How To Make A Compost Pile

Compost is a nutrient rich material produced by the decomposition of organic waste like food materials and dead plants. It can be termed as the recycling process of nature, where microorganisms and worms play a crucial role. By making a compost pile, we can use household garbage and dead and decaying plant parts to make nutrient rich compost for our garden plants. This is an environment friendly option, and is better than applying chemical fertilizers. Some other advantages of compost are the better drainage of water in clay soil, water retention in sandy soil and growth of beneficial microorganisms. Making a compost pile is also not very difficult, and you can build one in your backyard. Here are some simple tips on how to make a compost pile.

How to Make a Compost Pile

The first obvious question that comes to one's mind is how to start a compost pile. The first step to start a compost pile is to make proper compost pile building plans. Usually one should start with selecting a suitable place for composting. You will definitely find such a place in your backyard, which can be convenient and well hidden from sight.

Though you do not need a bin or a container for making a compost pile, using one can help you to confine it properly to a particular place and thereby keep the surrounding area neat and clean. Using a bin with a lid will also protect your compost pile from flies and other insects. Covering the compost bin with a lid is again the best option to protect it from heavy rain and to maintain the accurate level of moisture required for organic composting. You can either buy it or make a compost bin by using spare pieces of plywood or wire. However the bin should be large, a 3 feet tall, 3 feet wide and 3 ft deep bin is the ideal for the purpose of composting. If you have decided in favor of using a compost bin or container, then make some holes in the bin, on the sides as well as the bottom to facilitate proper ventilation.

Now to make compost, you have to mix two parts of brown or carbon rich material to one part of green or nutrient rich materials. Examples of brown materials are dead or dry leaves and other plant parts, garden debris, wood ash, wood chips, etc, while fresh vegetable wastes, fruit scraps, fresh grass, leaves and other fresh plant parts are the examples of green materials. These green materials are very rich in nutrients, especially in nitrogen. To ensure rapid decomposition of these materials, break them into smaller parts. Then add some garden soil to start the process of organic decomposition. Finally, add some water to the pile to make it moist, as moisture is also essential for decomposition. It is advisable to add water occasionally to the compost pile to maintain an appropriate level of moisture.

Compost Pile Maintenance

Maintaining a compost pile is not very difficult, just make sure that you keep adding dry leaves and kitchen wastes occasionally. Also, stir the materials with the help of a tool at least once in a week. If the smell of your compost pile is too strong, then it indicates an excessive level of moisture. In such a situation, stop adding water and instead, add some more brown material. Applying ammonia can also be helpful in eliminating the smell. Never dump meat, oil, dairy products, weeds and plants on which pesticides or herbicides have been applied, to your compost pile.

It usually takes a period of three months to an year to complete the process of decomposition of organic materials to form compost. When you cannot identify the original material and also the compost no longer heats up, you will know that your compost is ready. But before applying on the plants, make sure all the waste materials have fully decomposed.