Compost Question

[Lowlander]

we have a large area that over the past 4 years we have thrown all sorts of plant matter, bad fruit/veg etc into, and it is now full. What do we have to do to use this debris as a compost??

we have never turned it as we should have, but this is an afterthought. Can we use this material as compost or should we discard it and manufacture a true compost bin?

[Texas Blues]

Sounds like good stuff to me. I'd turn it and beat it up a little bit, sorting out the less decayed matter and use it as is. Bins are nice and aesthetically pleasing but not really necessary. I use a bin mainly for my kitchen scraps which I find handy for that.

[Redbaron]

If you ever get a batch of compost that doesn't kick off (get hot enough to kill pathogens) how it is supposed to do (for whatever reason) their is one fail safe that always works.

Dig a hole or a trench and bury it.

Generally you don't want to do what you did, because it can sometimes become a breeding ground for plant diseases and fungus. But buried it will be food for worms. And next year whatever you grow on that spot will grow awesome.

Traditionally kitchen scraps went to feed chickens or sometimes even hogs, but not so many people raise chickens any more, so think of yourself as a worm farmer and feed your worms.

[Lowlander]

What if I till all that debris into the soil with the tiller,...and let it overwinter?? I was worried that all the plants/weeds and fruit/veg that got thrown in there would sprout if it was used in the soil. Is that possible?? It still looks like a large bin of plants/grass/weeds/etc,..it doesn't look like dark soil or like compost would.

I am thinking of fabricating compost bins from 55gal metal drums and painting them black.

[Redbaron]

Yeah I wouldn't do that. For the exact reason you said. Depending on what is in the compost, seeds pests pathogens etc will still be at the surface or at planting depth after tilling. That's why I said bury it.

It is fine to do that with properly done compost. But properly done compost has gotten hot and sterilised pathogens and should only contain good bacteria and fungus mixed in with the decayed plant material.

If you are going to make a compost bin I believe there are good plans for a tumbler variety in the build it yourself section.

PS It is often possible to make use of compost that never kicked off right by simply aerating it. No matter what you do plant material will decay. You can't stop it from making good compost eventually. Dead things decay. But often the reason compost doesn't seem to have done right is it ferments anaerobically instead of aerobically. (not enough oxygen) and a simple fix for that is simply to aerate it by turning it and breaking up the compaction, many times that alone will "kick it"

[Lowlander]

thanks

[kurt]

When you say "bad" fruit.If you had some serious diseases and you threw them in the pile keep in mind some pathogens can over winter in really cold weather and some extreme heats.I am thinking in tomato growing if that is the case.Some literature says not to plant in same soil for some diseases for up to 3-4 years.Some pathogens can emerge for longer.If you didn't throw in diseased fruit or cuttings and end of season plant material you should have no problem.