Compost

For some reason, I've always been infatuated with compost.  The idea of taking plant material, piling it up, and it turns into dirt has amazed me from the time I was a kid until now.  I remember gathering grass clippings as a kid, shredding them, and turning them weekly, always in shock at the heat generated in the middle of the pile.  On our 4 acre homestead, I have 3 compost bins that are 5x5x4.  That is big enough for me to turn the compost with my front loader and to hold all of the compost we have.  We moved onto an old pony farm and the barn hadn't been cleaned out for several years.  I still have a large 40x10 stall clean out and put into the bins (which will require me to build a 4th bin).

Anyway, compost has been on my mind.  Yesterday I cleaned out 1/2 of my boxes from last year, taking the old, dry plants to the bins and layering with loads of manure from the barn.  I don't own a chipper/shredder yet, mainly because new ones cost way too much, so I'm waiting to find one at an auction.

With the rainy season in Western PA upon us, this is the perfect time to get the new compost working and by layering the dry material with the manure and sawdust from the barn, it should all break down nicely by summer.  I have 100 cu. ft. of compost ready to go for the year, so this new batch can work for an entire year before being put into use.  Frankly, I like the longer wait time as it allows the seeds to break down and there aren't as many weeds when it is used. Once we get our rabbits, their manure will contribute to the compost and by next year I'll have 100 cu.ft. of black gold.

For anyone that is getting into gardening, I can't emphasize enough the benefit of composting.  You are going to have vegetables that are unusable, grass clippings, leaves, kitchen waste, and your spent plants.  Rather than throw all of that out, start a compost bin and turn that into nutrients for your garden next year.  The results from that black gold far surpasses what I've ever gotten from dirt + fertilizer.  As a matter of fact, last year I had 6 foot high pepper plants and more than enough produce without using any fertilizer at all.

Happy composting.