By Kris Wetherbee | March
2008
- Introduction
- Ingredients to success
- Building a pile
- Turning garbage to gold
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Turning garbage to gold
Water is a vital element of a well-functioning pile. Too much or too little moisture can put a halt to the decomposition process. Be sure to test the moisture of your “compost in progress” by grabbing a handful every now and squeezing it. The material should feel moist but not wet.
Whether you turn a pile often or not at all is entirely up to you. You might have compost in four to six weeks if you turn the pile daily, or it might take up to a year if you don’t turn the pile at all.
Once the compost process gets under way, the pile heats up and begins to settle. (Temperatures can reach between 110 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit.) Your compost is ready to use when the interior of the pile is no longer hot and the remaining soil-like substance is dark and crumbly with a rich earthy smell.
Mature compost can be used as a soil amendment or high-quality mulch in flower beds, vegetables gardens, in landscapes or on lawns. Because it acts like a slow-release fertilizer, you can use compost to nourish transplants and seedlings, as well as outdoor container plants and indoor houseplants.
Kris Wetherbee is a writer and gardener in Oregon.
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