Organic Gardening - Cultivating Your Compost Pile

When it comes to a successful organic garden, compost is the key. Compost adds nutrients in the soil and feed plants to thrive. This is a necessity for organic gardeners.

What is it?

Compost is a word "beautiful" for the degradation of materials. to clippings, leaves and even food security begins to break after a relatively short period of time. The end result is a fertilizer rich in nutrients. This mulch in garden soil mixedmaking it available for plant roots to reach and draw out.

Organic gardening techniques discourage the use of chemical fertilizers to feed plants. Nutrients in the soil are limited, and plants can deplete them quickly. Once the nutrients are gone, plants simply have a difficult time growing, so compost can be used to replenish the nutrients for those plants.

Compost has Layers

The term "compost pile" is a misnomer in a way. Gardeners who just dump anything biodegradable into a pile usually end up with a mess. Instead of having nutrient rich mulch, these gardeners are eventually left with a rotting pile of plants and other less desirable things.

There is something of a science to composting. A productive compost pile needs heat, organisms and the occasional boost of oxygen. Each organic material you add needs to be layered. (Think of these layers sort of like making lasagna.)

Every organic material releases different minerals as it decomposes. Placing the materials in layers allows them to break down without forming concentrated spots that may rot.

Building a Compost Pile

It is fairly easy for a gardener to build their own compost bin. The bin you use will hold the organic material, allowing it to decompose gradually. Bins that are roughly three cubic feet work well. This size is easy to manage but still can do the job it was designed for.

There are all types of compose bin designs. The simplest involves pounding four posts into the ground and wrapping chicken wire around them. There are also commercially made compost bins available in gardening stores. They are fairly expensive but a good choice for a beginner.

Once the compost bin is ready, you can start adding the organic materials. Just about anything is fair game. Dry leaves, grass clippings, shredded paper, animal and food wastes can all be added to form your compost "lasagna" layers. The pile should be rotated every two weeks to speed up the decomposition process.

Organic gardens - like any garden - need to be fed. A compost pile can feed the garden in the most natural way possible. A little carpentry, planning and layering will yield nutrient rich soil that make plants smile.