Compost should smell and feel good. Photo by Amanda Jarrett
Loving Compost - Compost Benefits - The Layering Process & Making Compost - Where to Place Compost Bins​ - What Can I Put In The Compost? - Fresh Manure - Compost Pile Problems - Types of Compost Bins

Loving Compost

Compost is a soil conditioner. It fixes all kinds of soil issues, turning hard impenetrable clay into a much lighter and plant friendly clay loam. Alternately, sandy soils become more sponge-like holding giving them the ability to hold onto nutrients and water. 
Compost increases and replenishes soil nutrients while maintaining soil health. It is one of the very best things add to your soil as it provides plants with the best of all the plant foods: humus. There's no need to apply fertilizers as compost is nature's own form of fertilizer. It also conditions the soil by making it more friable (crumbly), buffers soil pH, and reduces soil toxins.  Plants and all those beneficial bacteria, fungi and all organisms big and small, love it.​

The Layering Process and Making Compost

Consists of green (nitrogen) and brown (carbon) layers:
  • GREEN LAYER: (nitrogen) fresh, non-woody plant clippings: veggies and fruits, animal manure and grass clippings.
  •  BROWN LAYER: (carbon) dry organic material: straw, chipped wood, shredded newspaper, twigs, dried grass clippings, fallen dried leaves and sawdust.
  • The ideal carbon to nitrogen ratio is 2 to 3 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen. 
  • 1st layer: 'seed' with 2 to 6 inches of compost or soil
  • 2nd layer: green layer: 2 to 4 inches
  • 3rd layer: brown layer 4 to 6 inches   
  • Avoid overloading the pile with disproportionate amounts of any one thing.
  • Always finish off with a brown, carbon layer (strips of torn newspaper work well when dried leaves are not available) to deter critters.
  • Keep a depression in the middle of the pile.
  • Add water to the entire bin, including the depression.
  • The pile should be moist not wet, nor dry.
  • Continue with the layers: green, brown, green then brown.
  • Add kitchen scraps throughout the week, but top it off with a brown layer such as torn newspaper.
  • At the end of the week, turn it and add water if necessary and top it off again with a brown layer.
  • Keep newspapers near the bin to add as needed.​
wire compost bin with carbon layer
Cover veggies with a layer of dry leaves of shredded newspapers to prevent rodents

Compost Pile Problems

Nothing is happening; decomposition is a no-go:
  • pile is too small or it’s too big
  • not enough nitrogen: add fresh plant clippings, veggie kitchen scraps, fresh manure
  • not enough oxygen: stir more
  • add water: pile could be too dry
  • one layer too thick: remove excess if possible, or add more of the other layer to make it more proportional, or mix it in more
Warm in middle of pile only, decomposition is slow:
  • pile is too small and/or the climate is too cold (winter)
The pile smells like rotten eggs:
  • too compacted: layers have been pushed down eliminating oxygen
  • turn more frequently
  • pile is too wet: add more dry material such as straw, shredded newspaper and other brown matter and mix in
The pile smells like ammonia:
  • not enough carbon; the brown layer
  • add torn newspapers, dried leaves and turn the pile
Flies, rodents and other animals are attracted to the pile:
  • Meat, oil, bones, cooked food, processed food have been added.
  • Only add non-cooked ingredients: plants, veggie kitchen scraps, leaves, grass clippings, animal manure but no dog or cat faeces.
  • Green layer has not been covered by a brown layer.
  • Use a rodent-proof closed bin and/or line bins with chicken wire, including the bottom of the pile upon construction.
 ​Millipedes, slugs, millipedes, pill bugs etc. are present not just worms:
  • These insects are not a problem at all, as they help decompose material.
red wriggler worms in compost
Red wriggler worms are essential to aid in the decomposing process.
Compost Benefits
  • Builds a healthy, self-sustaining, soil ecosystem.
  • Provides nitrogen and other macro-nutrients, micro-nutrients: boron, zinc, iron etc.
  • Improves soil structure and loosens heavy soil.
  • Provides beneficial microorganisms essential for soil health and plants' well-being.
  • Stabilizes and buffers soil pH.
  • Maintains natural nutrient cycling. 
  • Binds heavy metals and other soil pollutants so that plants can’t absorb them.
  • Suppresses some soil-borne diseases, increasing resistance to pests
  • Increases soil's ability to retain nutrients longer by improving the cation exchange capacity of soil.
  • Reduces soil erosion. 
compost binLocate compost bins where they are easily accessible and in full sun.
Where to Place Compost Bins
Place in a convenient location preferably with enough room to manoeuvre a wheelbarrow. It should receive at least 6 hours of full sun per day helps to aid the decomposition process. A nearby faucet is certainly handy. Set the compost bin on the ground, not on paving stones, concrete, brick or tarmac as organisms are needed to migrate from the ground below. It also keeps things a tad warmer due to the thermal heat of the earth.

What Can I Put In The Compost?
Composting isn’t rocket science, but there are a few things you should know about the process. Anything you add to your compost decomposes faster if it's cut into small pieces. Use any uncooked vegetable scraps and plant parts from the garden unless they are diseased, insect ridden or bear seeds. Avoid meat, dairy and cooked food.
 
Diseased, Infested Plants and Weeds
One of the big issues with adding plants and their parts in the compost is the problem of contamination. Diseased and insect ridden plant parts, invasive weeds and weed seeds, don't become inert unless they are 'cooked' in a hot compost with temperatures that reach 57 to 71 degrees C (135 to 160 degrees F) for at least few days. Most garden composts don't get that hot for that length of time, so it's best to err on the safe side and don't add anything that could infest or infect.
 
Fresh Manure
Fresh manure should not be used on the garden but you can compost it. Avoid putting too much in at one time; a layer of a few inches should do. Manures help speeds things up the decomposition process and once composted, it's suitable to add to the garden.
 
TYPES OF COMPOST BINS
Certainly you can discard vegetative debris in a pile in an obscure spot in the garden and wait for nature to do its own thing, but if you want to speed up the process, a 3 ft by 3 ft bin is the perfect size for the magic to appear. Compost bins or piles that are too small tend not to heat up, while ones that are too large are difficult to aerate and turn. There are many types of compost receptacles available. Convenience, ease of use and being rodent proof are things to look for. 

Plastic Rodent Proof Bins are generally rodent proof and work well in the home garden as they take up little space and are relatively unobtrusive. Most municipalities offer deals on plastic, rodent proof compost bins. As with all covered bins, you must remember to add water when needed.
 
Compost Tumblers were invented to take the chore out of turning the pile. The rolling drum style sits on a stand and is turned with a hand crank. It may become difficult to turn when full, especially if it's a big one. Another type is the ball- like ground tumbler. Just roll it on the ground to mix the contents, but watch out for steep hills! 

DIY Composters
Feeling handy? Make your own compost bin. Don’t use pressure treated lumber or pallets, as they contain arsenic.  Untreated pallets don’t last as long as cedar or redwood, but they are generally inexpensive and sometimes are free. Another option is sturdy wire mesh such as hardware cloth, chicken wire with staked firmly into the ground. Zap strap the ends together to make a circle. 
compost bin with chicken wire prevents rodents
A chicken wire lined compost box helps deter rodents.
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