Leaf Compost

On Easter Sunday, Bonnie Bales asked me how often I rotated and mixed my compost. Truth is, I only have done it when I have needed to, which means I don't do it at all if I can avoid it.

Getting ready to get the new horse manure into a compost bin, I decided I needed to free up a compost bit. I have three that are dedicated to leaves. So I combined the leaves I had shredded last fall from one bin into the two others. The contents of each of the bins had settled, so I thought that composting was in full swing. I was a little naive. Nothing much had happened. There were no worms to speak of. Much of the leaf matter was dry. So, nature gave me a come uppance. If I am going to get the leaves to compost, I will need to start doing some mixing.


As I recall, the square foot gardening rules for good compost include a lot of words that begin with M. Mass (I increased it by combining the bins; one is now at least a cubic yard, the other just under), Moisture (I need a bit more, but it's raining today), Mixing (need to do this, of course, but more often), Microbes (the bins should be getting sufficient air to let the biotic elements do their work).

My next goal is to get the horse manure chipped and shredded. But I think I will also shred a little of the compost from the kitchen and mix it in with the leaf compost.

I do dream about a rotating drum, but I am just too cheap to buy one.