A Good Rot

I've just been to a compost training course run by the local council - a condition for receiving a subsidised compost bin and a free mini-bin for the kitchen and a free prod with an arrow point for turning the compost which is very appealing to boys.

Good composts depends on getting the mixture right, the balance between:

• Azote/Nitrogen-producing, Carbon-producing 60%-40% ratio


• Finer and bulkier material

Get the mixture right from the start, and keep it that way, and you get a good rot, odourless, healthy and efficient: the right set of micro-organisms (not anaerobic ones) will raise the temperature to 60 -70 degrees centigrade, killing harmful bacteria, and the causes of plant disease. The bulkier material mixed in lets air and moisture circulate, and prevents the fine stuff from becoming crushed and fermenting with anaerobic bacteria.

• Azote/Nitrogen = kitchen waste, fresh garden clippings, grass clippings...


• Carbon = cardboard (no coloured ink) tissues, dry 'dead' garden waste, small sticks...


• Fine material = mushy clingy kitchen waste, grass cuttings...


• Bulkier material - sticks and twigs up to 1-2 cm diameter (bigger takes too long to rot), large leaves...

Phase 1: The pre-rot - complete after 3 months, when you take the front off your composter (remove newer material on top and put back later) and dig over and stir and put back in place.
Phase 2: The final rot: leave compost for a further 6 months, a new set of micro-organisms moves in for the refining process. The finished product will be dark brown and delicious, nourishment for Mother Earth and her green mantle (might need to seive out or remove bulkier bits and re-compost). Like a the human baby, good compost takes 9 months to incubate. Immature or incorrectly rotted compost can kill plants and create a diseased soil.

Building my compost:

• Good foundations - place the bin on forked over soil, (aerated soil contact is good for rot and encourages worms).


• Lay little sticks (up to 1-2 cm diameter) at the bottom, the finer stuff will fall through the gaps to create well aired and moistened mixture. Too much heavy stuff on top of fine (such as grass clippings, small kitchen waste) will cause the fine stuff to become compacted, encouraging smelly fermentation caused by anaerobic bacteria.


• Fill three quarters full: get up head of steam, and have a layer to work on 3 months later.


• What to put in: kitchen waste 60 percent (azote) and carbon producing 40 percent (cardboard, tissues, dead leaves). To avoid: smelly milk products, rodent attracting meat and fish, but pretty much everything else is ok. Diseased leaves can be put in as high temperature of a good rot kills them, same with weed seeds. Always makes sure good mixture of leaves, little sticks etc if putting in a lot of grass cuttings and kitchen waste - without the bulk, the grass and kitchen waste will rot. Dry off grass cuttings before putting in if possible, mow when grass is dry.


• Health check - is your compost smell free and moist like a sponge, not dripping, not dry? - check regularly.


• Health measures: dig out first layer after 3 months and makes sure well mixed and aired, make sure good balance of fine/bulk, azote/carbon, don't put too much heavy stuff on top and crush the lighter below.If your compost stinks or isn't rotting dig it out to find cause: too wet (dripping rather than damp sponge), lay out to dry, if too dry (bulky stuff not rotting, whole food still within), mix with finer stuff and moisten.


• Worms bugs and micro-organisms: those in a good compost heap are helpful and friendly, eat dead stuff, and are not the type to cause disease in living plants. Red worms (rather than earth worms) are nature's composters.

Compost doesn't need 'activators', it doesn't need antibiotics, herbicides or pesticides, it is a natural gift, our role is to add the right material things in healthy balance to create the right conditions for compost health. I wonder if human health could be viewed in a similar way? I would rather work on healthy diet, and conditions conducive to health and not disease, than to have to suffer and cure my ills.