A LIttle More Research

I’ve spent the past few weeks looking at a number of different compost piles.  In addition to the creative homemade versions I posted in my last blog, I found “casual” and “corral” compost piles. The casual composting piles are the ones where people pile up yard and food waste in an open area, water the heap once in a while, and wait. I learned that casual composting doesn’t get as hot as other types, and can take several months to turn into compost. Corral composts look like mini versions of horse corrals, except the goal of these corrals is to keep living creatures out, not in. 

Everything I’ve seen so far seemed doable, although I don’t think I’d like to look at an open pile of compost every day. Plus, I decided that I needed to seriously consider the wildlife around our home. Not only do we have coyotes, but I saw two lumbering raccoons visiting the stream by our driveway. They were very cute, from a distance, but I’m sure they would be tempted with an open compost pile. I need something less tempting, something with a lid that isn’t easily opened by prying paws.

Do you want to have healthier plants?

I found another interesting tidbit from my web surfing. Did you know that soil treated with compost tends to produce plants with fewer pest problems. Compost helps to control diseases and insects that might otherwise overrun a more sterile soil lacking natural checks against their spread.

Homemade Leaf Corrals for Composting

Compost is Free, Plants Love It, and It's Natural!

I also found out that compost improves the quality of almost any soil, and for this reason, is considered a "soil conditioner." I'm not a science geek, but I certainly know how to Google. I read this on a website about composting, "Compost adds nutrients to the soil and contains a variety of basic nutrients that plants require for healthy growth. In addition to the main three: nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, of special importance are the micronutrients found in compost such as manganese, copper, iron, and zinc. Micronutrients are only needed in small doses, like vitamins in our diet, but they play an important role in the plant's ability to extract nutrients from other foods. In a commercial fertilizer, such as 10-10-10, micronutrients are often missing. Compost is basically a FREE nutrient boost for your plants." I could hardly control my enthusiasm.  It's free, plants love it, and it's natural!!

Casual Compost or Contained Compost Bin?

I also read that having a casual compost pile is somewhat easier, because compost will "happen" even if you just pile on yard and food waste, water it every now and then, and wait, kind of like growing the compost. On the other hand, because it takes longer to heat, it may not kill the seeds from weeds that may have made their way into the pile.

I haven’t done too much reading up on the enclosed bins, but my guess is that they hold in the heat, and dark ones I saw during my Googling probably absorb the sun’s warmth – even on those cold winter days. The warmer the compost, the faster it decomposes.

Okay, so I've narrowed it down. I want to shut down the buffet line for the wildlife, lighten my trash load by moving kitchen waste (especially those coffee grinds) to the compost, and have compost ready for spring when Jack starts getting his garden ready. Jack can spend the money he saves on expensive fertilizers on me instead. J

Creative Homemade Compost Bins

There were quite a few varieties of the homemade type that worked well for those families based on their yard and where they lived. I also saw a cylinder of wire mesh attached to four long stakes driven into the ground, an old trash can with holes punched in the sides, and shipping pallets set vertically and wired together to make a three sided compost bin. I thought the pallet compost bin was very clever. What a great way to reuse pallets.

I seriously considered the pallet-style bin, but then I thought about the pros and cons of these types of casual composting piles for my yard area. After Googling "composting homemade bins," I found some information about the good and bad of casual, or open-style composting. Open-style bins have better air circulation and generally hold a large amount of yard and kitchen waste. It is easy to turn the materials (something I found needs to be done to compost), add new material, and remove the finished compost when it is ready. The downside is rodents or other unwanted creatures using the pile as a buffet. I also discovered that casual composting can take a little longer to break down, because it needs heat to break it down, kind of like baking the compost.