Turn yard’s compost pile to speed breakdown

Have you seen all those beautiful, colorful deciduous leaves that are starting to fall? I think it is time to start raking. After that, what to do with all of those? Compost!

Composting is a method of speeding the decomposition of organic materials. Micro-organisms (i.e. bacteria and fungi) in the compost pile use carbon and nitrogen to make protein. During this process, heat is produced and this speeds up decomposition.

To work properly, compost piles should contain organic materials (such as leaves, animal manures and grass clippings), micro-organisms, moisture and oxygen. It is also important to turn the pile frequently. Unfortunately, pine needles make better mulch for your acid loving plants and for protecting your roses than material to decompose in a compost pile.

You can rake up your leaves and put them through a shredder. Or a good idea is to run the lawn mower over the leaves, because it increases the surface area available to the micro-organisms.

Choose a dirt site for the pile. Start your pile with a layer of leaves (organic material high in carbon) about 4 to 6 inches thick. Cover that with a thin layer of grass clippings (organic material high in nitrogen) about 2 to 4 inches, and then sprinkle on some animal manure, such as rabbit pellets or chicken manure (never use cat or dog manure), and if you have any vegetable kitchen scraps, add those too.

Continue adding layers in roughly the ratio of 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen until your compost pile is around 5 feet high. Lightly water the pile after you add every layer or every second layer. Wait for about a month, and then turn the pile over once every week to 10 days.

The process can take up to eight months if the pile is not turned. The best approach in a home gardening situation is to add a variety of ingredients to the compost pile, and never add too much of one thing. In spring, you will have fertile soil to add anywhere you want for healthy and bigger plants.