Tuesday - compost
Hi dear grandchildren,
This probably is not important to you right now but I thought I would share it anyway. Oh well...
Almost any plant will quickly convert to compost. From our neighbor we get lots of grass clippings (among the hardest to convert) and from our garden and table we add lots of plant material. For easy storage, we put it in a pile; or two or three. Putting woody stuff directly into the compost pile is not a good idea but chipping it first will help it break down more quickly.
There are three stages of compost. As soon as a plant is disconnected from mother earth, it starts to decay (if it is not already dead). I call thisfirst stage "new stuff." The second stage can be a gooey and stinky mess (I call it "part way done"). I remember when Uncle Andrew pointed out that my compost pile needed covered. So, we put a little garden earth over the new stuff to keep the bugs away and the smell down. The garden earth also provides additional bacteria which is what does the actual conversion from plant to soil. It's built in!! Anyway, the final stage is almost earth (I call it new earth) again (from dust to dust only this stuff will not easily blow around).
Theoretically, the new earth is taken out about as fast as the dead plants go in so one is working with the easy to use new stuff. If the compost pile gets too full or when winter is approaching then the new stuff needs to be moved out. This is done by digging a ditch in a garden area about 8-10 inches deep, putting a 3-4 inch layer of new stuff in the bottom, digging another ditch along side of the previous ditch and using the dirt from the new ditch to cover the previous ditch. This is repeated until the excess plant matter is used up or the garden bed ends. Finally, the dirt from the first ditch is used to cover the last ditch. The problem with this new stuff in the ground is that it uses up lots of nutruients in the decay process so they are not available for plant growth for several months. It is best to do this over the winter or in a bed that will not be used for awhile.
When the process is moving smoothly, the material that is past the gooey stage needs to be stirred up to provide more air (nitrogen and oxygen) to let the bacteria finish up their job. It is also a good idea to keep the pile damp by spraying water on it from time to time. We don't want to drown it, however. One very interesting part of this phase is the steam coming out of the pile. The inside of the pile of new stuff can reach 120 degrees or more!!
Finally, the pile is near soil. One more turning and it can finish up and be new soil.
I have a huge pile - 3x3x9 feet or 3 cubic yards. I use about the same plan except that instead of stirring/turning/mixing it I simply poke holes in the big pile with a special tool (I'll show you when you visit if you want).
As the winter sets in, I have to get the pile empty for next year. I am busy burying the part way stuff, taking the newly converted soil to the soil preparation area, and moving the new stuff to the bottom of the pile to decay over winter. Oh yes, one thing that the partway stuff is good for is covering my carrots. Just after the first frost, I will top the carrots at 2 inches, put down an inch or so of old soil, and cover that with the partway stuff. This will provide a little heat and a lot of insulation to protect the carrots from freezing. Then I can dig up fresh carrots all winter long.
Happy gardening dear Grandchildren,
G'pa Bob
This probably is not important to you right now but I thought I would share it anyway. Oh well...
Almost any plant will quickly convert to compost. From our neighbor we get lots of grass clippings (among the hardest to convert) and from our garden and table we add lots of plant material. For easy storage, we put it in a pile; or two or three. Putting woody stuff directly into the compost pile is not a good idea but chipping it first will help it break down more quickly.
There are three stages of compost. As soon as a plant is disconnected from mother earth, it starts to decay (if it is not already dead). I call thisfirst stage "new stuff." The second stage can be a gooey and stinky mess (I call it "part way done"). I remember when Uncle Andrew pointed out that my compost pile needed covered. So, we put a little garden earth over the new stuff to keep the bugs away and the smell down. The garden earth also provides additional bacteria which is what does the actual conversion from plant to soil. It's built in!! Anyway, the final stage is almost earth (I call it new earth) again (from dust to dust only this stuff will not easily blow around).
Theoretically, the new earth is taken out about as fast as the dead plants go in so one is working with the easy to use new stuff. If the compost pile gets too full or when winter is approaching then the new stuff needs to be moved out. This is done by digging a ditch in a garden area about 8-10 inches deep, putting a 3-4 inch layer of new stuff in the bottom, digging another ditch along side of the previous ditch and using the dirt from the new ditch to cover the previous ditch. This is repeated until the excess plant matter is used up or the garden bed ends. Finally, the dirt from the first ditch is used to cover the last ditch. The problem with this new stuff in the ground is that it uses up lots of nutruients in the decay process so they are not available for plant growth for several months. It is best to do this over the winter or in a bed that will not be used for awhile.
When the process is moving smoothly, the material that is past the gooey stage needs to be stirred up to provide more air (nitrogen and oxygen) to let the bacteria finish up their job. It is also a good idea to keep the pile damp by spraying water on it from time to time. We don't want to drown it, however. One very interesting part of this phase is the steam coming out of the pile. The inside of the pile of new stuff can reach 120 degrees or more!!
Finally, the pile is near soil. One more turning and it can finish up and be new soil.
I have a huge pile - 3x3x9 feet or 3 cubic yards. I use about the same plan except that instead of stirring/turning/mixing it I simply poke holes in the big pile with a special tool (I'll show you when you visit if you want).
As the winter sets in, I have to get the pile empty for next year. I am busy burying the part way stuff, taking the newly converted soil to the soil preparation area, and moving the new stuff to the bottom of the pile to decay over winter. Oh yes, one thing that the partway stuff is good for is covering my carrots. Just after the first frost, I will top the carrots at 2 inches, put down an inch or so of old soil, and cover that with the partway stuff. This will provide a little heat and a lot of insulation to protect the carrots from freezing. Then I can dig up fresh carrots all winter long.
Happy gardening dear Grandchildren,
G'pa Bob
posted by G'pa Bob | 2:40 AM
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