Organic Compost Pile Article

Home
Compost Tumblers Article
Kitchen Compost Container Links
Privacy Policy
Sitemap

A Few Don'ts for Your Compost

While you can allow your compost pile to degrade naturally, or increased, the decomposing process by watering and turning a bit, turning your compost pile too often isn't going to allow the heat to build up naturally, allowing the decomposing process to continue. Drying leaves, dried grass clippings, or other dry composting products are not going to degrade. So make sure you don't turn your compost pile too frequently, and make sure you water it just enough so it's moist at all times without saturating it or drowning it.

Make sure that you have plenty of nitrogen in your compost pile. Without nitrogen, again no heat will build up, slowing down the disintegration process, allowing your compost to blow away in the wind. You might try adding grass clippings to increase the nitrogen content, or even possibly a bit of blood meal. Anything that adds nitrogen to the pile is going to help the disintegration or decomposing process.

If you notice that you're constantly smelling an ammonia type odor, there's a chance you have too much nitrogen in your compost. This is when you're going to need to add carbonaceous wastes. The same can be sad if you have a rotten egg odor, there's a good chance your pile is too saturated with water, and it's filled up the air pockets, keeping oxygen from the pile itself.

Many people will add meat scraps to their compost pile, but if you have animals around there's a good chance your compost pile is going to be dug up. If you must add meat scraps or other edible food into your compost pile, dig it down very deep so the smell does not attract the animals in the neighborhood.

Also, believe it or not, don't add the contents of your litter box to your compost pile. Cat waste can harbor a microorganism by the name of toxoplasmosis. This is a disease that actually attacks people's central nervous system, while not too bad for adults, the disease can be very bad for the elderly or infants. The same can be said for sewage sludge to add it to your compost pile, heavy metals included in the sludge can actually enter the food chain through your garden and be extremely dangerous to people

There are plenty of things you can add to your compost pile that won't cause problems, just make sure that if you're not sure what to add, you do your research and make sure compost pile is safe.

Leave a comment | View Comments

CompostOven Recommended Products

Videos

Organic Compost Pile News

Mother Earth News Finds Compostable Packaging Claims Half-Baked

Topeka, Kan. (Vocus) -- With more companies marketing plant-based bioplastic packaging as“100-percent biodegradable,” http://www.MotherEarthNews.com [Mother Earth News], the leading...

Compost happens

On a request from a friend, I am writing the next couple of columns on a trendy, new topic — which is actually older, by far, than any of us who are reading this — composting.

Jody Scheckter: From Formula One to life in the slow lane

Being told to "belt up" barely 10 minutes into an interview would normally bode badly but Jody Scheckter means well enough. The one-time enfant terrible of motor racing knows better than most what happens when he steps on the gas and he is not taking any chances. It's hardly Monza, but I swear the needle hits 60 as the grass blurs outside my window.

Sharon Hull, This Week in the Garden: Autumn's here, so it's time for some tasks

The yellowing big leaf maple and cottonwood leaves have put us on notice that autumn is arriving. With the urgency of summer gardening over, we can now turn our attention to some satisfying tasks.

The West at a glance

Gardening and cooking enthusiasts are invited to attend free classes offered by two organizations that support the new community garden on the grounds of the Sisters of St. Joseph, 1020 State St., Baden.