By Chris Winslow.
It is a gardener’s secret ingredient, known as ‘black gold’ by some. We concoct it from a distinctly unpromising collection of scraps: potato peelings, squishy tomatoes, grass clippings, leaves…. and manure.
It is compost, of course, and some gardeners, with a bit of a Midas touch and a green thumb, are able to nourish their plants and gardens to astounding levels of productivity and beauty.
However it is more a matter of simple care and craft than magic or wizardry. With little effort or expense, you can start using nature’s best soil conditioner, plant food and mulch, and join the compost clan.
Compost works because it feeds the soil by adding beneficial bacteria and micro organisms. If your soil has too much clay in it, compost will help to break it down and make the garden drain better.
If your soil is too sandy, compost will help to retain moisture.
Compost is the key to making plants healthier and harvests more abundant. This means superior vegetables on the kitchen table, better family health, and savings at the grocery store.
If you want to buy ready-made composts, look for ones from organic sources. Some of the best contain farmyard products such as manure and dairy products.
Composted manure is highly effective for soil conditioning, and adds a little fertilizer boost too.
Vegetable-based composts from alfalfa and cotton gin trash are also good. (Be sure your cotton compost comes from cotton that has not been defoliated with arsenic.)
Your plants will also enjoy any composts made from earth worm castings and bat guano.
If you want to start your own compost, pick a site out of view and close to your garden.
To make a permanent compost bin, simply nail together three 4 foot by 4 foot pallets. You can then add compost materials through the open front of this three-sided bin.
To get started, you will need dry leaves and grass clippings. With all leaves falling off the trees right now, this is a great time begin your compost pile. Layer one part grass clippings to two parts dry leaves in the compost bin and mix them together.
Continue this process until the pile is 2 to 3 feet high and 2 to 3 feet wide. Then simply add water and beneficial bacteria from a ‘compost starter’ available at most nurseries.
Within days, the composting process will heat up and will start breaking down the organic matter you have added.
Don’t add meats, disease infected plant material, and weeds with a lot of seeds on them.
The right amount of watering is important to successful compost. Water enough to keep the compost pile damp.
By turning the compost over once a week, the compost should be ready in a couple of months. Compost is finished and ready to turn into the garden when it no longer feels warm and the original ingredients are no longer recognizable.
Happy gardening everyone!
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If you have a question for Chris, send it via email to [email protected]. Or mail a postcard to It’s About Thyme: 11726 Manchaca Road, Austin, TX 78748 www.itsaboutthyme.com
