Compost is Nature’s Soil Amendment

August 21, 2004

By Mary Giambalvo, Master Gardener

As our summer gardens wane, and before we plant the winter gardens, our thoughts turn naturally to – composting. Well, perhaps not naturally, but it is a good time to consider the virtues and ease of making homemade compost.

As I pull out my straggling green bean vines and summer tree prunings, I am faced with their final resting place. Do I choose the public landfill or do I hoard myself some free and easy plant food? Put that way, it’s not a tough choice.

Allyson Nakasone, Master Gardener and composting expert, says compost, among many other benefits, provides the nutrients plants need, improves all kinds of soils, protects against drought, and releases valuable microbes which control plant disease. Considering those merits, and that it is free is good enough for me.

If you have an unused corner of the yard and some garden waste, you have the makings of a compost pile. While there are countless recipes for successful composting, the best is the one that works for you.

Composting time can range from a couple of weeks to a year or more, depending on the method. Generally, the smaller the pieces of garden waste, the faster it will break down into beautiful compost. Because I have mountains of green waste and little patience, I have a chipper/shredder to break it down. One can use clippers or a mower to chop up tender old plants, as well. You can buy a fancy composter or build a storage unit or leave it in a pile on the ground. These days, I use old truck bed liners to house my disintegrating vegetation.

A fifty-fifty mix of green waste such as leaves and lawn clippings, and brown waste such as small branches or brown leaves makes a useable pile that will break down properly. Vegetable and fruit scraps can go in, as well as paper towels and bits of cardboard. Add enough water to make it moist but not soggy, and your pile is ready to go. Avoid putting in pet waste or meat products because they attract flies which means maggots will follow. Other bugs like sow bugs are a natural part of the breakdown process. I find that my compost piles often become homes for earthworms. That is an added bonus.

You can turn it occasionally or not. It may heat up which breaks the materials down faster, or it may remain a cold pile and take longer. Either way, eventually, you will have beautiful compost to enhance your soil and garden plants. When it is black and crumbly, unrecognizable from its origins and has an earthy pleasant smell, it is ready to add to the garden.

Master Gardeners will be happy to give more detailed composting information at your request. Meanwhile, consider the joys of joining nature in its time-honored method of replenishing and feeding the earth. Remember, too, the price is right.

University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteers can provide additional gardening information upon request. Call the San Luis Obispo office at 781-5939 on Mondays and Thursdays from 1 to 5 PM, the Arroyo Grande office at 473-7190 on Wednesdays from 9 AM to 1 PM, or the Paso Robles office at 237-3100 on Wednesdays from 9 AM to Noon.  The San Luis Obispo Master Gardener website is at http://groups.ucanr.org/slomg/. Questions can be e-mailed to mgsanluisobispo@ucdavis.edu.