Make your own compost
Soil, compost, fertility
No Dig Gardening

Fraser Sherrard by email, 2 July 2018:

‘At 67 years old I tried the no dig approach, spreading my own compost made last summer. Using row cover (fleece) here in Zone 5b, New Brunswick in Canada, we were eating salad in mid to late May, well before our normal planting time. The sheer abundance of produce, reduction in pests, and health of the plants is amazing; I am working less and enjoying more, thank you.’

Making compost is a fascinating hobby, and if you have never tried it do have a go. You will convert wastes into value, perhaps enjoying the process as much as the result.

Compost varies enormously, and homemade compost is the most variable and interesting. Every batch is different, thanks to seasonally-changing ingredients and conditions. An added bonus is the range of local microbes in homemade compost, fantastic for human as well as garden health.

8. Charles adding material to his heap after trimming vegetables
Adding material to the compost heap, after trimming vegetables
1a. Profile of a compost heap where the bottom layer is 22 days old
The profile of a compost heap, where the bottom layer is 22 days old
1. A barrow-load of ripe compost, forked not sieved and 8-12 months old
A barrow-load of ripe compost, forked not sieved, and 8–12 months old

Why make compost?

Wouldn’t it be easier simply to lay undecomposed matter on the surface? This is called chop and drop, and in dry climates it may be the best course to take.

However, in damp climates undecomposed waste on the surface results in slugs. And decomposition is quicker in heaps, which are more than just ‘decaying material’. Well made heaps convert waste matter quickly and tidily into stable organic matter, or humus.

This is the Wikipedia definition of humus:

‘Fully humified humus has a uniformly dark, spongy, and jelly-like appearance. It has no determinate shape, structure, or quality. However, when examined under a microscope, humus may reveal tiny plant, animal, or microbial remains that have been mechanically, but not chemically, degraded. This suggests an ambiguous boundary between humus and soil organic matter. While distinct, humus is an integral part of soil organic matter.’

Albert Howard, who pioneered new ways of compost making in 1920s India, found that heaps could contain more nutrients than were in the materials added.

Compost & Compost Tea
Organic matter
Moisture levels
Compost ingredients – green and brown
Good to compost
Diseased materials are fine to add
Temperature – does a heap need to be hot?
Choice of bin: solid or open?
Homeacres 7 bays
Building a heap
When to stop adding more material
Turning compost: is it necessary?
Finished compost
Variations
Step 15
Step 15
Close

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