How to Grow More Vegetables : And Fruits, Nuts ... - Shroomery

Size and Timing
A minimum compost pile size of 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet
(1 cubic yard of lightly moist, built compost, weighing about
1,000 pounds) is recommended. (In colder climates a minimum
compost pile size of 4 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet will be needed to
properly insulate the heat of the composting process.) Smaller
piles fail to provide the insulation necessary for appropriate
heating (up to 140°F) and allow too much air to penetrate. It is
all right to build up piles slowly to this size as materials become
available, though it is best to build an entire pile at one time. A
large compost pile might be 4 feet high, 5 feet wide, and 10 feet
long. A pile will cure to 1 ⁄ 3 to 1 ⁄ 4 of its original size, depending
on the materials used.
The best time to prepare compost is in the spring or autumn,
when biological activity is highest. (Too much heat or cold
slows down and even kills the microbial life in the pile.) The
two high-activity periods conveniently coincide with the maximum
availability of materials in the spring, as grass and other
plants begin to grow rapidly, and in the autumn, as leaves fall
and other plant life begins to die.
Compost Curing Maturation and Application Rates
Usually, a compost pile needs one turning to adjust the
moisture level and make the mixture more homogeneous for
complete breakdown. This should be done at about the 3-week
point, after the temperature of the compost pile has peaked and
fallen. A decrease in moisture usually occurs at the same time,
the color begins to change to brownish from the original green
and yellow, and the compost’s odor begins to change from
musty to an earthy, freshly plowed soil aroma. The compost will
normally be ready about 2 months later.
Compost is ready to use when it is dark and rich looking
and it crumbles in your hands. The texture should be even,
and you should not be able to discern the original source of
materials. Mature compost even smells good—like water in a
forest spring! A GROW BIOINTENSIVE pile should be ready in
3 to 6 months. 4
4. If for some reason you need compost cured quickly, there are 3 ways to speed up the
decomposition rate in a compost pile—though they will probably leave you with much less
cured compost per unit of material added to your pile originally, rather than the greatest quantity
of life-enhancing compost you must seek. One way is to increase the amount of nitrogen.
The ratio of carbon to nitrogen is critical for the breakdown rate. Materials with a high carbonnitrogen
ratio—such as dry leaves, grain, straw, corn stalks, and small tree branches—take a
long time to decompose alone since they lack sufficient nitrogen, which the bacteria depend
upon for food. To boost the rate of decay in carbonaceous materials, add nitrogen-rich materials
such as newly cut grass, fresh manure, vegetable wastes, green vegetation, or a fertilizer such
as alfalfa meal. Twelve to 20 pounds of alfalfa meal per cubic yard of compost will fortify a
compost pile with a high carbon content. Lightly sprinkle these fertilizers on each layer as you
build your compost pile.
A second method is to increase the amount of air (aeration). Beneficial aerobic bacteria
thrive in a well-aerated pile. Proper layering and periodic turning of the pile will accomplish this.
Third, you may increase the surface area of the materials. The smaller the size of the materials,
the greater the amount of their exposed surface area. Broken-up twigs will decompose
An abundant garden starts with good
compost made of “waste products” such
as vegetable peelings, weeds, and
straw. With some knowledge and planning,
the garden can produce all its
needed fertilizer and organic matter.
Notes
• When you turn a compost pile,
make the base of the new pile
smaller than the original base to
give the turned pile more mass.
• If you are not ready to use your
compost when it is fully cured, stop
watering it and spread it out to dry.
(See Ecology Action’s booklet,
Biointensive Composting.)
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