FALL COMPOSTING
Late summer and fall is really the best time to start a compost pile. Your flowers and leaves need to be dug up and raked away so why not pile them up into intentional compost “heap.” Simply find a spot out of the way, maybe near your garage, beside a storage shed or just in the backyard somewhere.
Making a compost pile is actually easier than bagging all of the debris for the garbage guy. Much of the stems and foliage can be chopped up and tilled into your gardens to decay and add nutrient value into your soil for years to come.
There are a few steps to take and some rules to follow when composting your organic matter. If you want to build a structure for your pile you could stack concrete blocks on three sides about 3 foot by 4 foot squares, leaving the front open, or pound in 4 stakes upright at the corners and surround 3 sides with chicken wire or galvanized fencing. Next, toss in a substantial amount of old garden plants such as your tomato plants, pepper plants, broccoli, beans, etc. and also your flowering plants as they go bad. Pile these plants a good 2 to 3 feet high, as they will shrink a lot in time. On top of this pile of foliage add any old fertilizers and some lime to help break down the greens then top it all off with some dirt. Repeat this process over and over again but be careful not to go so high that you cannot turn the soil over. Turning the soil over is a crucial step in making good compost. If you have lots of plant material, you may need a couple of compost piles. I used to have a self-standing, 3-bin composter that I made with 2 x 4s and fencing.
The compost pile must be kept moist but not real wet. You would want to water it during dry times. The plants that you will be adding to the pile should be chopped up into smaller pieces. Get out your long handled shrub trimmers and chop down from the top your tomato and pepper plants, and especially your cornstalks, etc. and throw them into the pile. Add the fertilizer and the lime, then the soil and water. Layer your pile into 6″ to 10″ layers, and then repeat. I am not much into adding “food” in my compost as some foods attract animals and rodents. One exception would be coffee grounds. Foods to avoid would be meats and bones, fish scraps, fats or oils, peanut butter, salad dressing, mayonnaise, dairy products, coal ashes and manure from cats or dogs as some of these could also pose as health issues. A well-orchestrated compost pile should never smell. If you detect any odor, this is a sign that the pile needs to be turned over or may be too wet.
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