Backyard Composting

It seems like a long time and maybe I'm overdoing it but I've had 6 month old compost be just not quite long enough - still some bigger pieces of material which were obvious to what it could be.

This is where the multiple heaps come into play, though. Before fall I'm going to get another large heap built. The one that was built last month won't be ready until next summer but that's fine providing I keep the heap rotation going Since it won't be ready by fall it's no big deal to just turn it once a month until then and by the end of November I'll just stop and let it sit all winter. It'll still keep breaking down, even slowly, all winter and then next summer it'll be completely mature & ready for use after screening. I've done plenty of runs directly into the compost - the leaf mold "kind of" works as a replacement for sphagnum peat and just works great. The single only cost at that point would be the one $15.00 bag of alfalfa I mixed in, although I may mix a few basic amendments into it next spring when I screen it; then I'll let it sit for another month or two and then it'll be completely ready for use as a "potting soil". Ideally by June of next year I'll have more than enough fall leaves, horse manure from the winter collected, new comfrey harvested and a third heap will be built and the rotation continues. So the year can be a long time but as long as a few (large) heaps a year are built that "1 year" point is kind of moot once the rotation is well under way.

Back to the manure. I initially thought somebody - whoever, was telling LLB that "no, you shouldn't use manure" and my initial reaction was "I use a lot of manure and my results are excellent". I CAN see fresh manure (any manure) causing issues - for sure. I can also see immature compost causing issues. There's no doubt about that.

I don't know the science behind issues arising from using immature compost but I've seen it myself when I tried using compost a few months after I made a specific thermal heap. Even though the compost had gone through its stages, I had screened it, nothing was really distinguishable any more and it "looked" ready - it just wasn't mature. My leaves were kind of lime (unhealthy) green with darker veins - symptoms similar to over watering or cold medium. By the time the plants finished they had kind of grown out of it but I know the compost was the culprit and I did not get the harvest I should have nor was it the quality I've grown used to. I never ran into the problems with the longer maturing material.

If I remember correctly, Coot had mentioned humic acids stabilizing. I can also see pH fluctuating too much with immature material.

I wonder how long the larger commercial compost manufacturers allow for maturity. I'd almost bet it isn't a full year but I also bet that their gigantic heaps mature ALOT quicker than my relatively much much smaller heaps. It's also a lot easier to be turning those giant compost windrows much more often with the big compost machines they use.

J

 

First, this is just my opinion -

Once a compost heap is built I don't like to keep adding materials to it. When you keep adding new materials to an existing heap you're basically starting over every time you add new items. Instead, start collecting materials for a second heap, or a third as the case may be.

Your heap does not need to stay at a high temperature to continue to break down. Yes, it will rise in temperature once constructed with a reasonable C:N ratio but once it starts to cool down a few weeks later let it and just continue to turn it occasionally and be (very) patient. Get another heap going instead.

At least this is how I go about it.

J

 

If there's one truth on this planet, it is that you cannot screw up compost lol - so no worries. It will simply take longer but since you're not planning on using until next summer (which is very good) you should be just fine. Just keep turning it here and there and keep it moist - not wet. I honestly don't wet my heaps but the one time when I construct them. They usually hold plenty of moisture providing they're large enough.

My point above being that every time you add new material, that material takes just as long to break down as the rest of the heap did - dig? By simply saving your new material in a separate plié until you've got enough for a second heap allows the first heap to all break down at a consistent rate.

It wouldn't hurt anything to cover the heap with a small tarp over the winter. Compost can leach nutrients. I don't myself but it sure wouldn't hurt anything.

I also like screening mine once it's close to being mature so that particle size is consistent. A 3'x3' 2x4 or 2x6 frame with 1/2" hardware cloth stretched and nailed over it works really well for me. A really nice way to go about it is to add some of the soil amendments a month or so before use that you would normally add directly to your soil mix...

J