Updated

March 2012

C OMPOSTING
Eternal Seed, 2309 Zilinsky Road, Powell River, BC V8A 0N8
www.eternalseed.ca, edecas@travel-net.com, 604 487-1304

Getting Started
Compost will decompose whether you have a fancy
bin, container or just a pile on the ground. Simple
piles work well but some people prefer containers
because they look neater, or because it is easier to
shield them from marauding pests or pets.

Inside
Getting Started

What to Compost

Managing Your COmpost

Hot Compost VS Cold Compost

Mushroom Compost

Composting Problems

Containers can be simple or fancy. A composting

station can be made from old lumber or pallets, mesh
fencing or cinder blocks. Some of our municipalities
offer composters at reduced rates in order to promote
composting.
For hot compost, each bin should be at least sixtenths of a cubic yard - or about two to three feet
wide, two to three feet high, and three feet deep.
This will allow the pile to be big enough to retain
heat.

cubic yards in volume.

Keep the pile moist, but not wet.

Cover the pile in wet winter weather or dry, hot

summer weather.

Avid composters often have three bins, two for

turning and one for curing compost.

Turn the pile once a week or use a compost

aerating tool to aerate it, if you can.

To construct a hot pile combine two parts by volume

of bulk material such as wood chips, sawdust, hay,
wheat straw or corn stalks with one part energy
source such as grass clippings, fresh dairy, chicken or
rabbit manure, fruit and vegetable waste or nonwoody garden trimmings.

Compost ingredients have their own

microorganisms. There is no need to add starters or
soil. Add a handful of bagged nitrogen fertilizer
every couple of layers if you want to help heat it up.

Some other hints for a hot compost pile:

Keep the size of the raw materials put into a

compost to no greater than 1 inch in diameter.

Mix the types of raw materials, rather than

layering them.

A large pile holds heat better than a small pile.

For hot compost, make the initial pile at least .6

If you cannot get the pile to heat, thats okay, it will

still break down, but more slowly than hot compost.
Weed seeds and disease organisms may not all be
killed but you will still have compost eventually.

Composting

Page 2

What to Compost
Good composting materials include leaves, grass
clippings, corn husks, pea hulls and fine twigs from
trees and shrubs. Don't use plant material from diseased
plants.
When you're gathering up fallen leaves around your
yard in the fall, remember to put those leaves to good
use by raking them into the garden or compost pile.
The leaves hold down weed growth, add organic matter
when rototilled under in the spring, and leaves protect
garden soil from compaction caused by rainfall.
Thicker layers will add more organic matter. However,
whole leaves decompose slowly and prevent the soil
from drying to permit spring preparation. Composting
the leaves lets them decompose more quickly, but the
composting process takes time.

Some discarded plant materials are not recommended

for use in mulch or compost. For example, mulches
that include diseased plant refuse or plant material
treated with herbicides may hurt plants more than help
them. Remove diseased or herbicide treated plant
material from the landscape.
Always compost leaves before using them as a mulch.
Raw leaves are flat and may keep water from entering
the soil. Walnut leaves decompose slowly and contain
a growth-inhibiting substance. Avoid making walnut
leaves more than one-fourth of any quantity of mulch
or compost.
The two-bin method of making compost is the most
effective. While one batch of compost is decomposing,
the other can be ready for use.

Managing Your Compost

Make Your Own Bin
Construct compost bins by attaching ordinary wire
fence or boards to solid posts or blocks. Make each bin
four to six feet high, three to five feet wide, and
whatever length desired. Make one side of the bin
removable so compost material can be added and
removed easily. Use a temporary piece of wire fence to
increase the height of the bin by about two feet in the
late fall. After the additional material settles, remove
the fence extension.
Building the Pile
Build the compost pile by filling one bin with alternate
layers of organic material (alternating layers of leaves
and clippings, and soil or manure) six to 12 inches thick
and garden soil about one inch thick. Add a half cup of
a fertilizer high in nitrogen, such as ammonium sulfate,
per square yard of compost material as each layer of
organic material is put in.
Moisten the material thoroughly and repeat the layering
process until the bin is full or all available material is
used.
Pack the material lightly in the center, but tightly
around the edges. This allows the center to settle
preventing water from running off the pile. Ventilate
sides and tops of the pile to allow air penetration, but
not so much that the pile loses heat needed for
decomposition.

Turning the compost periodically will keep

decomposition going at a steady rate. Leaves
composted this fall should be turned early next May.
Fork the material from one bin to another with the
material's drier outside portion placed in the center of
the bin. Turn the material again in about three to five
weeks for the final composting. It should be ready by
mid-summer.
Healthy Compost?
A healthy compost pile ensures composting success.
Sick compost piles are the result of several problems
that slow down the decomposition process.
These problems include not enough mixing and
shredding of leaves and other composting materials,
and improper covering and ventilation of the pile.
Rapid decomposition of raw organic materials occurs
when you have the right amount of heat, moisture, air
and rottable material, along with adequate bacteria and
fungi to do the job.
When starting your compost pile, remember that it
should be easy to turn and stir the contents. Shred the
large leaves and coarse stems so they will readily
decompose. A mixture of soft green grass clippings,
leaves and pruned twigs gives a balanced diet for the
organisms that do the breaking down."

Composting

Page 3

Hot Compost VS Cold Compost

If you are like most folks, you probably wonder whether
your compost pile is really "working" or not. It probably is,
but the more relevant question might be, are you "fast" or
"slow" composting?

optimal hot composting, particles should be

from one-eighth to one-half inch in diameter.
*

Mix the types of raw materials, rather than

layering them.

A large pile holds heat better than a small pile.

For hot composting, make the initial pile at least
a cubic yard in volume.

If you have a slow or cold compost pile, one

that decomposes slowly and doesn't generate
much heat, then avoid putting in diseased plants
and perennial weeds such as bindweed, sheep
sorrel, and grasses with rhizomes, or they may
resprout and grow. Keep seed heads of weeds
out of the pile as well. Or, be prepared for more
weeding in the garden.

Slow compost piles that don't get very hot are

great for composting leaves, shrub trimmings
and vegetable waste. Adding other materials to
the pile may limit your options for finished
compost.

It is best to keep manure out of a home compost

pile that is not intensively managed.

Energy materials, sometimes called "green materials"

provide the nitrogen and high-energy carbon compounds
needed for fast microbial growth. They include grass
clippings, fresh dairy, rabbit or chicken manure, fruit and
vegetable waste and garden trimmings. If piled without
bulking agents, energy materials are too wet and dense to
allow much air into the compost pile. If you have too many
energy materials, you may detect a rotten egg smell.

You can't be assured that microorganisms in

manure that can cause human disease are killed
unless you carefully monitor pile temperatures.
To be certain of pathogen kill, the pile must
reach temperatures greater than 130 degrees,
and the pile must be turned often. Turning the
pile moves the cooler material on the edges of
the pile into the center where it is hottest.

Some raw materials contain a balance of energy and

bulking agent properties. These can be ground up tree and
shrub trimmings, horse manure and bedding, deciduous
leaves and legume hay. They will compost readily by
themselves, and can be added to an existing pile to ensure
the success of a hot compost pile.

You need about five turns during the hot

composting phase to assure pathogen kill. .
After each turn, temperatures greater than 130
degrees for three days are needed to kill human
disease causing organisms. If you do apply
partially composted manure to the garden, be
prepared to manage the garden differently.

Planting root crops like carrots and potatoes,

and crops whose edible part contacts the soil,
such as lettuce, in a part of the garden without
manure applied. If there's a question about
pathogen transfer via manure application,
careful washing or peeling will remove most of
the pathogens responsible for disease. Thorough
cooking is even more effective at killing

Fast or hot compost is created by manipulating the decay

process to make it process quickly.
You do this by balancing food, water and air in the
compost pile to favour the growth of high temperature
microorganisms. A byproduct of their activity is heat.
A hot compost pile can heat rapidly to 120 to 150 degrees
F, he said. The advantage of high temperature composting
is that weed seeds and disease organisms are killed, while
many beneficial fungi called mycorrhizae are not killed.
Once the hot phase is completed, lower temperature
creatures such as worms, insects and other organisms can
complete the decay process.
To construct a hot compost pile, home gardeners will need
a combination of bulking agents and energy materials.
Bulking agents, sometimes called "brown materials" are
dry, porous materials that help aerate the compost pile.
They can be such things as wood chips, sawdust, grass hay,
wheat straw and corn stalks.
They are too low in moisture and nutrients to decay quickly
on their own.

To construct a hot pile combine two parts by volume

bulking agents with one part energy source. Some other
hints for a hot compost pile:
*

Chop your raw materials into small pieces. For

Composting

Page 4
pathogens on garden crops.
* Keep the pile moist, but not wet.
* Turn the pile once a week to aerate it.
* Compost ingredients have their own
microorganisms. There is no need to add
starters or soil. Some compost mixtures need
supplemental nitrogen. Add nitrogen if your
pile has mostly fibrous woody material.
* Keep human, pig, dog and cat manure out of
your compost pile
The best advice regarding what to compost is
probably, 'When in doubt, keep it out,'
Avoid composting chemically treated wood products,
such as sawdust from chemically-treated wood. For
example, pressure treated wood may contain toxic
arsenic, copper and chromium compounds.

Cool Composting
Cool, slow composting is easier to do than hot
composting.
Slow composting is often the best method for people
who do not have the time to tend a hot compost pile,
which takes more care and a more precise recipe. It is an
easy and convenient way to turn yard wastes into a useful
soil amendment. To make slow compost, simply mix
yard trimmings into a pile and let them sit.
To decompose organic material, you need the following
ingredients: microorganisms, moisture, air, temperatures
above freezing, and time.
Don't worry about adding a commercial inoculant or
compost.
Sufficient decomposer bacteria and fungi are present
naturally in yard trimmings and fruit and vegetable
wastes.

Avoid composting meat and fatty food wastes that

attract pests like rats.

Mushroom Compost
Often sold at landscape supply houses, mushroom
compost can help amend garden soil, but should be
used with caution. Mushroom compost is rich in
soluble salts and other nutrients and can kill
germinating seeds and harm salt-sensitive plants
including rhododendrons and azaleas.
The recipe for mushroom compost varies from
company to company, but can include composted
wheat or rye straw, peat moss, used horse bedding
straw, chicken manure, cottonseed or canola meal,
grape crushings from wineries, soybean meal, potash,
gypsum, urea, ammonium nitrate and lime.
The bacteria multiply, forcing the temperature inside
the pile up to more than 160 degrees F, killing any
weed seeds or pathogens that might have been present
in the straw or animal wastes. The result is mushroom
compost, ready to grow a crop of commercial table
mushrooms.
The cured compost is placed in beds in a dark, cool
and humid warehouse and then is pasteurized at about
140 degrees F to kill any surface disease-causing
organisms and pests, said Stout. Workers then
inoculate the compost with mushroom spores.

Underground roots called mycelium grow in the

compost, then five weeks after inoculation, mushrooms
are ready to pick. A crop continues to be harvested for
three to four weeks before the bed is exhausted, said
Stout.
After every planting cycle, the compost is removed
because it is "used up," by the growing mushrooms. But
it still has plenty left for gardeners and landscapers - it is
sold to nurseries, landscape supply firms and general
contractors all over the state, said Stout.
Mushroom compost can supply nutrients and increase the
water-holding capacity of the soil. But mushroom
compost can be too much of a good thing for seeds,
seedlings and young plants.
The soluble salts and other nutrients in fresh, undiluted
mushroom compost, are too concentrated for germinating
seeds, young plants and other salt-sensitive plants
including members of the heath family such as
rhododendrons, blueberries and azaleas.
To avoid killing germinating seeds and stressing heath
family members, mix mushroom compost with garden
soil before using it on young plants. Or, order a supply of
mushroom compost in the fall and let it sit uncovered, to
"cure" over the winter.

Page 5

Composting
Used with care, mushroom compost also can be used as a
mulch around perennials, trees and shrubs. For flower
beds and vegetable gardens, till about 3 inches of the
compost into the top six inches of fairly dry garden soil.
For containerized plants, fresh mushroom compost
should only make up about one-quarter of the volume of
soil in the container. Remember that rhododendrons,
azaleas, camellias and other members of the heath family
will be injured by salts unless mushroom compost is
"cured" first.

Composting Problems

When ordering or buying mushroom compost, remember

that one cubic yard of compost will cover about 100 square
feet of garden to a depth of about 2 inches.

Symptom

Unpleasant
odor

Do vultures circle over your compost heap? If your

compost pile smells like fermenting gym clothes, the
compost may be harmful to your garden soil and your
plants.
The best way to know if the compost isn't good is to
smell it. Research has shown that if the compost
smells like sour milk, vinegar, vomit, old socks, a gym
locker room, ammonia, swamp gas, or other similarlyassociated bad smells, you should air out the compost
until those smells go away. Do not put stinky compost
anywhere near the roots of any plant you want to keep
alive.
So what can a person who composts do to improve the
quality of their compost so it benefits the garden?
Mix disease-free plant material into the soil to keep a
healthy population of garden soil bacteria. But there's
a fine balance between too little and too much mixing.
The plant material needs to be mixed in enough to
maintain bacterial dominance, but too much mixing
results in soil degradation.
In the last few years, we've learned that a distinction
needs to be made between organic matter and good
compost. . If organic matter is just piled and left
without any attention, putting it on your plants may
kill your plants, including seedlings.
You need to be very careful not to let compost become
stinky or smelly. If you do, you may be putting
anaerobic compounds near your plant's roots and that
will kill the plant. Plants cannot tolerate alcohol,
phenols and most volatile organic acids produced
during anaerobic decomposition processes performed
by bacteria.

Pile not
heating up

Compost is
damp and
only the
center is
warm

Cause

Solution

Add high carbon material such

Too much
as straw, pine needles, grass
nitrogen
clippings or vegetable
trimmings and aerate.
Compaction Aerate.
Add dry leaves or wood chips
Overwatering
to soak up water and aerate.
Add a nitrogen source such as
Lack of
fresh manure, grass clippings or
nitrogen
blood meal. Mix the pile.
Pile needs to Mix pile by bringing outside
be turned
material to the center.
When watering make sure the
moisture gets to the center of
Low moisture
the pile. Try poking deep holes
in the pile before watering.
Compost is
finished

Finished compost smells earthy

rather than rotten or moldy and
is dark and crumbly.

Pile is too
small

Add more compost material.