How To Make The Best Compost – Survival Gardener

Managing the Decay Process

You can affect the speed of the composting process and the quality of the compost product by managing the factors described below.
Food (raw materials). For fast composting, the initial mix must have the proper moisture and air content, and organic materials that provide a rich food (energy) source for bacteria. A list follows of some materials commonly used in making compost. They are separated into “energy” materials, “bulking agents,” and “balanced” materials.

Compost Raw Materials Table

Bulking agents
(low moisture, high porosity, low nitrogen)
• wood chips
• sawdust
• grass hay
• wheat straw
• corn stalks
Energy materials
(high moisture, low porosity, high nitrogen)
• grass clippings
• fresh dairy, chicken or rabbit manure
• fruit and vegetable waste
• garden trimmings
Balanced raw materials
(low to medium moisture, medium porosity, medium nitrogen)
• Ground tree and shrub trimmings
• Horse manure and bedding
• Deciduous leaves
• Legume hay

Energy materials provide the nitrogen and high-energy carbon compounds needed for fast
microbial growth. If piled without bulking agents, these materials usually are too wet and dense to allow much air into the compost pile. When you open the pile, it will have a foul, “rotten egg” smell.
Bulking agents are dry, porous materials that help aerate the compost pile. They are too low in moisture and nutrients to decay quickly on their own.
Balanced raw materials Some raw materials contain a balance of energy and bulking agent
properties. These materials will compost readily without being blended with other ingredients. Examples include horse manure mixed with bedding, spoiled alfalfa hay, and deciduous leaves. These materials are handy for ensuring the success of hot compost piles.

TIP: Grinding, cutting, smashing, or chopping raw materials reduces particle size.
Small particles have more surface area for microbial activity and are easier to mix.

Temperature: The pile must be big enough to hold heat. A hot pile decays much faster than a cold pile. Small piles are usually colder, because they have small cores that hold less heat. Small piles also dry out faster. A pile of about one cubic yard is big enough for year-round composting, even in cold-winter areas.

Moisture:
All materials in the pile must be moist, but not soaking wet. The mixed material
should feel moist, but you should not be able to squeeze water out of it with your hands. At dry times of the year, you may need to add water. In rainy winter locations, a pile may not heat up unless you cover it to keep out rainwater. Check moisture when you turn the pile.
Aeration The microorganisms responsible for fast decomposition need oxygen. In the pile,
oxygen is consumed by microbes. The pile needs to be porous to pull outside air into it. Use enough bulking agents to create a porous pile.

Aeration:
As the pile decomposes, it settles, reducing aeration.  Turning the pile or adding bulking agents improves aeration.

Microorganisms:
Raw materials used to form a compost pile usually contain all the microorganisms needed to make compost. You do not need to add soil or compost starters with “special”
microorganisms. The best source of microorganisms (if needed) is finished compost.
Nutrients. Just like people, microorganisms need nutrients (such as nitrogen, phosphorus,
sulfur) to grow and reproduce. These nutrients occur in the raw materials used in the compost mix. Additional fertilizer from any source (organic or inorganic) usually is not needed.  Compost additives such as blood meal and bone meal are simply organic fertilizers; they do not contribute anything magic to the compost pile.
Let nature do its work!