By Mike Raley

One of the most economical and practical things you can do for your landscape plants and vegetable garden is to start a compost pile. We’ve discussed the subject fairly often on the “WPTF Weekend Gardener” over the last 40 years.

The first step is to find a relatively shady, well-drained location in your backyard. You can buy a ready-made bin of plastic or wood from a local nursery or create your own. A wire cylinder 3 to 4 feet in diameter will work, or you can build a three-sided box that’s 4 to 5 feet high and wide. To start your compost pile, add a 6-inch layer of “brown” organic matter to the bottom of the container. Then add a 2- to 3-inch layer of “green” organic matter. Possible additions include hay, straw, pine needles, leaves, kitchen scraps (eggshells, old bread, vegetable and fruit scraps), cow, chicken, or turkey manure, old vegetables, flowers, trimmings from trees and shrubs, sawdust, wood chips, and weeds.

Not all organic matter is suitable for the compost pile. Avoid adding kitchen scraps like meat, oils, fish, dairy products, and bones, as they attract unwanted animals, such as rats and raccoons. Weeds that have gone to seed or spread by their roots, diseased or insect-infested vegetable or flower plants, and herbicide-treated grass clippings should also be avoided. A properly constructed compost pile will heat up to a fairly high temperature; while “hot compost piles” kill many diseases, weed seeds, and insects, it’s not guaranteed. Some of these unwanted guests may survive and invade your garden again. What you put in the compost pile is up to you—just remember that it needs to be organic material.

Once your compost pile is started with a layer of brown and green organic matter, repeat the layering process, watering each layer as you go, until the pile fills the bin and reaches a height of 4 to 5 feet. Don’t forget to water, but avoid making your pile soggy. The compost pile needs moisture to heat up and “cook.” Keep in mind that a smaller pile won’t heat up well, and a larger pile can be difficult to turn. Within a couple of days, blend the layers together thoroughly. Cover the pile with a tarp to keep rain out and preserve moisture. Dig into the pile about one foot to check if it’s moist. If it’s not, water the pile thoroughly. When you build the pile with moist ingredients like kitchen scraps, initial watering may not be necessary. Turn the pile when it cools down. Using a garden fork, remove the outside layers and set them aside. Move the inside layers to another pile, then switch their positions, placing the outside layers in the center of the new pile and the inside layers along the outside. Keep turning the pile regularly. Compost needs air, and turning it helps break it down and prevents unpleasant smells.

After two to three turnings, you should have finished compost. The finished product should be cool, crumbly, dark-colored, and have an earthy smell, similar to good, rich soil. The time required to fully compost materials varies from six weeks to one year, depending on pile type, temperature, moisture content, and aeration. You’ll enjoy this project, and your garden will thank you. If it really thanks you, call the show and tell us about it!