Compost is not fertilizer. It’s a soil amendment that conditions the soil and adds nutrients over time. Composting has been around since the beginning of time.
Composting is basically the biological action of reducing organic waste to the humus. This, of course, happens over and over again naturally in nature. Plants die and decay, trees lose their leaves and animals defecate.
This natural process of life and death adds nutrients to the soil and feeds microorganisms. These microorganisms break down nutrients into usable parts for plants.
Gardeners use the power of composting to improve their soil and plant health. A healthy plant is a productive plant. This article will help you set up a proper compost pile and get started on the road to free nutrient-rich soil.
Potatoes growing at Fox Run EEC
History of Composting
Composting is as old as mankind. The earliest reference to using manure in fields is from Mesopotamia. Ancient cultures all made reference to composting and using manure or dung to fertilize the crops.
In America, the early settlers and immigrants learned composting tricks from the Native Americans. Thomas Jefferson, our third president, was first and foremost a farmer. He wrote several books on agriculture discussing composting and crop rotations fro healthy spoils.
Composting has changed and evolved over the years and become a foundation for many organic farming methods. Bio-dynamic farmers use herbs to enhance their compost. Permaculturists bury things such as logs in mounds to enhance the soil naturally.
Natural Cycles
We have a water cycle, an air cycle, and a life cycle. And yes, a composting cycle. Compost symbolizes a continuing life cycle. The first stage is when debris lands on the ground as part of a natural life and death cycle. Leaves fall, animals defecate or die and they decompose to become part of the soil.
There are also many animals and organisms that eat decaying material and continue that natural cycle. Some animals such as opossums and vultures are important because they eat carrion which otherwise spread disease. There bodies process that and their waste goes on to help other things grow.
My Bared Rock Chickens participating in the composting cycle!
Examine Your Soil
Take a good look at your soil. That soil is your life! It is very important to develop soil that is rich in nutrients and microorganisms.
The soil feeds and supports your plants which in turn will feed and support you and your livestock. After all, you are what you eat.
Start by taking a soil test to determine what nutrients you may be lacking.
Soil structure is very important as well. Composting can help both sandy soils that tend to leach nutrients and clay soils that do not allow good air and water flow.
Good soil structure allows the earth to breathe and water and nutrients to be transferred to the plant.
Benefits of Composting
Provides structure to the soil which increases airflow
Absorbs moisture in times of drought
Reduces erosion and leaching of soil nutrients
Provides both macro and micronutrients for your plants
Encourages symbiotic relationships with plants that encourage disease resistance.
You can read my blog WHAT DO YOUR PLANTS NEED? SOIL NUTRIENTS EXPLAINED
Where To Find Free Compost Materials
Start your compost pile right away! Producing your own compost will be the best and cheapest thing you can do for your garden. Let’s, think about what free materials you can gather for your compost pile.
Save all your vegetable, fruit and grain food scraps. The first thing to do is dedicate a bucket or tub to collect food scraps in. You can also purchase a ceramic container that is easy to wash and helps keep odors down.
When you cut the grass use a mulch bag to gather the clippings. Raking leaves and pruning bushes will provide you with good carbon materials.
You want to exercise care if you get leaves to compost from municipalities. They may come from lawns that have been sprayed with pesticides.
Ask your neighbors to contribute provided they are not using and chemicals on their property.
If you live in a rural community you can ask local farmers for any spoiled or moldy hay to add to the pile. One precaution with hay is that you will want to strive for a hot pile to kill the weed seeds.
If you raise mushrooms the spent substrate is great for the compost and adds beneficial fungi.
Lumber yards sometimes allow people to come and rake up sawdust and shavings that fall during the milling process.
Ask a beautician or pet groomer for hair clippings.
Live by the ocean. You can gather seaweed in moderation. You don’t want too much due to the salt content.
Do you have livestock or horses? Animal manure is a great source of nutrients for your compost. However, if you are just starting out, you may need to go off-site to get some animal manure to start the process. Look for sustainable dairies or riding stables in your area that would have an abundance of manure.
Check out my video on composting below.
The Rules
There are some rules when it comes to compost. Some things are easier to compost and some things are more challenging. The items on the first image are those which are easy to compost and great for beginners. The next picture has some things with more fiber which may be more of a challenge.
There are exceptions to every rule but for the most part these things should not go in your compost.
Humane manure is an exception that we make in the Don’t List. Although we compost humane manure separately and do not add that compost to food gardens. Instead, we use it on ornamentals in woodland plants. To learn more about humanure read my article: COMPOSTING TOILETS ARE GREAT: NO SH*T!
Raising Your Own compost Sources
One way to increase soil fertility is too add manure to your compost. And what better way than to raise your own small livestock such as chickens and or rabbits.
The compost pile is a valuable part of your homestead. Ideally, you want to “grow” all your own compost. This assures that you are not bringing in unwanted weeds, disease, and pesticides that may be prevalent at the farm down the road!
Producing your own compost is also free and allows you to control your nutrients and develop micro-communities.
Manure provides a range of nutrients. The following chart gives averages on what nutrients different livestock manure supplies. Remember that these are averages. Nutrient levels in manure are going to reflect what the animal is eating and their overall health.
NPK amounts for livestock manure that has been composted
Build A Pile With Layers
A layer system works well. Think of compost as a seven bean salad or lasagna! You want to have layers with different colors.
The bottom layer should be small twigs, wood chips. This allows air to come up from the bottom. Next, add a layer of green vegetable matter such as plant debris or grass clippings. Then add a layer of manure to add nitrogen and micronutrients.
Next a layer of straw to help with air circulation. Basically you want layers of browns, greens, and yellows. Yellow is for straw and twigs which stimulate air circulation. Browns are for animal manures. Greens are for dead plants from the garden, grass clippings, and kitchen vegetable waste.
Types of Compost Bins
But building a good ongoing source of compost takes time.
I like a two pile system with piles about 5x5. After you build one pile then you can leave it to decompose and become compost while you work on another pile.
You can leave your pile loose or you can give it some structure. Pallets, bales of straw, wire and cement blocks can all make serviceable compost bins. You can also purchase a compost bin. This may be necessary if you live in an urban area and need something more discreet.
Read our blog on composting in small places if you live in an urban area.
Compost bin made of pallets
You can also just have a large pile. This is great if you have a barn full of livestock and just want to dump the wheelbarrow full of manure and bedding on the pile.
Once again my chickens are hard at work!
If you live in an urban area try one of the plastic bins that look discrete and won’t make your neighbors upset. Another advantage of these bins is that they are closed so that the neighborhood pets and wildlife do not get in them. Although I do recommend that you place them on gravel so they drain well and attach a piece of wire to cover the bottom.
Look for ones with plenty of slats for good air circulation.
I like this one from Amazon because it’s roomy and has lots of good air circulation.
Turning
To turn or not to turn – that is the question. My environmental management graduate thesis was on researching microorganisms in compost.
Many heated debates occur over this topic among gardeners. Some gardeners feel you need to turn the compost to allow air to reach the inside of the pile and thus reignite the biological processes.
I believe that a properly built pile (i.e.: layers) has sufficient air and turning disrupts micro-processes, therefore, slowing down the decomposition process. Microorganisms benefit from peace and quiet!
This is why layering is so important! Adding plenty of carbon material such as straw, leaves and wood shavings will help with air circulation.
If you have sources of mulch such as leaves or grass clippings put several inches over the compost. This will add both texture and nutrients and keep the compost from running off during winter rains.
Check out my 2024 Garden Planner on Amazon in paperback and my website in PDF.
Ammendments
If your soil is low in certain nutrients you can add ammendments to your soil. Here are some good things that will help increase your composts nutrients.
Air, Heat, and Water
Air and water work together to keep everybody happy and decomposing. All compost needs plenty of air circulation. This keeps all your microorganisms happy and working. If your compost pile is too wet it will clump together and not allow air in.
A pile that is too wet will have a die-off of microorganisms and smell bad.
Straw is a great thing to add if you need more air. The stalks are hollow and help to improve air circulation.
Your pile should be nice and warm. The ideal pile should be 120 – 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can check the temperature of your compost with a compost thermometer.
The advantage of a hot pile is that it kills weed seeds and viruses.
Top Composting Questions
I receive many questions about composting. Here are the most common.
Why Does My Compost Pile Smell Bad?
The most common complaint is that the compost pile smells bad. Not just there is poop in it smell but a sour or rotten smell. This is most often due to the pile being too wet. Excess water fills in the air pockets and inhibits the growth of your micro-organisms.
Some water is necessary so don’t be alarmed if you have a rain shower. However, if you are having a particularly wet week then you might want to throw a tarp over your compost pile to protect your litter friends.
In addition, adding too many moist materials such as vegetable scraps and grass clipping can produce too much moisture in your pile or bin. Add straw or shavings (something brown). This will soak up extra moisture and allow for better air circulation.
Check out this video for specific tips for vegan gardeners!
Vegan Composting
As someone who sells organic produce and rescues wildlife, I naturally have many friends and customers who are vegans. Since vegans do not eat meat they often do not wish to use animal manures in their compost.
Not too worry. If you are a vegan your compost will thrive on plant materials.
Some tips:
Add alfalfa meal for a nitrogen boost.
Add legume plants after they are done producing.
Make sure you add plenty of browns such as straw, sawdust, or leaves to keep your pile from getting too wet and provide air circulation.
When is Compost Finished?
Composting has different start and end points depending on what method you use. For example, if you build an African Keyhole Garden you are using a composting method that doesn’t actually “make compost. The organic matter just gets absorbed into the soil.
It’s not overly important to have a specific endpoint. That said you don’t want to add fresh manure or compost to a spring garden. It will burn the plants.
Composting Calendar/ When To Compost
Compost all the time! Here are some ideas for composting according to the seasons.
Read my blog My Planting Schedule Zone 6B to see how I garden according to the calendar
Winter
Winter is a great time to haul manure and start a compost pile.
This is the time to clean up the summer parts of the garden. Remove the plants and add them to the compost heap.
Spread manure/ compost on the garden. In late fall I often give the stalls and night pens a good cleaning and take it right to the garden areas. It will then have time to decompose and allow the worms to take nutrients into the soil. The rule with organic farming is to add raw manure at least three months before planting.
In winter add small amounts of wood ashes to your compost for some extra potash.
Spring
Spring is often a rainy season for many. Make sure your compost does not get over-saturated. You can cover it with a tarp if you are expecting rain over several days. Don’t forget to remove the tarp when the sun comes back out.
Summer
In summer you may have the opposite problem as spring. Check to make sure the interior of your pile is moist. If it feels dry then sprinkle on some water.
As you weed and tend your garden you can add weeds and spent plants to your compost pile.
Fall
Fall is a great time to gather carbon-rich leaves. If you have an abundance of leaves you can just make a leaf-only compost pile. They will start to break down and you can add them to the main compost as you need them.
Can Compost Make You Sick?
While this would be considered rare it is possible. If you are using livestock manure you may be putting pathogens such as parasites into your compost. Wear gloves when handling compost.
Compost is also very dusty and can irritate your lungs. Make sure to keep your pile moist.
Author, Ame Vanorio has 29+ years of experience living off-grid, is a certified teacher, and is an organic farmer. She is the director of Fox Run Environmental Education Center and a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Ame has written several books. Check out her Amazon Author page.
As a vegan, you want a garden full of healthy plants. Healthy plants fight off diseases and pests. And they have more nutrients which help us stay healthy too.
Plant-based compost is easy to make and will benefit your garden. My vegan friends often tell me that established gardeners tell them you can't compost without animal products. And that is simply not true!