Active Composting

Active, hot composting is a BATCH process. It differs from passive piles that just "sit there" seemingly forever or "continuous flow systems" where stuff is periodically dumped on top of the material already in the bin and removed from the bottom when it is dark and crumbly.

My recommended steps for creating active, hot batches of compost are:

1. Prepare the Composting Area 2. Choose Your Bin 3. Stockpile 4. Inoculate 5. Mix 6. Balancing the Ingredients 7. Water 8. Aerate 9. Active, Hot Composting

1. Prepare the Composting Area

Before beginning the active, hot composting process, the composting area must be properly prepared. Start with an empty bin or space on the ground where you wish to locate your compost pile. Make certain your space is well drained and that storm water runoff from the roof or the yard will not reach the composting area. Choose a point that has a higher elevation than the rest of the yard, but make sure that it is within easy reach of the garden hose because, like houseplants or garden vegetables, the compost pile needs occasional watering.

Appearance and aesthetics are usually as important as where it is in vicinity to the intended use for the compost. While many people place their bin near the garden where the compost will be used, others find that a place centrally located between the front and back yard is convenient. If you don't have a garden, the first compost pile may be a good incentive to start one. Many gardeners say that compost is the secret to larger and tastier home-grown vegetables. An area where a landscape project is contemplated is also a good location for the compost bin. The wise landscaper knows that compost-enriched soil yields long-term growth dividends for trees and shrubbery.

Avoid building bins against walls or fences that can rot and discolor. Choose a level spot away from drainage swales and roof overflow. Avoid low spots where water can stand or pond. Leave plenty of room to get into the area with a pitchfork and a wheelbarrow. The area should be from 6' x 6' up to 12' x 9' for multiple bins. A bin near the kitchen makes processing table scraps easier. It makes little difference whether the bin is in the shade or light, although a dark bin in the sun will warm up earlier in the morning during the springtime and fall. If you place a bin under a tree, you can expect the roots to climb up into the bin, making it difficult to remove the compost. Placing a bin ten feet or more away from the house will discourage bugs, especially termites that may come with wood mulch from moving into your home. Having the garage or storage shed nearby makes it easier to keep pitchforks, shovels, the screen and wheelbarrow clean and out of the weather.

2. Choose Your Bin

With proper preparation, piles can be made to heat and decompose adequately without the need for bins. The main purpose of bins and enclosures is to help hold heat by keeping the composting mass as close as possible to the active composting center. A bin is like an oven, except that its purpose is to help hold moisture as well as heat. In small piles bins also allow air infiltration from the sides, assisting the "chimney effect" of warm air rising and aiding ventilation. Bins are an advantage since they help the pile look neat, containing unsightly matter within an enclosure.

Avoid using an existing building or wooden fence as a sidewall since an active composting pile will decompose walls, discolor paint, and destroy untreated wooden fence slats. Use galvanized metal, plastic, or cedar for rust and decay prevention in the construction of the bin. (Redwood and cedar are decay resistant but usually come from "old growth" forests.)

There are two basic types of bins: open-sided and enclosed. Enclosed bins tend to be smaller, but since they hold heat and moisture better than open-air bins, it usually take less time for the material inside to decompose. It is hard to believe, but small, enclosed bins may actually process more material over time than large, open-sided bins that may hold three times as much material. Small yards with a high percentage of table scraps often have the best results with enclosed plastic bins, preferably ones that can be lifted off, exposing the material inside for turning or curing. Plastic bins are often rodent resistant which is important if you will be composting a lot of table scraps. Large yards can use larger open-air designs or multiple plastic bins. For square or rectangular bins, large doors are better than small ones so that the material can be more easily loaded and unloaded. Three-stage systems are best, but only one or perhaps two bins are usually active at any given time.

The three stages of composting are stockpiling, hot composting, and curing. Curing piles and small stockpiles do not typically need bin enclosures. When making compost on a batch system, the bin or bins should be sized for the total amount of material to be made as a single batch at any given time. Batch composting is best suited for managing large volumes of grass clippings that otherwise would be mulched into the grass or left on the curb in bags. If using a bin for grass clippings, collect the grass in a way that lets you know how much volume you have in a single cutting. A thirty-gallon trash can holds approximately four cubic feet. A wheelbarrow typically holds either four or six cubic feet.

Pallets are an inexpensive (even free!) material to use to build a compost bin. Not all pallets are the same, however, and best results are achieved if pine, not hardwood pallets are selected. Believe it or not, most softwoods such as pine are more rot resistant than most hardwoods such as oak. Standard pallets at either 40" or 44" are higher than the standard recommendation of bin sides at 36". My experience is that a height of 32", about a man's waist, is the optimum. Hardwood pallets are rather heavy, making doors hard to open. When selecting pine pallets, find ones that have narrower spaces between the boards, which will help prevent material from spilling out. Check paint wholesalers as they tend to have the optimum size pallets for composting since paint cans need more flat surface than other products.


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