SOIL-BUILDING BASICS
(Page 5 of 7)
[5] Sprinkle on another smattering of compost starter.
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[6] Add a layer of fresh garden gleanings. Weeds and crop thinnings, as well as pathway and cover-crop skimmings, are all perfect for this application. Such high-cellulose material will add most of the necessary carbon (a good compost pile has an approximate 30-to-1 carbon-to-nitrogen ratio). If some of the weeds still have bits of soil attached to their roots, that's all the better . . because the dirt will add its own beneficial bacteria to the heap.
[7, 8, 9, and 10] Repeat the previous four steps—sprinkling starter, adding the manurestraw mix, sprinkling more starter, and adding a carbon layer—until you run out of material. Obviously, you'll be able to produce a bigger pile if you've gathered most of your building materials in advance. (Keep them stored under black plastic until you use them.) And while you're working, remember to fluff up the layers and keep them thin-around three inches to five inches deep each-to promote intermixing. If the matter seems somewhat dry, water the layers a bit with a hose. (You're after a pile that has the consistency of a wrung-out sponge . . . but you don't want it to be too damp.)
[11] Cover the entire pile with black plastic. This will help the mound retain moisture and warmth while keeping rain from leaching out any nutrients.
[12] Wait. Your pile should now start to heat up. In fact, it should get so hot (160°F or higher) within a week or so that it would be impossible to hold your hand in the center of it. After two weeks or a month—the Sullivans recommend waiting a month to give the heap time to complete its early decomposition stages—the temperature will come down to about 115 °F (i.e., still hot to the touch, but not unbearably so). At that point you can remove the plastic.
[13] Turn the pile. To do this in the smallest amount of space (and with the least amount of hassle possible), simply turn one three-footwide section over onto the soil, next to one of the mounds . . . flip the next "slice" over into the gap created by the first turning . . . and so on until you've completely inverted the heap. Then cover the pile again and let it sit another month.
[14] Use it. Your compost should now consist of friable, lightweight, dark humus. It should have absolutely no offensive smell. What's more, you shouldn't be able to even recognize its original ingredients. (Indeed, when Barbara and Kerry show a handful of their fresh compost to Eco-Village visitors, many of the people can't believe the pleasant loam was made from dead plants and animal waste!)
A FEW POINTERS
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