How to Make Your Own Compost
(Page 3 of 3)
May/June 2002
By Rosemerry Wahtola Tommer
And where to keep the compost pile? Use common sense. “You’re trying to attract bugs that eat old wood, so don’t put the pile near your house, fence, or other wood structure,” Tynes says. Put the pile somewhere near a water source. If you live in a dry climate, put it in the shade. If yours is a damp climate, make sure the pile gets sunshine.
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Now what?
Opinions vary greatly on when to spread compost—from “just use it when you need it” to “wait a year after you think the process is done.” Again, use common sense.
Harrison belongs to the use-it-when-you-need-it camp. “Stop adding new material for awhile, and it’ll get static,” he says. “But you may need to put it through a sieve and strain it.” One potential drawback to this approach—especially if food is used—is that when compost isn’t done, it will attract bugs to wherever it’s spread. If you see bugs crawling in your pile, it isn’t ready.
Be conservative when the compost will be used for a vegetable or herb garden. “The theory is that the heat of a pile will kill pathogens,” Tynes says, “but a lot of people aren’t as good at tending their compost as they plan to be.” A potential problem may be grass that might have been treated with ant poison or weed killers. “You can put compost made with that back onto your lawn,” she says, “but be careful with compost that goes around edible plants.”
To apply finished compost to a lawn, broadcast it about a quarter-inch deep. You can also use it for potted plants, one part compost to two parts soil.
Taking the next step
Once you’ve mastered the leaf and grass pile, there are many ways to make composting more interesting. You can buy thermometers to measure the heat and indicate the best times to turn it. You can buy special sieves for your finished product. You can start adding food, newspaper, manure, even stale beer. There is an abundance of very specific information available on how to improve the composting process—from monitoring pH levels to exact calculations of carbon-nitrogen ratios.
Just remember that no matter what, compost happens. Stinky garbage will become sweet-smelling soil. As Tynes says, “The more you work with compost, the more you understand the brilliance of the plan.”
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