above ground composting

I started another above ground compost pile today. Inspired by Yuki’s  seed-saving blogpost, I decided to record the process.

protect walk-way with tiles & loosen soil,

sprinkle w/ compost

 

water added from my el-cheapo “grey water system” collected from kitchen, shower & compost

 

add breathing tubes: e.g. corn, sunflower, artichoke stalks

extend stalks beyond the pile/ facilitate aeration

cover w/ wet corrugated cardboard, leave spaces for water & worms. Worms are attracted to cardboard.

What not to do:bunch of carrots w/ twist-tie

What not to do: this garbage added from rogue piles; note brush, whole potato, bunch of carrots

Spread kitchen waste as evenly

At least at the end of the day, I cover with a layer of soil to discourage critters.  When dry leaves are not available to alternate with the “green” waste, I use another layer of wet cardboard.

Keep the pile moist.  For one thing, worms need moisture.

I plan to close this pile when it’s about 9 – 12″ high & let it decompose for a few months before planting directly into it.  I’m hoping that the pile I just closed will be ready for potato planting by Jan / Feb.

About these ads