2005 Year in Review

Tips for Starting a Compost Pile

Source: Duane Friend, Extension Educator, Natural Resources Management, friend@uiuc.edu

The materials you put into a compost pile have a major impact on how well the composting process works and the quality of the final compost. The key to good composting is to have a variety of materials and a balanced carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. Variety increases the types of microorganisms at work in the pile and your chances of obtaining nutrient-rich compost.

As you collect materials around your yard and home, it's helpful to know which materials are higher in carbon or nitrogen.

"A simple method for differentiating between materials is to remember that fresh, juicy materials are usually higher in nitrogen. In addition, materials of animal origin such as feathers, manure and blood meal are typically higher in nitrogen," explains Duane Friend, University of Illinois Extension natural resources management educator. "Drier, older or woody vegetable and plant tissues are usually higher in carbon."

When starting a compost pile, Friend says to layer the materials thinly and uniformly. Avoid overdoing any single ingredient and don't skip a layer in the construction process.

The first layer should be 6 to 8 inches of high-carbon materials. This layer can include leaves, straw, chopped corncobs, corn stalks, untreated sawdust, twigs less than ½ inch in diameter, or garden debris.

The next layer should be animal manures, fertilizers or starters which serve as activators that accelerate the ignition or initial heating of your pile. This layer should be 1 to 2 inches thick.

Friend says that 1 to 2 inches of topsoil or active compost should be placed on top of the first two layers to provide the microorganisms necessary for decomposition.

Continue to layer the pile to the desired height. Then, mix it all together using a pitchfork or other tool.

Turn the pile periodically, at least every other week, to keep oxygen levels high. Continue to turn the pile until temperatures remain below freezing.

For more information on composting, visit these university websites: Composting Fall Leaves and Cornell Composting.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
October 28, 2005