Recycle your fall leaves in the compost bin.
A compost pile that holds its temperature at 140 degrees Fahrenheit for three consecutive days rids itself of weeds and breaks down into nutrients more quickly, explains an online fact sheet by Santa Cruz County. The best way to make your compost pile build up that much heat is by organizing it in orderly layers when you create it. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Make a 6-inch layer of organic matter on the bottom of your compost bin or on a patch of dirt. Common household items that can go in your pile are vegetable scraps, fall leaves, grass clippings, as well as other vegetation that hasn't been treated with pesticides and herbicides. The University of Maine recommends against using animal matter, as the smell attracts live animals to the pile.
2. Add your heating agent to the top of your organic items. Here you need something rich in nitrogen, which microorganisms use to break down all that organic stuff below. Among the options are a 1-inch layer of manure or 1 cup of a 10-10-10 fertilizer. Spread either evenly over the layer of organic matter. Garden supply shops also sell compost starters, which you apply according to the manufacturer's instructions.
3. Cover your source of nitrogen with 1 inch of topsoil from your backyard. Your compost pile needs the microorganisms it contains, which aren't available in store-bought sterile potting mixes, to break down the organic matter. According to the University of Illinois, when you follow these guidelines, your compost pile heats up to an ideal decomposing temperature within two weeks. Turn it once every month and add some water to keep it just moist and the temperature will hold. It takes two to six months for the material to decompose sufficiently for use in the garden.
Tags: organic matter, break down, compost pile, compost pile, fall leaves, layer organic
