Yes, it’s possible! You can turn a pile of plant debris into microbe-rich humus in less than a month. All it takes is a proper balance of four ingredients; Carbon, Nitrogen, Moisture, and Air.
If you’ve even remotely dipped your toes into no-till gardening you will have sensed an ache for more compost. On our gardening journey, we quickly observed through our research that compost was an essential element to effective gardening. In no-till circles, compost is the ultimate mulch.
So, we went to the store to look for the highest quality compost we could find! At the time, our gardening ambitions were small…but so was our budget. Buying in compost was a luxury in which we weren’t comfortable indulging. Especially when we apparently could make it ourselves for free!
The Benefits
There are several obvious benefits and a few less intuitive beneficial outcomes from this way of composting. We’ll start with the most obvious.
Time
When you achieve “thermophilic temperatures” (130 – 160 degrees Fahrenheit) the decomposition process speeds up drastically. If you balance your pile and time your flips right, you can have pretty close to finished compost ready in 21 days.
Establish Good Microbes! (Fungal and bacterial strains)
The benefits of homemade compost far outweigh the benefit of immediacy of store-bought. The vast majority of store bought compost will come lifeless. Because industrial composts are created on such a large scale
Kill Pathogens and Weed Seeds
When your compost heats up to 130-160 degrees F, the vast majority of diseases on plants crops and pathogens in animal manure will not be able to survive. Hot composting ensures you are making healthy organic matter for your plants to benefit from.
Even more noticeably, weed seeds will not be able to survive these temperatures, given they are exposed to high temperatures for a few weeks. It is important to mix your compost during the “flipping” process so that all the weed seeds and rhizomes in the pile get cooked.
Creating (Plant-Available) Nutrients
When you fully compost your plant materials it means that microbes have broken them down into bio-available (plant roots have access) nutrients. Reaching higher temperatures in your composting ensures that these nutrients are unlocked more quickly
Inoculating Your Soil
With higher temperatures come more resilient strains of bacteria and fungi. These positive microbes will be allowed to become firmly established in your compost. Once you start adding that compost (inoculation) to your soil, all of your plants will benefit from the beneficial strains. These microbes will serve as powerhouses that bring nutrients to your plant roots. They will also help fend of disease and negative strains of microbial activity.
What you need
Basic Materials
There are two main categories of materials you will need: Carbons and Nitrogen’s.
”Carbons” refer to dried, woody, and/or dead materials that will soak up moisture and nitrogen
“Nitrogens” refer to green and/or fresh materials that help break down carbons by sharing their nitrogen molecules.
Common Carbons:
- Dried Leaves
- Straw
- Dried Grass Clippings
- Dried Plant Debris
- Wood Chips or Shavings – be careful to not add too many of these! A little goes a long way and too many can create an imbalance in your pile to be more carbonaceous.
Common Nitrogen’s:
- Fresh Grass Clippings
- Coffee Grounds
- Kitchen/Veggie Scraps
- Fresh Plant Debris
- Comfrey Leaves
- Animal Manure (there is a range of how “high” nitrogen content is in various manures, but, overall, animal manures will always be considered a “nitrogen.”)
Over time, it will become more and more intuitive what is considered a “carbon” or a “nitrogen.” In the meantime, here’s a useful PDF that outlines your options as you create your pile.
Tools
- Pitchfork – This is the main tool we use for adding materials to the pile. It is especially useful for flipping and mixing the compost pile once it is ready to be flipped.
- Hard and Leaf Rake – You will want at least one of these, if not both, for gathering up loose materials as you spread them. Inevitably, some dried leaves will fall off the pile and you’ll want to scrape them back to keep things tidy.
- Shovel – Use a shovel for scooping up shallower bits or thinner materials that slip through the tongs of the pitchfork.
- Cover – this could be a tarp, burplap, or anything that will keep moisture in and out.
- Hose – you will need a hose to wet down your pile as you build it (compost piles are thirsty!)
- Optional: Wire fencing or bin to hold compost pile together – this is an optional tool since you are more than able to make a free-standing pile that will get the job done. Having something to hold your materials together will make it a little easier in making your pile.
- Bonus: Lawn-mower – Use your lawn mower to chop up plant materials into smaller pieces so they decompose more quickly!
Instructions
- Start by assembling your materials. Aim for an even mix of carbons and nitrogen’s.
- Begin by laying down a layer of carbon material approximately 3 feet wide by 3 feet long. This layer can be a few inches tall.
- Add a similar size layer of nitrogen material the same dimensions.
- Add water every 4-6 layers to well-saturate the materials in your pile.
- Repeat this process until your pile is approximately 3 feet tall.
- Cover your pile with a tarp or blanket of some sort and leave it to heat up! (Stick your probe in at this time if you are using one)
- Check your pile after 48 hours in summer months and four days in colder months. The pile should have begun to heat up. If you’re not using a probe you should be able to bury your hand in the pile and feel some heat. If your pile has not heated up at all after one week, flip your pile and add more water (if the materials appear dry).
- Once your pile reaches peak temperatures you will want to watch for when it begins to decrease. Wait until your pile falls close to 130 degrees F and then flip it adding water as you go.
- Repeat steps 7 and 8 several times (flipping hopefully 3 times) to keep temperatures high. After three weeks allow your compost to cool completely before using or letting it sit to continue to age before usage.
Conclusion
Compost-making is a skill that takes multiple attempts to really get the hang of (my first 4 piles never heated up). But the end result is worth the journey! We have learned so much about garden biology simply by taking the time to learn this valuable craft. We have saved money, preserved and restored our soil ecology, and eliminated waste in every area of our lives possible!
Don’t give up if your first pile doesn’t heat up right away! My first four piles (at least) never heated up and I still don’t balance my carbons and nitrogen’s perfectly. Check out our video on troubleshooting compost!