearances are a factor where you live, such as a suburban neighborhood, consider getting a commercially made plastic compost bin. These little contraptions look a lot like larger garbage cans and can be wheeled out of sight if necessary. They do cost a bit more that the simpler chicken wire container, but some people consider it worth the extra cost.

Quality Material Produces Quality Compost

Of course, how you contain your compost isn't nearly as important as what goes in your compost pile. Despite what people may think, a compost pile is not created by simply throwing food and organic waste into a pile and letting it ferment until you have the rich, black, crumbly material we know so well. A compost pile is in fact, a highly evolved chemical and biological system that requires frequent monitoring, the right ingredients, and the right amount of time. Luckily, if you start off on the right foot, maintaining a quality compost pile isn't difficult at all.

To get the necessary nutrients that a compost pile can give you, you have to start off with the right mixture of ingredients. In most cases, you want the compost pile to have a mixture of "green" material and "brown" material at a ratio of 1 to 3. "Greens" are materials that have a high nitrogen content such as grass clippings, freshly pulled weeds, fresh manure, and vegetables from last nights dinner. "Browns" are material that has high carbon content, such as sticks, dried leaves, and sawdust and wood chips. By keeping this general ratio, your compost pile will ferment relatively fast, and the smell normally associated with a compost pile will be minimal.

Maintaining the Health of Your Compost Pile

Like anything else in your garden, the compost pile does have a life to it. This biological part of the process is comprised of millions of bacteria and other microscopic organisms that are constantly breaking down the "green" and "brown" material you provide. Every once in a while, the compost pile needs an extra boost, much like the Vitamin C or Zinc that a person takes during cold and flu season. One of the best "boosters" for you compost pile is to mix together this following recipe and apply on an as needed basis:

1/2 can of beer

1/2 can of regular cola (not diet)

1/2 cup of liquid dish soap

Mix these into the 20 gallon container of your end hose sprayer and apply to the compost pile generously. The ingredients provided allow for the nitrogen in the material to be more easily accessed by the microorganisms and thereby speeding up the process of creating compost.

Mix it Up

Perhaps one of the most important ways to help your compost pile reach the end point of being rich in trace elements and nutrients is to make sure that every portion of it has adequate exposure to the air. Without proper air circulation, the bacteria can't break down the "green" material and you'll have a pile of stuff that smells like it should make a one way trip to the sewage treatment plant. The easiest way to accomplish this task is to take a pitchfork, spade or shovel to the pile and mix it up every time you're out working in the yard.

Patience is a Virtue in Gardening

Remember, this isn't a quick process. Using natural means to create your own compost pile is going to take a good bit of time. How much time depends on a number of factors including weather, the material you are using, even the amount of material you have. Time from initial set up to usable compost material can range anywhere from a few weeks to about 4 to 6 months. The easiest way to tell if the material is ready for use is to look at it. If it is dark, crumbles easily in your hand, and does not resemble the original material too closely, it's ready to go.