| Having an ample supply of good rich compost is | | | | material on the edges, but most of it does break |
| the gardeners dream. | | | | down quite well. The next step works great for |
| It has many uses, and all of those uses will result | | | | me because I've got a small nursery, so I keep a |
| in nicer plants. However, composting can be time | | | | pile of potting soil on hand at all times. But you |
| consuming and hard work. I place a reasonable | | | | can really do the same thing by just buying two |
| value on my time, so spending hours and hours | | | | or three yards of shredded mulch to get started, |
| turning compost piles doesn't qualify as a | | | | and piling it up near your compost bins. If you do |
| worthwhile exercise, at least in my book. | | | | this, you will always have a supply of good |
| Nonetheless, I do compost, but I do so on my | | | | compost to work with. |
| terms. | | | | Shredded bark, left in a pile will eventually break |
| I built two composting bins. Each bin is five feet | | | | down and become great compost. The potting soil |
| wide, five feet deep, and four feet high. I built the | | | | that I use is about 80% rotted bark. I make |
| bins by sinking 4" by 4" posts in the ground for | | | | potting soil by purchasing fine textured and dark |
| the corners, and then nailed 2 by 4's and 1 by 4's, | | | | hardwood bark mulch, and I just put it in a pile |
| alternating on the sides. | | | | and let it rot. The secret is to keep the pile low |
| I left 2" gaps between the boards for air | | | | and flat, so that it does not shed the rain water |
| circulation. The 2 by 4's are rigid enough to keep | | | | away. You want the mulch to stay as wet as |
| the sides from bowing out, and in between each | | | | possible, this will cause it to break down fairly |
| 2 by 4 I used 1 by 4's to save a little money. | | | | quickly. |
| The bins are only 3 sided, I left the front of the | | | | So I keep a pile of rotted bark mulch near my |
| bins open so they can be filled and emptied easily. | | | | compost bins. When both bins are completely full, |
| Photos of my compost bins are on this page: | | | | I empty the bin containing the oldest material by |
| I started by filling just one of the bins. I put grass | | | | piling it on top of my rotted bark mulch. I make |
| clippings, dried leaves, and shrub clippings in the | | | | sure the pile of rotted mulch is wide andflat on |
| bins. I try not to put more than 6" of each | | | | top so that when I put the material from the |
| material on a layer. You don't want 24" of grass | | | | compost bin on top of the pile, the compost |
| clippings in the bin and you should alternate layers | | | | material is only 5 to 10 inches thick. |
| of green and brown material. If necessary, keep a | | | | My mulch pile might be 12' wide, but it may only |
| few bags of dry leaves around so you can | | | | be 24 to 30 inches high. Once I have all the |
| alternate layers of brown waste and green waste. | | | | compost on top of the pile, then I go around the |
| When we root cuttings we use coarse sand in the | | | | edge of the pile with a shovel, and take some of |
| flats, so when it's time to pull the rooted cuttings | | | | the material from the edges of the pile and toss |
| out of the flats, the old sand goes on the | | | | it up on top of the pile, covering the compost |
| compost pile. In our little backyard nursery we | | | | with at least 6" of rotted bark. This will cause the |
| also have some plants in containers that do not | | | | compost material to decompose the rest of the |
| survive. Rather than pulling the dead plant and the | | | | way. |
| weeds out of the container, and then dumping the | | | | Once you get this system started, you never |
| potting soil back on the soil pile, we just dump the | | | | want to use all of the material in the pile. Always |
| whole container in the compost bin. This adds | | | | keep at least 2 to 3 cubic yards on hand so |
| more brown material to the mix, and is a lot | | | | you've got something to mix with your compost. |
| easier than separating the soil and the weeds. | | | | If you use a lot of compost material like I do, |
| Once the bin is full, the rules of composting say | | | | then you should buy more material and add to |
| that you should turn the material in the bin every | | | | your pile in the late summer or fall, once you are |
| few weeks. There is no way that I have time to | | | | done using it for the season. |
| do that, so this is what I do. I pack as much | | | | Around here many of the supply companies sell a |
| material in the bin as I can before I start filling the | | | | compost material that is already broken down |
| second bin. I pile the material as high as I possibly | | | | quite well. This is what I buy to add to my |
| can, and even let it spill out in front of the bin. | | | | stockpile. But I try to make sure that I have at |
| Then I cover all the fresh material with mulch or | | | | least 3 yards of old material on hand, then I'll add |
| potting soil, whatever brown material I can find. | | | | another 3 yards of fresh material to that. Then in |
| Then when I'm out working in the garden I set a | | | | the spring I'll empty one of the compost bins and |
| small sprinkler on top of the pile and turn it on | | | | add the compost to the top of the pile. |
| very low, so a small spray of water runs on the | | | | The pile of usable compost will be layers of |
| material. Since I have a good water well, this | | | | material, some more composted than others. Kind |
| doesn't cost me anything, so I let it run for at | | | | of like a sandwich. So what I do is chip off a |
| least two hours as often as I can. This keeps the | | | | section of the pile from the edge, spread it out |
| material damp, and the moisture will cause the pile | | | | on the ground so it's only about 8" deep, then run |
| to heat up, which is what makes the composting | | | | over it with my small rototiller. This mixes it |
| action take place. | | | | together perfectly, and I shovel it onto the |
| Once I have the first bin completely full, I start | | | | potting bench. |
| using the second bin. As the material in the first | | | | Having a pile of rotted compost near your |
| bin starts to break down, it will settle and the bin | | | | compost bins is great because if you have a lot |
| is no longer heaped up, so I just keep shoveling | | | | of leaves or grass clippings, you can throw some |
| the material that I piled in front of the bin, up on | | | | rotted compost in the bin in order to maintain that |
| top of the pile, until all the material is either in the | | | | layered effect that is necessary in order for the |
| bin, or piled on top of the heap. Then I just leave | | | | composting process to work well. |
| it alone, except to water it once in a while. The | | | | Sure this process is a little work, but it sure is nice |
| watering isn't necessary, it just speeds the | | | | to have a place to get rid of organic waste |
| process. | | | | anytime I like. Then down the road when I have |
| Because I don't turn the pile, I can't expect all of | | | | beautiful compost to add to my potting soil, I am |
| the material to rot completely. The material in the | | | | grateful to have done the right thing earlier, and I |
| center is going to break down more than the | | | | know that I have wasted nothing. |