Compost Secrets

FINISHED COMPOST in just 3 WEEKS!  

It's about the time of year again when the fresh air and earthy smells get you inspired to grow your own vegetables and perhaps even recycle your scraps into compost.  If you've never experienced this feeling or never tried either of the aforementioned activities, then you are missing out on a great life experience.  I have been doing my own garden now for about 13 years, and my advanced experience ranges from conventional gardening to hydroponics to composting to soil amending to selling my produce and plants.  I would like to reveal my secrets to all of you about how to get finished compost in just 3 WEEKS rather than an entire year.  With the following 7 easy steps, I am turning out 30 gallons of fresh, organic compost every month, and I'm having to GIVE it away to friends.  I pick up bags of leaves from neighbors' curbs, and the local Starbucks just gives away bags of used coffee grounds. 

1.  Your pile should be a minimum of 3' x 3' x 3'. 

2.  Use a bin made of chicken wire or preferably one of those black plastic bins you can buy at the store.  Those bins absorb the suns rays and help trap in heat and moisture to speed up the breakdown process.  I have 1 black plastic bin and one chicken wire bin.  If using a chicken wire bin, be sure to cover the pile with a tarp to keep in moisture and prevent the nutrients from being leached away. 

3.  Layer your pile like so: carbon, nitrogen, carbon, nitrogen, carbon.  Carbon being dead, brown materials such as dead leaves/grass, cardboard, paper, etc.  Nitrogen being green organic material that will decompose such as green leaves/grass, vegetable/fruit scraps, used coffee grounds.  (Just no meat, fats, or oils)


4.  Keep your pile moist but not soaked.  If you grab a handful and squeeze, it should maintain the mold of your hand without water coming out of it.  If it doesn't take mold, it's too dry.

5.  The biggest secret: turn your pile twice a week.  Most people might turn their piles maybe once a month or none at all.  The good bacteria in the pile will die off with lack of oxygen, but turning your pile will renew the oxygen throughout the pile.  Personally, I keep 2 separate bins.  I just shovel the entire pile into the 2nd bin, which ensures everything is properly aerated.  It's a lot of work (good exercise), and the center of the pile is usually pretty warm which will further your sweating, but it's great exercise.

6.  If you did everything right, by the 2nd week, most of the material will be no longer recognizable, and as you continue to turn the pile, you will smell fresh, rich earth.

7.  By the end of the 3rd week, most of  your pile should be ready to shovel out into buckets, bags, or your garden.  The remaining parts can be left in your bin.  They contain good bacteria that will speed up the next pile, so leave them in there as you start over at step one.  Happy gardening!

Hydroponics - The Basic Idea

As an introductory lesson in hydroponics, I'd like to just cover the basic ideas and win you over to the concept.  It's simple and easy to learn and do!                                                                                                             

The topic of hydroponics would take a library to cover in full, but I will discuss some of the basics here so that you can get a better understanding. You will find it to be intriguing and fascinating as you learn that plants really do not have to have soil in which to grow. In essence, soil serves only two main purposes: (1) to nourish and (2) to support the structure of the roots. Both of these can be provided without the mess by taking advantage of hydroponics. Many people do not realize that roots need oxygen just like humans do. When the roots are buried in thick and compressed dirt or clay, the roots get very little to no oxygen. Hydroponics will often times produce a larger and more supple crop because it allows a much better airflow as well as a perfect balance of nutrients. The better exposure to oxygen virtually eliminates the chance of fungus and thus the need for fungicides. Because most hydroponic systems are used indoors (or in a greenhouse), most pests are non-existent as well. The end result is a crop that never had to be exposed to any chemicals of any kind, which leads to healthier plants and fresh organic produce. In the next post, we will take a look at how it all works.