PDC LESSON 7.5 COMPOST - SO LET’S BUILD A HEAP

 

PERMACULTURE COURSE AGRO-ECONOMY

PDC LESSON 7.5 COMPOST - SO LET’S BUILD A HEAP

 

So, let’s build up a compost heap.

 

If you have a selection of material at hand to build up a new pile, place the coarsest material on the bottom. Any cornstalks or twiggy branches should go down first then a layer of green matter such as grass clippings or green chop around one ft high and drop.

A thin layer of manure 2 ore 3 inches followed by some more coarse or dry matter and so on. Adding woody components throughout the heap is a good idea but these should be shredded first to ensure maximum surface contact for fungi to feed on.  Sawdust or wood chips from the factory is also good.

 

Often compost has a great feed supply for micro-organisms but food for fungi is often lacking. Having fungi present in a compost heap is a real bonus as when the compost is eventually added to the soil, fungi can then be introduced as part of a living soil component. Both fungi and soil bacteria help plants to grow by supplying the nutrients to their feeder roots. Cover with 2 or 3 inches of loam or soil.

 

Another way of putting together the ingredients for the compost pile would be a bucket of kitchen scraps; half a bucket of manure mixed with hay, two wheelbarrows of weeds and old plants from the garden and half a wheelbarrow of fresh, green clippings.

 

Generally, it is two or 5 parts of plant waste to one part manure, two-part green to one part brown. Shredded newspapers and old plant remain, seaweed, comfrey, yarrow, nettles, and urine are good compost activators as well as road or home kills of any small animal! 

A sprinkle of wood ash is fine but be careful, don’t add too much. Leave out chemically treated wood.

Text from the roots, Elisabeth Ferkonia (Aus.) PDC studied with Bill Mollison, Chart Geoff Lawton