More Tips on Home Composting

Turning the Heap

The compost heap will need to be turned quite often, to make sure that new and old materials mix, and to move material from the sides of the heap into the centre, where the active decomposition is taking place. Turning also ensures that the material in the process of being composted is kept evenly moist—if the heap seems particularly dry, you might want to add a small amount of water, and then mix it in. Most gardeners turn the heap every four to six weeks—bins may require turning more often; this might of course be tricky in winter, if you live in certain areas, although material can be added to the compost heap, nonetheless.

Compost will be ready when you can no longer identify separate components—it will be a rich, dark material, similar in texture to manure. Compost can be shovelled into a wheelbarrow and then spread directly in the garden.

If you are using a compost bin, it will likely have a removable lid where new materials can be added, and a small hinged door or trap near the ground, where compost can be removed once it is ready. If you have a series of heaps, begin by filling one heap completely, and then move to the second heap. This means that you can have one heap further along in the process, with materials ready to be used, and a separate heap that can receive fresh compostable materials.

Turning the heap ensures the materials are evenly distributed--that everything is getting a chance at being broken down at the hot centre of the heap. Introducing air to the pile by turning it with a fork, spade, or even a large stick means that the pile will be less smelly—something you and any others sharing the space or living nearby will surely appreciate.

Composting in Winter—and a few other tricks for bins and heaps

My mother used to throw kitchen peelings into the compost bucket throughout the winter, then bag them and leave them on the back porch until early spring, when she could get out to the compost bin at the far end of the garden without having to tromp through knee-deep snow.

It is possible to keep a compost going during the winter, however. The larger the heap, the better it is for year-round composting. The centre of a large compost heap can reach a temperature of 160 degrees (70 degrees Celsius) in the spring and summer, so that you need not worry about plant diseases, insect eggs, and so on, being propagated there.

While large heaps are better off during the winter, since they will heat up faster in the spring, a smaller covered bin will retain moisture much more efficiently than the mesh-sided heap. You may want to lay a plastic sheet over your heap if you have added large amounts of dry material such as leaves and dried grasses.

Also, if you are able to layer your compost, it is a good idea to alternate between fruit and vegetable trimmings and materials such as sawdust or dry leaves and grasses, since these tend to dry out the heap, and don’t contain as much nitrogen, which you want evenly distributed in the garden once the composting process has been completed and it is ready to use.