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No doubt everyone here on Dave’s Garden has heard of compost, most often it is the whispered secret between avid gardeners. You’ve probably had a few of these conversations, when you look in amazement at one of your neighbors gigantic prized tomatoes and ask “how’d you do that?”...they look all around suspiciously then lean in and whisper, “It’s my special compost.”
Making compost is easy to do; in fact nature does it with no help from us. Just take a stroll in a forest near you, and no doubt you'll notice the beautiful soil structure, where the top few inches are amazing, light, fluffy, and give off a wonderful earthy smell. This is all accomplished with a very thin layer of compost, made by nature from dropped leaves, needles, other decaying matter.
So what is this magical black gold? Compost is organic matter that has been decayed and broken down by bacteria, fungus and molds. However there can be a huge difference between types of compost. Most compost is made with equal parts brown and green matter, something like a bag of grass clippings and a bag of fir needles mixed together and left to break down will make about a gallon bucket of finished compost.
My problem was that I didn't have enough brown and green matter to even come close to the amount of compost I use. Hence I bought from the stores for awhile, usually steer compost for about $1 a bag. That got expensive quickly so I found a local bark and gravel place that makes compost from tree trimmings and grass clippings. They sell theirs for $10 a yard, more affordable yet still expensive, especially when it costs $20 to drive to the store. So I kept looking and I found the mother lode of black gold: a horse barn 4 miles down the road had over 100 yards of composted manure piled up around the property. And guess how much? Oh yes it was freeeeee, those of you who have read my previous articles know how I love free. Yes I can already hear the naysayers complaining about the poor quality of horse compost. Yes I am aware of the problems with horse compost, such as weeds, and the fact that most horse barns use cedar shavings in the stalls. The cedar shavings have a chemical that inhibits the growth of nearby plants much like walnuts do. But what if they are fir shavings?
This makes a world of difference. Not only do fir shavings decay much faster than cedar shavings, but they have no growth inhibitors. If your horse barn uses cedar, ask them to try out fir shavings. Fir shavings are cheaper and the end result is much easier to get rid of. And what about the weeds? Just let your compost pile sit longer than usual. I'm fortunate to have a tractor with a front loader so it is easy to roll the pile every couple weeks; the seeds that surface will sprout then get rolled back into the pile. That combined with the fact that the compost is so rich it kills off most sprouts and you now have very cheap good quality compost. I managed to bring home 52 yards last spring with 1 tank of diesel; my average cost was $2 a yard. I use it instead of bark to mulch my flowerbeds, till it into the garden to soften the soil, and as a portion of my potting mixes. I even spread it on the yard instead of fertilizer.
A cautionary note on horse manure: a recent issue of Mother Earth News contained an article entitled "Watch out for killer compost." The article warnsa about a new herbicide released by Dow Chemical called aminopyralid marketed to horse and cattle ranches that takes up to two years to break down in the soil. This chemical is able to pass through an animal and the composting process, and still kill your plants. So make sure your manure source hasn't been sprayed with Confront, Milestone, or Forefront.
No horse barns close by, you say? There are more options.
Let your local landscapers know and they can drop off grass and shrub clippings; utility companies will drop off chips if they are in the area. Every fall in our town, the city lets everyone put fall leaves on the curb for pickup, so pick ‘em up. I like to get a truckload of maple leaves to spread out in the garden to keep the weeds down for winter. You can even ask your neighbors for grass clippings, but consider their chemical fertilizer use since many fertilizers contain weed killers and bug killers mixed in; you don't want those in your garden.
Some municipalities have a compost program where all the leaves and brush picked up in the fall are taken to a collection site, shredded and composted. After it's done composting, they give it away for free, or for a small fee. If your city doesn't have a composting program available, you could try to get them to implement a composting program.
Any coffee shop worth its salt uses a 5-gallon bucket or more of coffee a day, after they're done with it they give away the grounds, which make great compost. Just get a few buckets with lids and offer to pick them up every couple days. They add up quickly, and smell wonderful.
Most towns have a barbershop; all the hair trimmings can be yours for free and makes great compost as well.
If you live near the beach, seaweed makes very good compost complete with every micronutrient your plants need; just rinse off the excess salt. Also near the coast are fish cleaning stations with plenty of guts, heads and skins for free. Go slow with animal parts or you'll have every dog and cat for miles turning your compost pile for you.
Cabinet shops and custom wood shops usually have lots of sawdust free for the taking, just be sure they aren't cedar or walnut (both contain growth inhibiting chemicals).
Local nurseries often have a large trash pile of plants complete with soil free for the taking, but be sure to ask permission and let them know you want it for your compost pile. Some nurseries will not let you have them, as they think any plant you get for free you won't buy from them. I have managed to save a few specimens from the compost pile, but usually they are there for a reason. My favorite is a hart's tongue fern that came back very nicely from near death once planted in a nice shady damp spot.
We have a large nursery just down the road that grows trees for transplanting in logged areas and they give away tons of free dirt knocked from the roots before they ship them.
Moldy hay is often available in spring and once composted is nearly weed free and easy to handle, but you should wear a mask so as to not to breathe the mold spores.
Newspaper and cardboard in small portions also work well as carbon sources (brown material).
If you heat with wood, save your ashes to spread in the garden and mix into your compost pile. Remember to use sparingly, similar to spreading lime on your garden.
Free scraps of wallboard are available at most construction sites; just break into small pieces and toss in the compost bin or till into the garden. An easy way to remove the paper backing is to throw the scraps in a bucket of water for a few minutes and the paper peels right off; and some of the newer wallboard has no paper. Gypsum is the mineral inside drywall and is mostly calcium, but it doesn't raise pH levels as lime would.
For an easy compost bin, all you need is four wood pallets. Screw them together to make a box and fill with your free materials. Make sure you alternate green and brown ingredients in 3- to 6-inch layers until it's full. Throw some high nitrogen fertilizer on top (or hot manure), wet it thoroughly, and in about two months you will have about one-third of a cubic yard of finished compost.
Here is a partial list of compost ingredients and the approximate percentage of nutrients in each.[1]
% Nitrogen
% Phosphate
% Potash
Dry animal manure
2%
1%
1%
Dry chicken manure
3%
1%
1%
Raw bone meal
3%
20%
Processed bone meal
1%
28%
Feathers / hair
10%
Urea
46%
Ureaform
38%
Sulphate of ammonia
21%
Calcium nitrate
15%
Sodium nitrate guano
15%
Rock phosphate
30%
Sulphate of potash
50%
Muriate of potash
60%
Sul-po-mag
22%
Seaweed meal
3%
Enriched compost
2%
1%
1%
Paper/ newspaper
Sawdust/ shavings
Coffee grounds
2%
I included some chemical fertilizers in this chart; sometimes your compost will need a little extra boost. As you can see from the percentages, it doesn't take much. A handful or two will do in most cases. Most materials for compost have low nutrient levels and depending on the mix you may want to bring up one of the levels a bit.
To create a balanced compost you will want to include trace elements. These are available as "fritted trace elements" at most farm stores; around 2% by weight can be added to your finished compost. You also want to add about 2 cups of dolomite limestone and 1 cup of rock phosphate per yard of raw compost.
Vermicompost (aka worm poo) is produced by worms. The beauty of this is that the worms are very quick to reduce fresh green matter into vermicompost. You can find easy to build plans for a worm bin at this website. This bin consists of some storage totes with holes drilled thru them, into which you put in some worms and some fresh green stuff like manure, grass clippings, and the veggies off your kids' plates. You can also use coffee grounds, shredded newspaper and straw or hay in limited amounts.
The main difference between vermicomposting and regular composting is that you don't have to do it all at once; you can add a few inches of organic matter to the worm bin each week and the worms will move from the stuff they've eaten already into the new food. After your bin is full, simply put some fresh food in on top to entice the worms to move to the surface then shovel the top layer into a bucket or extra bin. Once the majority of worms have been moved, you can put the rest of your fresh worm castings into a bucket or trash can for storage. Then start the worm bin from the bottom up with the layer you pulled from the top.
After telling you how to make compost or find it for free, I thought I should warn you about some common mistakes. Even though compost is natural it can burn your plants, I've made this mistake many times. I get carried away using it instead of bark mulch and have burned several plants and killed a few outright. Usually this happens when I put down a 4-inch layer on an existing flower bed, it kills off the weeds and occasionally my plants. To be safe, keep your applications to an inch or less.
I've also made the mistake of over-fortifying my planting holes with compost. A better practice is to mix in a handful of compost in the backfill dirt, then wait for the plant to establish before adding anymore compost. A few exceptions are heavy feeders such as rhubarb and asparagus which love compost. Grapes do not like any compost mixed in the hole and should only be mulched with a small amount. As for an easy way to test your compost is, to plant a couple bean seeds (which will sprout in days.) If they burn, the compost is still too hot for heavy applications. Just mix in some dirt or apply less.
I hope this article gives you some ideas on where to locate compost and compost materials for your garden. Now get composting!
Hello fellow plant nuts, my name is caleb and I love unusual plants. My wife and I bought 6 acres about 6 years ago and I started planting, now Im working on growing enough stock to open a micro nursery specializing in cold hardy tropicals, bamboo, eucalyptus and pretty much what ever else strikes me as an odd plant with appeal. I also love photography, I have no formal training in any of these things but learn quickly. My dayjob as they say is installing and repairing telephone and data networks. hope you enjoy, Caleb
Posted by dianne99 (from Brookville, KS) on January 15, 2009 at 11:30 PM:
Our local compost place gets really upset when people think it should be free, though. All his materials are supplied and he estimates it still costs about $12 per cubic foot to make.
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Subject: JUST SAVED ME A BUNCH OF TIME AND $$$
Posted by cricker13 (from Salem, NJ) on January 13, 2009 at 04:53 PM:
Thanks much for the informative article. You have answered many of my burning questions about Composte and alternate sources.
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Posted by cgarvin (from Cottage Grove, OR) on January 14, 2009 at 12:07 PM:
Glad I could be of help.
Caleb
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Subject: Great article....question....
Posted by DesertRattess (from Phelan, CA) on January 13, 2009 at 12:45 PM:
Hi. I'm fairly new to gardening and composting. I loved your article. In my yard, I have a big pile of vegetable scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds, chicken manure, leaves, old plants with dirt, etc. It's just laying there in a big pile. Every now and then I go out there and turn the pile and water it down. One of these days we'll get some kind of container. I like the pallet idea. Here's a question for Caleb: how can you tell if a plant is "burned" from too much compost? What does it look like? Yellow? Brown? Black? Soft and wilted? Crispy? Thanks again for the great article!
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Posted by cgarvin (from Cottage Grove, OR) on January 14, 2009 at 12:06 PM:
Mine that I know had fertilizer burn turn black, crispy and drop their leaves, but I would imagine that it would depend on the type of plant. I severely burned my katsura tree last spring, all the leaves dropped then about a month later it put out some new leaves, still looked sickly, but Im hoping for a full recovery. Incidentally everything else in that bed responded with lush new growth; so I think katsura is very sensitive to fertilizer.
I hope this helps, also remember the longer your compost sits the less nitrogen will be in it and therefore you can apply more safely. Also if in doubt you can try the bean trick, if it burns then be careful on how much you apply.
Caleb
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Subject: Thanks for a thoughtful article
Posted by CompostR (from south central, PA) on January 12, 2009 at 12:41 PM:
Thanks! I'll be thinking more about where to get compost around my area. Greatly appreciate your great ideas!
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Subject: Excellent and Very Informative
Posted by 1913cat (from Robertsville, MO) on January 07, 2009 at 10:39 PM:
Thank You for this article, I am thinking of building my own compost pile, do you think you can use duck manure? We have lots of that around.
You are also very right about leaves composting in the woods. We cleared out 2 acres of woods for iris and the dirt was unbelieveable, you could actually work the dirt with your hands. Here is a picture of one of the iris growing back there. Just look at the coloring, it is so deep.
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Posted by cgarvin (from Cottage Grove, OR) on January 07, 2009 at 11:21 PM:
duck and chicken manure is great fertilizer, after its been run thru a compost pile. or you can make a pile and let it dry out and till directly into your soil. I usually clean out the chicken coop once a year right before I till, and put it where I will plant the corn patch. that gives the soil a little extra boost and the corn loves it.
very nice iris, hope your compost pile goes well, and remember always be on the lookout for free sources, maybe even put up an add on your local craigslist (www.craigslist.com)
Caleb
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Posted by leaflady (from Hughesville, MO) on January 07, 2009 at 11:29 PM:
Cat, we raised ducks & geese in with the chickens for years and had no problems with the manure. We used leaves, softwood shavings, cedar shavings, & this year some finely shredded paper from some offices for bedding. The leaves are dark and black snakes love to hide in them in the summer. That is why we switched to the wood shavings & shredded paper. The light color provides no camoflague and the snakes are readily visible so they stay out of the birdhouse. No more lost baby chickens or pigeons or eaten eggs. Of course white shower paneling on the walls from floor to 8' up on the walls which happens to be where the rafters begin helps make slithering up the walls more difficult and again, it is white..
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Posted by 1913cat (from Robertsville, MO) on January 08, 2009 at 07:43 AM:
Thank You for the advice, I just do not want to have to much nitrogen, too much will cause iris to rot. So I did not know what duck manure would do, you never hear about it, just horse, cow, and chicken.
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Posted by leaflady (from Hughesville, MO) on January 08, 2009 at 09:08 AM:
I hope you noticed that the manure was mixed with other materials that require nitrogen to break them down. I wouldn't put my bird house cleanings directly on an iris bed without lstting them set & 'cool' for a few weeks. I practice 'deep bedding' in the birdhouse and they are free range birds. So the concentration of manure may not be as high as yours.
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Posted by 1913cat (from Robertsville, MO) on January 08, 2009 at 09:46 PM:
Oh no I would never do that, I would definately mix and let it set for at least a year.
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Subject: I wonder...
Posted by robcorreia (from San Diego, CA) on January 07, 2009 at 06:53 PM:
That was a very informative article, thank you!
Something I always wondered....I know in nature fallen leaves generate the "natural compost". But, where does the "green" matter come from? I would think green leaves wouldn't fall on the forest floor like brown ones do...
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Posted by 1913cat (from Robertsville, MO) on January 07, 2009 at 10:43 PM:
You would be surprised what squirrels do over the years russtling around in the trees or storms blowing things down. He is correct though, plants do so very well in that kind of soil and it is much easier on the hands, the dirt just crumbles.
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Posted by cgarvin (from Cottage Grove, OR) on January 07, 2009 at 11:47 PM:
dont forget the mosses. but in reality you can make compost from only brown matter, it just takes longer and doesnt have the higher nutrient values we associate with "compost"
caleb
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Posted by 1913cat (from Robertsville, MO) on January 08, 2009 at 07:55 AM:
Caleb,
I have moss that grows around my iris, how would that do? It sure keeps the weeds down, but wondering if it cuts the oxygen off from the iris? Or does it actually send oxygen to the roots? I do have to till around them.
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Posted by cgarvin (from Cottage Grove, OR) on January 08, 2009 at 12:01 PM:
I love moss as a groundcover, as far as I know its porous enough to readily allow air exchange. Moss is also an indicator for acidic soil, but my iris do great in acid soil. One other point, plants put off oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis, so they shouldn't have any problems getting it to the roots.
Caleb
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Posted by robcorreia (from San Diego, CA) on January 08, 2009 at 01:37 PM:
Very interesting info!
I love moss....I've tried it a few times but it just won't grow in my garden...
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Posted by cgarvin (from Cottage Grove, OR) on January 09, 2009 at 11:56 AM:
as far as I know the soil in So California tends to be alkaline, moss likes a soil ph of 4-5, yours is probably around 8, you could try putting down a couple bags of peat moss and a bug of sulfur; let it sit for awhile then test your ph and see if its low enough to plant some mosses on. One other idea you can try is growing on rocks, just make sure they aren't limestone or any of the lighter volcanic rocks, granite and basalt works well. Ive heard (not tried) that if you put some moss and buttermilk in a mixer and blend well then paint on the rocks where you want it to grow, it will sprout new moss in a few weeks. remember to keep well watered.
Caleb
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Posted by robcorreia (from San Diego, CA) on January 09, 2009 at 01:46 PM:
Caleb, I did try the blender thing with moss and beer, didn't work at all! You're right, my soil is probably too alkaline for moss...although my azaleas seem to be doing ok in that same area of the garden, they're probably more tolerant!
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Posted by wachovec (from Chillicothe, OH) on April 20, 2009 at 08:54 PM:
Yes, I saw on a garden show how they put moss and butter milk in the blender. I do not think beer could be exchanged.
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Subject: Great article
Posted by Hemophobic (from Kannapolis, NC) on January 07, 2009 at 08:42 AM:
Caleb: Enjoyed your article on composting tremendously. Good stuff in there!
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Posted by nanny_56 (from Putnam County, IN) on January 07, 2009 at 09:37 AM:
I have had my DH sooo close to making me a compost bin a couple of times...then he worries that people will think it is ugly. We are in a ruural type area for pete sakes!!
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Posted by Hemophobic (from Kannapolis, NC) on January 07, 2009 at 10:14 AM:
Nanny: They're so simple to make! DH and I took a composting class at our local landfill back in November and it finally made a convert of DH. I'd been wanting one, too, and DH always poo-poo'd it. Well, we now have one cooking and I'm looking forward to spring when I hope to have some black gold to spread around.
Contact your local county extension office and see if there's something like this class available in your area and sign up! He'll see the light, I think.
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Posted by duchessdreams (from Reno, NV) on January 07, 2009 at 04:28 PM:
What a great artical! Thank you for ideas on some new matterial sources. My DH worried about setting one up too. Now he's fasinated by it:)
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Posted by KaperC (from No. San Diego Co., CA) on January 07, 2009 at 04:43 PM:
Great info. I like all the little tips about sources, a few I hadn't thought of.
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Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on January 07, 2009 at 05:05 PM:
Very informative article, Caleb...thank you so much.
Sharon
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Posted by Pamgarden (from Central, VA) on January 07, 2009 at 05:36 PM:
What a timely, informative, and entertaining article. My neighbors just brought their horse home after having boarded it out for a couple of years. My eyes lit up when they said "help yourself to all the horse poop you want". I was wondering how long to wait before bringing it over to my rather small compost pile. I guess it would be just as well to leave it there to further aging??? I never thought about weed seeds, but their horse is grazing on the same grass we have. I'll have to ask for a tour of their new barn to see whether they are using cedar or fir shavings. They are meticulous and I can see that they love their horse like a member of the family, so they probably provide only the best for it. I'll be rereading your article so I can retain the information. I never would have thought I'd have this much interest in the subject.
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Posted by Hemophobic (from Kannapolis, NC) on January 07, 2009 at 07:40 PM:
Pam: Just let your neighbors know that fir shavings are better than cedar (you don't have to say for what☻)!
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Posted by cgarvin (from Cottage Grove, OR) on January 07, 2009 at 11:39 PM:
nanny, if you orient the pallets with the slats up and down it looks like a picket fence. if you slap a little paint on it even more so.
pam , fir shavings are cheaper and break down quicker and smell almost as good as cedar (before they are mixed with poop of course). maybe if you tell your nieghbors they will have no problem getting rid of the poop pile they would be willing to switch to fir.
A picture of my automatic grasshopper removal and composting machine being chased by my automatic lawnmower with compost pellet spreader option.
Caleb
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Posted by Bookerc1 (from Mackinaw, IL) on January 08, 2009 at 12:28 AM:
I laughed out loud at your description of the picture! Very clever!
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Posted by leaflady (from Hughesville, MO) on January 08, 2009 at 09:16 AM:
I love the picture & description!!
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Posted by Hemophobic (from Kannapolis, NC) on January 08, 2009 at 10:21 AM:
cgarvin: hilarious description of your sheep and chicken
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Posted by nanny_56 (from Putnam County, IN) on January 08, 2009 at 02:59 PM:
LOL...at the pic!!
I had him so close last winter...told him we could fix it up and no one would even know what it was. I will get him pushed over that hump eventually! lol
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Posted by leaflady (from Hughesville, MO) on January 08, 2009 at 04:45 PM:
Women arise! Learn to use that drill, buy a new cordless drill/driver for yourself if you have to. I love my Blk. & Decker 12V Swivel one. It cost about $40 I think including taxes. Don't hold me to that price, I've had it for about 3 years. Get busy and show some determination and independence by doing these small projects yourself when 'he' is dragging his feet. If I had waited for my DH to do things for me most of my projects would never have been done.
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Posted by Hemophobic (from Kannapolis, NC) on January 08, 2009 at 08:36 PM:
You go, Leaflady! I agree. The surest way to get DH to do something is for me to start hunting my tools.
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Posted by nanny_56 (from Putnam County, IN) on January 09, 2009 at 07:39 PM:
You know...that is so true Hemophobic! I had a set of my own screw drivers ...he lost them all. Then his parents got me a cordless screwdriver and he broke that. Could this be a pattern????
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Posted by Hemophobic (from Kannapolis, NC) on January 09, 2009 at 08:37 PM:
It's a man thing. I have my own tools and DH uses mine because he can never find his! Now, of course, I have to hunt for mine, because he misplaces them, too!
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Posted by leaflady (from Hughesville, MO) on January 09, 2009 at 11:48 PM:
When I got my tools I made it very clear I had better never find them in the garage uless I took them there. You see, DH had a couple large tool chests filled with hundreds of good and often expensive tools. Tools are not something we believe in scimping on so off brands were seldom purchased. I bought tools to suit myself not him so most of the time he was seldom interested in mine unless they had a feature he decided he liked.
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Posted by Hemophobic (from Kannapolis, NC) on January 10, 2009 at 09:25 AM:
Good for you, Leaflady! Wish I had done the same.
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Posted by leaflady (from Hughesville, MO) on January 10, 2009 at 10:16 AM:
Having my own tools also prevented me from taking his tools and losing them which I have been known to do more than once in our long marriage. But there had been times when he took 'house' tools to the garage & didn't return them leaving me without even screwdrivers or a hammer to work with. I use to hide the hammer in my knife drawer but if I left it laying out he would claim it. A wrapping of duct tape on the handle made it clear whose it was.
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Posted by Pamgarden (from Central, VA) on January 10, 2009 at 02:26 PM:
Caleb, I laughed out loud at that picture! I wish I had a ewe and a chicken, but they'd have to live under the deck, as we have no outbuildings (sigh).
Leaflady, You struck a cord. DH is one of the finest DH's around, but he does respond better if I start to do a task myself rather than nagging him to do it. I'm getting my own tools. I have a rounding over bit I received as a Christmas present about 5 years ago. It's still in the original packaging. I need to get it out.
Pam
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Posted by leaflady (from Hughesville, MO) on January 10, 2009 at 03:23 PM:
Nanny, going back thru the postings I ran across yours again. Either you have a man who doesn't take care of anything that doesn't belong to him or he is intimadated by your independence. Get a reasonable size tool box/chest that is lockable or has a hasp that you can put a padlock on. Keep it locked at all times, even when you are using a tool so he can't get into it at all. Never let him use a tool by himself. Be there at all times and preferably do the work yourself so he can't break the tool while using it. Never leave a tool out of the toolbox or lay it down when he is around. This may mean you have to also get an apron or tool belt to wear. Put the toolbox somewhere out of sight and hopefully out of his mind. Confront him about his actions and let him know it will no longer be tolerated(I know this will be impossible in some marriages without severe consequences). If possible, do the work when he isn't around. This way, he may never know you have your own tools because he will think you are using his unless you use one he doesn't have.
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Posted by nanny_56 (from Putnam County, IN) on January 10, 2009 at 03:58 PM:
LOL!!! leaflady, you...are...good!!
He would be the first type!! Not long ago they were showing an ad about some car that cost like $60,000 or more. He made some remark about getting one( we can't really afford it no way) but I told him there was no way I would let him get a car that cost that much because he doesn't take care of his stuff! Should have seen the look I got...LOL!!!
