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Location
<br />The compost pile should he> loc ated close to where it will be
<br />• used and v<•hrre it will not interfere wills activities in the yard
<br />or offend neighbors. Examples of good locations for the pile
<br />include: near the garden or kitchen, or I~ehveen the garage
<br />and house. The pile will do best where it is protected from
<br />drying winds and in partial sunlight to help heat the pile. The
<br />more wind and sun the pile is exposed tu. the more water it
<br />Wlll need.
<br />Preparing the Compost Pile
<br />T le compost pile should be prepared in layers. This will fa-
<br />ctlttate c~ecom osrtlonT~ -Insurln ro er mixin .~ezam-
<br />p e o t e a erin rocess is it ustratc>c in Fi ore 4. I Bally,
<br />,/ etch pile should be a out five feet iK .
<br />Organic wastes, such as leaves, grass, and plant trimmings
<br />are put down in a layer eight to ten inches deep. Coarser ma-
<br />terials will decompose faster if placed in the bottom layer.
<br />This layer should be watered until moist, but not soggy. A ni-
<br />,~vr~ trogen source should be placed on top of this layer. Use one
<br />~~~,~ to two inches of livestock manure, or use a nitrogen fertilizer
<br />such as ammonr nitrate or ammonium su a-Tf-te at a rate of
<br />~ one third of a cup for every twenty five square feet of surface
<br />s''.area. If these nitrogen sources are not a~ ailable, one cup of
<br />y~~ 10-10-t O fertilizer per ?5 square feet of surface area "•ill also
<br />suffice. Do not use fertilizer that contains herbicide or pesti-
<br />cide. Other organic sources of nitrogen that can Im used are
<br />grass clippings, lake plants, alfalfa hay, or blood meal. Grass
<br />• clippings tend to mat and should either be mixed well with
<br />other materials, or placed in layers only hvo to three inches
<br />thick.
<br />About a one inch layer of soil or completed compost can be
<br />applied on top of the fertilizer layer. One purpose of adding
<br />soil is to ensure that the pile is inoculated "•ith decomposing
<br />microbes. The use of soil in a compost pile should be consid-
<br />ered optional. In most cases, organic yard wastes such as
<br />grass clippings or leaves contain enough microorganisms on
<br />the surface to effect decomposition. Studies have shown that
<br />there is no advantage in purchasing a compost starter or in-
<br />oculum. Microbes multiply as rapidly from the soil andlor
<br />added organic wastes as from the inoculum. Those microbes
<br />already in the soil and on organic materials are just as effi-
<br />cient in decomposing the .waste as those provided by the
<br />commercial inoculum. Adding soil, however, will help re-
<br />duce leaching of mineral nutrients such as potassium re-
<br />leased during decomposition. Repeat the sequence of
<br />adding organic waste, fertilizer, and soil (optional) until the
<br />pile is completed, remembering to water each section.
<br />The carbon:nitrogen (C/N) ratio will determine ho~v long de-
<br />compositionwilt take. AC1N ratio of about ?0 is needed for
<br />rapid composting without nitrogen being tied up. If the C/N
<br />ratio is above 50, the process will be considerably slower.
<br />The C/N ratio of common organic yard wastes is provided in
<br />Table 2.
<br />
<br />SOIL FERT1112ER OR MANURE
<br />ORGANIC MATERIALS
<br />Grass, leaves, weeds, etc.
<br />^,~ttrn
<br />. ~ -~ ~ ..
<br />Figure 4
<br />Maintaining tlr,e Compost Pile
<br />To prevent odors and hasten decomposition, the pi le must be
<br />turned occasionally. Turning also exposes seeds, insect lar-
<br />vae, and pathogens to lethal temperatures inside the pile.
<br />Turning may be done by inverting segments of the compost,
<br />or by shifting the pile into another bin. The compost pile
<br />should he kc pt moist but not waterlogged. Odors may arise
<br />either from the acAlitiun of excessive amounts of wet plant
<br />material, like (roils ur grass clippings, or from overwatering.
<br />A prolx~rl~ mixed and adequately turned compost pile v<•ill
<br />not have ubjectiunal,le cxlors. An actively decomposing pile
<br />will reach temperatures of 130° - 160°F in the middle. Rea-
<br />sonsfor the pile nut heating up may include too small a pile,
<br />nut enuu~;h nitrogen, lack of oxygen, too much moisture, or
<br />not enough moisture. The pile should be turned when the
<br />temperature in thc~ center begins to cool. This will introduce
<br />ox)•gen and undecomposed material into the center and sub-
<br />sequentl~ regenerate heating. The composting process is es-
<br />sentiall~ cuml,lete ~~ hen mixing no longer produces heat in
<br />tllc' pile.
<br />Small amounts of fmsh materials may be added provided that
<br />the pile is occasionally turned. Vegetable wastes should be
<br />buried inside the pile to avoid attracting rodents. If enough
<br />material is availahlr, it is best to make a new pile instead of
<br />combining ~~•ith old compost
<br />t: ~c~nerally, a well managed compost pile with shredded ma-
<br />tc~l.l , unc L•r ~aann can rtrons wl rea y In a out
<br />mu~tths.:~ pile ktit unattended and material not shredded
<br />la • take over a year to decompose. Piles prepared in the late
<br />fall will nut lx ready for use t e~llowing spring. When the
<br />cumrxstisfinished thepilewillbeabouthalfitsorigin~sfze
<br />and have an earthy smell to it.
<br />Table 1. Persistence of herbicides in soil (2)
<br /> Longevity in Soil
<br />Common Name Trade Names (months)
<br />Bc>nciln Bolan, Bal(in 4-8
<br />DCPA Uacthal 4-8
<br />BensuGclt• Betasan, Prefar 6-12
<br />(;It {,h, ~>,Ite Roundup, Klcrnup less than 1
<br />-_',a-I) tMany Formulations) ) -2
<br />~1C I'I' tf~lany formulations) 1-3
<br />Drcamha B~m•el 3-1 ~ `
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