Making a Basic Compost Pile

Learn what goes on in a compost pile, how to make one, and how to end up with black gold! Your plants and garden will thank you after using compost.

Reader Contribution by Michael Perry And Schikoy Rayn
article image
by Pexels/Eva Bronzini

Learn what can be composted in a compost pile, how to make one, and how to end up with black gold! Your plants and garden will thank you after using compost.

Ah, the sweet smell of spring is creeping in, finally here in Vermont. Garden planning seems to be at the forefront of our minds, where every seed packet that hits the store shelves or your local co-op calls you in with sweet whispers of “Grow me!” or “Hey, look at me I’m green, I’m purple, grow me!” But, that’s just where it starts.

These tiny seeds you start are tucked away in their little seed cells until they burst up with their set of true leaves. Soon following is the third and fourth set of leaves and, bam! You’ve got to get ready to put these little babies into the garden. So you go out and realize you need some fresh compost to feed the not so little guys and gals. Instead of buying compost or using fossil fuels to have some delivered, it’s best to use the microorganisms and bacteria right there under your feet. These are the most familiar to your garden and your gut already.

Getting Started

Many people think composting is difficult, time-consuming, and labor-intensive, not to mention the fact that everyone seems to think it takes years. It doesn’t. It can happen in as little as three months. It can have some labor involved in it, but I’d call it more of a labor of love than anything — I consider it exercise, actually. If you consider eating labor, then maybe. If you think taking care of your garden is labor, then I guess so. But really all it is is your kitchen/garden scraps, weeds, some brown material, and some water if the rain isn’t showing itself too much.

  • Updated on Jul 19, 2022
  • Originally Published on Apr 25, 2019
Tagged with: composting, Michael Perry and Schikoy Rayn, Reader Contributions, Soil Building, Vermont
Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368