“You want to introduce air and water into the compost pile to encourage decomposition,” says Master Gardener Tim Baland.
A good compost pile is a combination of nitrogen and carbon. It’s all about helping speed up a natural decomposition process with layers of straw, yard waste like leaves and grass, and organic food waste. Adding a bit of fertilizer between each layer can help, and then water from the top down.
“Because these are mainly carbon sources, I’ll add some fertilizer to give it some nitrogen, says Baland. “The water will work its way down the pile, through the different layers of material and help to activate the fertilizer we put on there.”
Then you wait for Mother Nature to do her job. It could take two years before this stack is ready to use in the garden. You can speed it up further by turning the compost occasionally, or even using a drill with a big auger to let in more air.
“This is a way of reducing your waste and turning what you normally put in the trash can into something you can actually use, says Baland.”
Baland says there’s nothing wrong with composting in a big pile, nature does it all the time. But putting it in stacks will keep you back yard a little neater, and give you more control.
