How to Make Compost: Nature’s Gold
Tilling is a widely practiced agricultural method for preparing soil for seed planting. What we now know is that annual tilling, in the long run, reduces microbe and fungal activity in the soil, kills worms and wildlife, and destroys our precious topsoil. Tilling may help the plants of this season grow and thrive, however, next year’s plants will require more fertilizer and inputs to grow the same amount as this year’s. If every year tilling occurs, then every year the amount of inputs required for plant growth will increase. This causes a vicious cycle where we are flooding the soil with inputs to grow our crops, rather than working with it and using what already exists in nature.
The easiest and simplest composting method is a cold compost pile.
Without tilling though, how can you prepare your garden for planting? My tried and true method is mulch, mulch, and more mulch! Mulch is an umbrella term for any substance that you place on top of the soil to protect and feed the dirt beneath. Mulch can be wood chips, dead leaves, compost, and many other different materials. It can also be things like plastic sheets and landscape fabric, although I do not recommend using inorganic mulches, especially plastic ones, as certain plastics can leach microplastics and other substances into the soil.
Thick layers of mulch reduce the amount of weeds growing by depriving them of sunlight. Additionally, the mulch will lead to softer, loamier garden soil in the future. Softer soil is easier to weed, and any weeds that do sprout can be yanked out and thrown on top of the mulch. Weeds that grow then become a part of the soil, and they feed the plants you do want to grow. Some weeds are terribly resilient, so I recommend chopping the roots off of them before throwing them into the soil. If you are weeding during the summer months, the hot sun should bake these weeds and help them decay.
Compost
One of the best mulches to use for vegetable garden preparation is compost. Compost is nutrient-dense, porous, and absorbent. It protects the microbes in the soil, feeds them, and provides a comfy little home for any transplants into the garden. Compost is like the gardener’s version of the topsoil in a protected forest. When trees lose their leaves, and plants die, all of that plant matter decays into a compost-like substance. The green, fresh plant matter is digested by bacteria, and dry, brown plant matter is consumed by fungi. Fungi and bacteria work together to create humus, the final product. Humus is like finished compost. When the bacteria, fungi, and microbes have digested all the dead material that is available, they leave an end product that is rich, black, and crumbly.
Now, you may be thinking what does humus have to do with compost? Well, compost and humus are almost identical. Compost is the gardener’s version of the forest’s humus, and whereas humus is considered mostly broken down into small particles, compost is a substance that still has materials in it that can be broken down further. That is why gardener’s compost will sometimes have whole eggshells, plant stems, and other decaying substances.
How to Make Compost
To make compost, first think of yourself as the forest and the compost as your topsoil. What will you add to your compost to make it the most nutritious, absorbent, and fertile compost ever? Follow these guidelines for compost success.
Site
Compost is alive! In order to foster the fungi, bacteria, and microbes necessary for compost success, place your compost site in an area that receives some shade. Glaring sun will harm the delicate ecosystem within the compost pile, so placing the pile in an area with dappled shade is best.
It is helpful to place the compost pile near a water source, as maintaining the moisture levels in compost is important for peak microbial activity. Having a hose or watering can nearby will allow you to add moisture to the pile on hot, dry days.
I choose to make a compost pile right on top of the soil. This allows creatures like worms, black soldier fly larvae, and soil microbes to enter the compost and accelerate the decomposition process. This method, the “pile method,” can sometimes draw rats and raccoons in areas where they are common. If this is a concern, a compost bin or tumbler is a good option.
Compost tumblers often take the shape of a bin with a turning handle that is situated above the ground. This ensures rats stay away from the compost, but it does so at the expense of introducing beneficial fungi and bacteria from the soil. Simply add some soil from your surrounding area into your compost tumbler to avoid this issue. Be sure to keep the tumbler moist and well turned, as a tumbler will require more water and maintenance than would a compost pile.
Materials
Just as a forest has a healthy mix of decaying green and brown plant matter, a compost pile will benefit from having a good balance of greens and browns. Greens are fresh plant matter and nitrogen-rich. Nature is clever with its design, as we see with green fleshy plants benefiting from decaying green plant matter. Greens feed greens.
In a similar way, browns feed browns. Decaying brown plant matter, like leaves and rotting wood, adds carbon to the soil. Woody plants require more carbon than green fleshy ones. By adding decaying carbon, you are creating a more hospitable environment for trees and shrubs. And so, we see that greens feed greens and browns feed browns. Adding both will allow both types of plants to survive in gardens where compost is added.
Greens and browns come in all shapes and sizes. Outside of the garden, your kitchen is the next biggest producer of green waste. Every peel, stem, and seed that is thrown out can be composted instead. Some other green examples are banana peels, coffee grounds, and old vegetables in the fridge you’d rather not eat. Some brown examples are paper, cardboard, and small pieces of untreated wood.
A good ratio of greens to browns is 1:2. For every part of greens you add to the pile, aim to add twice as many browns. Also, opt to layer these materials in your pile so that they are evenly distributed. Think compost lasagna, and stack a layer of browns on top of greens over and over. Then, turn the pile.
More greens will lead to a “hotter” pile. It will not only get hotter in temperature, but the pile will also experience a spike in bacterial growth. A hot pile kills plant pathogens and weed seeds more so than a cold pile. Although this is true, there are some downsides to hot compost. More on that is down below.
Water
Because compost is alive, it requires a few inputs to stay alive. Just as we humans need air to breathe, water to drink, and vitamin D from the sun, a compost pile needs water, air, and weather.
You’ll want your compost to have the moisture of a wrung-out sponge. The life inside your pile likes it wet but not soggy. I live in the Pacific Northwest, and so my watering schedule is particular to where I live. Our winters are wet and our summers are dry. With this in mind, I water my compost pile about once a week during the hottest months. I never water during the winter months. The rain waters my pile for me.
If you live in a hot area with dry seasons, you will need to water your compost more often than we do in the PNW. High-heat gardeners can place their compost piles in shadier spots than wet weather ones. This will keep the compost cool when heat spikes occur. The vice versa is true for wet areas. If you receive a lot of rain you can place your compost in a sunny spot to keep it from getting soggy.
Beneficial bugs like black solider fly larvae and worms love moist compost. Keep your compost moist like a wrung-out sponge.
Maintenance
Compost needs air. Many of the critters that thrive in living compost breathe, and so by adding oxygen, you encourage their growth. Additionally, a lack of aeration in compost will encourage the growth of decomposers that are less than desirable. When these decomposers grow they create rotten smells and a slime-like substance.
Encourage good-smelling (well, as good smelling as rich earth can get!) decomposers by turning your compost pile. Turning is best done with a pitchfork. Simply stab the compost pile, pick up chunks of it, and turn it. Then rake it back up into a neat pile after the pile is turned.
I’ll admit, I am a lazy turner. In the winter I’ll turn the pile once a month, and in the summer I’ll turn it once every two weeks. This leads to a “cold compost” that doesn’t burn off plant pathogens and kills less weed seeds than hot compost. In the winter too, I notice a lot of bees and ladybugs hiding in my pile. Not wanting to disturb their winter slumber I will turn the pile less in the cold months.
As is everything in nature, a compost pile is a balance. Cold compost allows weed seeds and some pathogens, but it also allows for more beneficial microbial and fungal activity than hot compost. So which one is best?
Cold vs. Hot Compost
Both cold and hot compost are good things and can be right for you. Which one is best for you depends on your situation and what you are looking for in your compost. Want to decompose a lot of raw material quickly? Opt for hot compost. Are you more of a lazy gardener like me? Let it sit and nature will do the trick.
With cold compost, you may be wondering, what about all the weed seeds and plant pathogens? As I mentioned earlier, weeds are easier to pull out of compost-rich soil. They also add to your mulch when you pull them and put them back on top of the soil.
Plant pathogens can spread in cold compost, but they can also encourage disease-resistant plants. When compost decomposes, lots of “good” and “bad” microbes and fungi of all sorts colonize it. They compete with each other, and that competition removes a good amount of the pathogens. If there are more good guys, chances are they will take out the bad ones.
I grow a lot of my plants from the seeds I collect each year. Because of this, there is a chance that one of the plants in a plant population will have disease resistance against a particular disease. Then, when I notice this plant’s resilience, I’ll collect its seeds for more disease-resistant plants. This process of diseases and plants evolving with each other has occurred for millennia, and by participating you are strengthening the plants in your garden.
Let’s say a disease is particularly present in your area, like powdery mildew or rust. You can opt to not place diseased plant clippings in the compost pile and mulch them instead in an area away from the garden.
How to Use Compost
Place it on the soil! That’s all there is to it. Compost can go anywhere. Place it in garden beds, borders, tree rings, and in areas where you want to smother weeds.
For continuous compost, I like to keep a small residual pile that I add to as needed. That way, I almost always have compost available, and I have a place to put kitchen scraps and garden clippings. Think of a little compost as a sourdough starter. You need to feed it continuously, and in return, the starter rewards you with endless sourdough bread. Keep your compost alive and you’ll always have a place for the scraps in your life. Then, every season, your pile will reward you with crumbly, black, and fertile compost.
FAQs
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Those are good maggots! They are actually the larvae of the black soldier fly. If your compost has these critters it means your compost is doing its job.
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Greens and browns are best for your compost. Greens are green plant material and fresh kitchen scraps. Browns are paper goods and leaves that have dried out. Greens provide nitrogen, and browns provide carbon. Mix greens to browns at a ratio of 2:1.
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Turn that pile regularly to avoid stinky smells. Compost should be aerobic, with oxygen reaching the living creatures in the pile.
Turn once a week in hot times, and less often during colder temperatures. Once every two to three weeks in the fall and winter should suffice. If the compost is stinky, turn that pile! Also avoid putting foods like cheese, meat, and dairy into the pile. Very small amounts of cheese and meat are okay but will encourage rats to a compost pile more than vegetable scraps will.
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Get yourself a handy dandy compost tumbler, and be sure to add soil from the ground into the bin. A tumbler will require more turning and watering than a pile or bin.
If you have the space, build a bin by placing chicken wire around the bottom of a few wooden posts, creating an encircled area. Place the compost in the bin, and turn it often. This will discourage rats from settling into the pile.
Final Thoughts
Compost is an amazing thing to add to your garden. By composting, you are removing waste that would otherwise end up in landfills. Kitchen scraps, plant clippings, and rotting organic material can be repurposed and given a new life in the environment. The Earth evolved a way to remove its waste, and you can enjoy it by facilitating a pile in your backyard. Got waste? You can make a compost pile and add beneficial bacteria and fungi to your landscape.
References
Al-Kaisi, Mahdi, et al. “Frequent Tillage and Its Impact on Soil Quality | Integrated Crop Management.” Crops.extension.iastate.edu, 28 June 2004, crops.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/frequent-tillage-and-its-impact-soil-quality#:~:text=Since%20tillage%20fractures%20the%20soil.
Albers, John J. The Northwest Garden Manifesto. Mountaineers Books, 18 Dec. 2017.
Miessler, Diane. Grow Your Soil! : Harness the Power of the Soil Food Web to Create Your Best Garden Ever. North Adams, Ma: Storey Publishing, 2020.
