“Never plant without a compost bin next to you.” - Elsa Bacalar, garden designer, 1919-2010
One way to improve garden soil is to add compost.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, compost is “decomposed organic material used as fertilizer or growing material.” It is also a verb meaning “to fertilize (vegetables or manure) or to work (soil) with fertilizer”.
Although compost can be purchased at local garden centers, it can be made from garden and kitchen waste through reduction, recycling and reuse. Compost improves soil fertility and increases worm activity.
When you add compost, sandy soil retains more water and clay soil dries out faster. There are many ready-made compost bins, but you can also build them from wooden pallets, scrap wood, or recycled chicken wire.
To prevent the compost pile from drying out, you can use a plastic sheet or tarp. Choose a partially shaded location that is protected from strong winds.
Here are the five basic principles of composting.
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• “Nitrogen-rich” green materials (pesticide-free grass clippings, garden vegetables, plant-based kitchen utensils, coffee grounds, manure from herbivorous animals such as chickens, goats, sheep, rabbits). You should avoid adding offal or animal fat as they cause an unpleasant odor and can attract rats and other reptiles and spread disease. Avoid adding weeds to the pile as the seeds can rot and contaminate the compost.
• Brown “carbohydrate” materials (dry leaves, shredded paper, cardboard, or woody plant parts).
• Balanced ratio of half green and half brown materials.
Product size
• Cut wood or scraps into small pieces (½ to 1½ inch pieces). Avoid materials with high resin content such as pine and conifers. Leaves with a high tannin content, such as oak and poplar, are difficult to grow if not pruned properly. For composting to be as effective as possible, green plant material should be left in large pieces.
humidity
• Add water as you build layers to ensure it is distributed throughout the stack. If there is insufficient rainfall, water is stored to keep the area moist but not wet. Moisture is necessary for microbes to live and digest materials.
To oxygen
• Turn the compost over with a garden fork or move the pile from one container to another in a drainage container to allow air to circulate.
• Too much flow can dry out the stack or lower its temperature. Flow that is too low/particles that are too small and bacteria can suffer from a lack of oxygen.
The temperature
• Use a long probe thermometer to monitor compost temperature.
Aerobic bacteria are active at temperatures between 70 and 140 degrees. In winter, when temperatures can drop, degradation occurs more slowly. 140 degrees is ideal for killing pathogens and weed seeds. Temperatures above 160 degrees kill some germs.
Email your gardening questions to csumg2@elpasoco.com or call 719-520-7684. Customer service is available on N. Spruce St. Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 17. Find us on Facebook at Colorado Master Gardeners – El Paso County.
Email your gardening questions to csumg2@elpasoco.com or call 719-520-7684. Customer service is available on N. Spruce St. Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 17. Find us on Facebook at Colorado Master Gardeners – El Paso County.
