The leaves have been tumbling down and my Atlanta neighbors, or more accurately, their gardening services have begun bagging the leaves and curbsiding them, an open invitation to initiate compost making. Today, Saturday, was my first early morning sweep and, with 12 full bags secured and tarp covered in the bed of my pickup, I headed north to my farm. After uncooping the chickens, I made my first compost heap of the season.
It is really a quick, relatively painless process (you can find detailed instructions under the tab “Growing organic”). Under the oak tree, where many compost heaps were previously made, I cleared a 6ft square area; opened and spread the contents of two leaf bags; then added a layer of weeds, bramble and vines from areas cleared during the week; then a fork load of finished compost; and then repeated the process several times. In fact, since I started with 12 leaf bags and there were two bags per layer, I had 6 layers of leaves separated by 6 layers of vegetation, intermingled with helpings of finished and semi-finished compost. Because the leaves were dry, I watered continuously with a hose connected to my rainwater storage tank. Earthworms are included in the compost supplements and will migrate from the soil to the heap.
The end product is a dishevelled looking compost pile. As I collect more bags in the coming days I shall continue to build the heap. I shall also revisit the horse stables for manure and add a generous helping of manure to the brew. I also recycle kitchen leftovers such as egg shells, vegetable scraps and coffee grounds, and contributions (poop) from the chicken coop.
In cold conditions I usually cover the top with a tarmac weighted down with stones or lumber, to retain the heat and accelerate the process. For now I shall leave it open since we still have warm days and I want it to receive the benefit of rains. After the heap is fully built up I shall turn it a couple of times with my bobcat and by next April, I should have compost ready to go.
