How Compost Works

Recyclable organic material makes up 30% of our waste. Recycling your yard waste and food scraps reduces the amount of garbage you generate. The yard and food waste make up 30% of our waste. Composting helps divert that waste from the landfill, waterways and water treatment facilities. Plus, compost is the key to a great garden. Beginning your own compost pile guarantees a free, regular supply of good soil. Watching food, grass and leaves slowly turn in to soil is captivating. Once you understand the process, compost effort could be one of the most interesting parts of gardening.

Oxygen, Moisture, Variety, Agitation - All are Helpful

* Dampness: You can gauge the moisture level of your compost pile by its fragrance. When you burrow around in a heap and don't smell the desired earthy fragrance, lack of wetness is usually the reason.

* Stirring or Turning: Rotating the pile is good, but not necessary. It assists in aeration and breaks down the organic matter for faster decomposition.

* Good Compost Ingredients:
Leaves, hay and other dead plant material
Fruit and vegetable trimmings
Herbicide-free grass clippings
Manure from horses, cattle, goats, poultry and rabbits
Paper or cardboard, torn into strips or hand-sized pieces

* Do NOT Add:
Meat scraps
Very fatty, sugary or salty foods
Chips or sawdust from treated wood
Clippings from herbicide-treated lawns
Manure from omnivorous animals (dogs, cats, humans, etc.)

Good compost makes plants resilient. Compost matures into what soil scientists call active organic matter, a dark, flaky soil, that's rich with micro-organisms and earthworms, as well as the useful waste these life-forms release. Adding compost to garden soil increases its water-holding capacity, and provides wonderful plant nutrients. Compost also contains matter that helps plants react well to challenges from insects and disease.

If you want the best compost, you want cured compost. This is mature compost that is set aside in a covered place where it can age for at 3-6 months. Microorganisms keep on working as the compost cures, including a special group of bacteria that produce compounds thought to "prime" plants to do a superior job of defending themselves from pests and diseases.

Good compost can be either hot or cold. Most people who meticulously manage their compost piles for a balance of ingredients are trying to produce hot compost, which heats up or "cooks" as the materials decompose. Hot compost is the fastest type of compost to produce, but it's not necessarily better than compost that rots slowly without heating up. High temperatures in the compost pile will make the compost decompose faster resulting in higher nitrogen level; however it will also have a lower level of beneficial microbes. The trade off is up to the gardeners preference.

Gardeners who compost is often discouraged as they try to learn the process conflicting sources are saying is correct. This is an understandable problem since there is so much material available about composting. Take heed: there is no absolute "right way" to do it. Even if you just put a bunch of organic yard/food waste in a pile it will eventually decompose and you will have compost.

The compost is ready to use when you can no longer tell what was in the pile. Keep the compost covered until you add it to your garden to prevent rain from leaching out nutrients.