Compost piles are feeding centers for billions of microorganisms. While it may be said that inside every gardener is a farmer waiting to get out, in reality every gardener with a compost pile already has a huge number or plants and animals under his or her care, grazing and growing in the midst of the pile.

Compost piles are best thought of an one unit when thinking of care and feeding. We build the pile as the optimum ground for an invisible creature made up of billions of microorganisms and then let nature take its course. Like all creatures, our pile needs food, water and air to survive.

Decay organisms, those things that make compost, need carbon and nitrogen for food. Carbon develops energy and nitrogen builds protein. Most carbon rich materials will generally be brown and dried, like leaves or wood shavings. Nitrogenous materials will usually be green, moist and likely messy. Think of grass clippings and kitchen waste like apple peals and coffee grounds. Most composters do not add meat, grease, fat, cheese or milk products in the compost pile as they may attract pests. On the other hand, these are good nitrogen sources, especially the meat and cheese and may be used if they are well buried in an active pile. It will as always be your decisioin.

For the best results, especially for fast compost, the ideal carbon to nitrogen ratio is about 25 or 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen. If there is too much carbon the pile is slow to heat up and if too much nitrogen the pile loses the extra to the air with a smell of ammonia or other unpleasant odors. When the ratio is just right, the pile will quickly heat up and produce a rich, pleasant smelling compost.

Unless you have a private lab handy, the easiest way to get the best carbon-nitrogen ratio is to guess the amounts by bulk. Usually twice the bulk of carbon material to nitrogen is about right. If you use wood shavings or aged sawdust for your carbon material, a one to one mix is likely better. Quite simply, if the pile does not heat up within 48 hours of mixing, add more nitrogen material. On the other hand, if it smells bad, the next time you build the pile use more carbon material.

Getting air to the outside of the pile is not a problem, there is lots of it surrounding the mound. However, as materials break down the pile settles and it is harder to get air into the center of the pile. While people have come up with ingenious ways to aerate a pile, the simplest is still mixing the pile at regular intervals. Just use a manure fork or a pitch fork to move the pile to one side.

As you do so, mix the material at the top and sides of the old pile to the center of the new. At the same time check for moisture. The pile should feel like a wrung out sponge. If too wet build the pile with a sloping top to slough off rain. If too dry, water it as you turn.

If the pile is a minimum three feet high wide and deep, it will provide its own warmth from the composting action and compost can be yours in as little as two weeks.

About the Author

An avid gardener for over 25 years, Darrell Feltmate brings to Compost Central a wealth of knowledge of making compost for the best garden ever. He has had compost piles over 25 feet long and others in neat bins. Some piles have finished in as little as two weeks. Over the years many shavings from his wood turning have been compost for the garden.