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Building a Compost Heap

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Building

a Compost Heap

 

 

Adapted from Four-Season Harvest, by Eliot Coleman

 

 

SIMPLE SOLUTION: So often, the obvious solution

is right at our fingertips, but it looks so simple that we fail to notice.

Generations of gardeners have consistently come up with the same chain of

logic: a fertile soil is the key to growing garden vegetables; compost is the

key to a fertile soil. The first step in the four-season harvest is learning to

make good compost. It's not difficult. Compost wants to happen.

Pick

a site near the garden so the finished compost will be close at hand. Whenever

possible, place the heap under the branches of a deciduous tree so there will

be shade in hot weather and sunlight to thaw the heap in spring. A site near

the kitchen makes it convenient to add kitchen scraps. Access to a hose is

handy for those times when the heap needs extra moisture. If the site is uphill

from the garden, the heavy work of wheelbarrowing loads of compost will have

gravity on its side.

Build

the compost heap by alternating layers of brown ingredients (such as dried

grass stems, old cornstalks, dried pea and bean vines, reeds, and old hay) with

mostly green ones (young, moist, and fresh materials such as kitchen wastes,

grass clippings, fresh pea vines). Begin with a layer of straw about 3 inches

deep, then add 1 to 6 inches of green ingredients, another 3 inches of straw,

and then more green ingredients. The thickness of the green layer depends on

the nature of the materials. Loose, open material such as green bean vines or

tomato stems can be applied in a thicker (6-inch) layer, while denser material

that might mat together, such as kitchen scraps or grass clippings, should be

layered thinly (1 to 2 inches). These thicknesses are a place for you to start,

but you will learn to modify them as conditions require.

Sprinkle

a thin coverage of soil on top of each green layer. Make the soil 1/2 inch deep

or so depending on what type of green material is available. If you have just

added a layer of weeds with soil on their roots, you can skip the soil to the

compost heap has both a physical and a microbiological effect: physical because

certain soil constituents (clay particles and minerals) have been shown to

enhance the decomposition of organic matter; microbiological because soil

contains millions of microorganisms, which are needed to break down the organic

material in the heap. These bacteria, fungi, and other organisms multiply in

the warm, moist conditions as decomposition is initiated. If your garden is

very sandy or gravely, you might want to find some clay to add to the heap as

the soil layer. As an additional benefit, the clay will improve the balance of

soil particle sizes in your garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goddess Bless!

 

GrannyMoon

 

 

Skype Me! 540-332-2226

 

 

 

 

 

http://GoddessSchool.com

 

 

 

 

 

The GoddessSchool Bookstore

http://astore.amazon.com/ancestordetect08/

 

 

 

 

 

" Do not ask Goddess to guide your footsteps if you are not

willing to move your feet! " ~GoddessSchool

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.10/1160 - Release 11/29/2007

8:32 PM

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