Making Compost

1. Choose a Composting Location

Find a spot in your yard or garden that has good air circulation, a balance of sun and shade and is easily accessible. You can use a compost bin or pile. Bins are tidy but worms cannot get in there and need help.
Piles work better with a shovel or a stick if you have enough space in your garden. Always build a pit from street tiles or hard materials and prevent fences from rotting away or walls or sleepers sucking up moist from your pile.

2. Gather Compostable Materials

Green Materials (Nitrogen-rich)

These are fresh, moist, and rich in nitrogen. They help the compost break down:

>> Fruit and vegetable scraps
>> Grass clippings
>> Coffee grounds
>> Tea bags
>> Manure (from herbivores like cows or chickens)
>> Green leaves
>> Fresh garden waste (like weeds, flowers and soft stems)

Brown Materials (Carbon-rich)

These are dry, woody and high in carbon. They provide structure and balance the compost:

>> Dry leaves,
>> Straw or hay,
>> Shredded newspaper or cardboard
>> Sawdust (from untreated wood)
>> (egg)shells
>> (crushed) wood chips or twigs

Dark and other colorful materials

Calcium / calcium-carbonate / potassium and magnesium-rich:

>> Wood ash
>> Gravel
>> Clay
>> Basalt
>> Chalk
>> Silt
>> Lava meal

and many more mentioned in the list of vineyard soil types.>>>

Wood ash contains small levels of potassium, especially in younger burnt branches, a nutrient that envokes flowering and fruiting. Also traces of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and a few heavy metals are present. Higher temperatures may cause the decomposition of carbonates and the volatilization of sulfur (S), potassium (K) and trace amounts of copper (Cu) and boron (B). Also it is very beneficial if the soil contains some minerals found in these components.

All good soils contain a number of minerals that are essential for plant health. These include calcium which helps to neutralize soil pH levels, iron which is essential for photosynthesis, magnesium which is an important component of chlorophyll, nitrogen which is assimilated in the form of nitrates, phosphates which encourage root development and potassium which improves the vine metabolisms and increases plant health.

3. Layer Your Compost

Start with a layer of coarse materials (like twigs or straw) to help with airflow at the bottom.
Alternate layers of green and brown materials. A good ratio is about 1 part green to 3 parts brown.
This will provide the right mix of nitrogen and carbon for decomposition.
Aim for a pile that is about 3 feet wide and tall as this size retains heat better, which speeds up composting.

4.Moisture and Air

Your compost should be moist, but not too wet. Think of a wrung-out sponge.
If it’s too dry, add some water;
if it’s too wet, add more brown materials. Aeration is key.
Turn the pile every few weeks using a pitchfork or shovel.
This helps oxygen reach the microbes that break down the material and prevents it from becoming compacted.

5. Turn the Pile Regularly

Turn the compost every 3-4 weeks to help speed up the process. If it’s hot and humid, it may break down quicker.
Turning the pile helps keep it aerated and ensures even decomposition.

Decomposing Takes Time

Depending on the conditions of the heap your compost may take anywhere from
2 to 6 months to fully decompose.
You’ll know it’s ready when the pile has shrunk in size, is dark,
crumbly and smells earthy (not sour or rotten).

7. How to Use your Compost

Once your compost is ready you can use it in your garden to improve soil health,
add nutrients and help with moisture retention.
Mix it into the soil, use it as mulch or add it to your flower beds and vegetable gardens.
Soil has three states: solids, liquids and gasses.
Soil is composed of a solid phase of minerals, organic matter (the soil matrix) and a porous phase that contains gases
(the soil atmosphere) and water (the soil solution).

Tips for Successful Composting

>> Shred materials from deeper grounds when they are dry or feed them to the heap after desolving them in water (especially large or hard organic earth materials like: waterplants, clay, silt, bog, peat or algea) to speed up decomposition. Also try to get material from higher grounds like branches, coco peat from coconuts or bark from trees.

>> Balance your greens and browns. Too many greens will make the compost mushy and fungy can occure while too many browns will make it dry and even break down slowly. It is best to mix in some soil or compost to attract those handy worms.

>> Chop up: fruit and vegetable waist, bark, wood, (egg)shells, and other large organic materials to help them break down more easily for the worms to digest. You will get the best vermicompost when lots of worms have decompossed your pile by digesting the scrap. You can even buy them in an (online) store.

>> Maintain the right temperature: the compost pile should ideally reach between 130°F and 160°F (55°C to 70°C).
A plastic light proof cover prevents roots, weed seeds and pathogens from sprouting and breaking out.

>> When working with soil and certainly when using manure, always use gloves, wash hands afterwards, keep animals away from your pile. Cover your pile and let frost rule it’s destiny. Frost kills most bacteria, larve eggs and contaminations which can cause dangerous infestations of Taenia spp. (tapeworms) or other soil pathogens which may cause serious epdemics.
Especially in areas with warmer winter climates.

>> A good tip is to heat up your greenhouse with a pile of compost or in a bin.

Composting is a great way to recycle kitchen and yard waste into something useful for your garden!

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