Faster Compost – How to Speed Up Your Compost Pile

Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 6:00 am

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Almost every gardener is aware of the many benefits of composting, but too often are challenged to make compost quickly enough for their needs. Here are some tips to getting your garden compost bin working faster.

For most of us there is no such thing as too much compost. gardeners know that composting is great for a lot of reasons. It improves the tilth of the soil, which improves drainage while allowing the soil to retain water better in hot weather. It buffers the pH of the soil, reducing that acidity of soils that are too acid, and reducing the alkalinity of alkaline soil. Sifted compost is a good seed starting medium, great for those small seeds like carrots.

While the exact ratio of high carbon to high nitrogen materials doesn’t have to be exact, it does help to make sure that we don’t have too much of one or the other. Avoid using all one type of compost material like leaves or lawn clippings. Ratios will vary , but an even mixture of green and brown materials will keep most compost piles heating up well.

The smaller the pieces of material going into your composter the faster it will compost. This reduces the amount the material needs to be broken down, and improves the effectiveness by exposing the insides of the material. Cut up large pieces with a pruner if necessary, use a lawn mower to break down large piles. You may want to buy a electric chipper shredder to do a thorough job.

A batch approach works best for fast compost. Once you have a pile working, start another pile or keep your kitchen waste in a kitchen compost container. You may want to have a smaller bin on the patio, and transfer the contents to a larger working bin in the yard for the fast composting.

To get compost the fastest, it’s necessary to turn the bin or pile every day or so. This has the dual advantage of bringing fresh composted material into the hotter center of the pile, while improving the air flow throughout the pile as well, refreshing the oxygen supply to the microbial activity in the hot middle of the pile.

The ideal moisture level is a pile that is like a damp cloth. Don’t let it get too much water, which can cause a smelly slimy mess, and conversely too little water can lead to an inactive compost pile. This leads to the need to make sure you can keep water from getting in during times of heavy rains. Try a few of these tips and turbocharge your composter this season.