Create The Perfect Compost Pile With These 7 Tips

To create a beautiful garden, first, you will need a healthy compost pile. With the perfect compost pile, it is far easier to grow lovely plants, flowers, and vegetables. There are many things that you can do to improve your compost. To start you off on the right track these seven tips are all you need.

1 . Equal Green and Brown 

To create the perfect compost pile, it is important to use equal green and brown materials. Green materials are those which produce nitrogen including vegetable waste, manure, grass clippings, eggshells, or coffee grounds. Brown materials are those which produce carbon including dead leaves, paper, wood chips, or sawdust.

If you put in too much brown material, your compost pile will take forever to break down. On the other hand, if you add too much green, you will have a compost pile that is too slimy. Compost pile microorganisms need nitrogen for protein synthesis and carbon to create energy. You will want your green and brown materials to be approximately equal for a perfect compost pile.

2. Purchase a Compost Tumbler 

Compost tumblers are large sealed containers; the idea is that you rotate them regularly, which mixes up your materials. A compost tumbler is useful to keep in the heat and accelerate the composting process.

A tumbler is particularly useful if you have large quantities of green materials. When you put lots of green material into a conventional compost heap, it can become too soggy. Inside a tumbler, you won’t have this problem (as long as you turn the tumbler frequently).

There are plenty of places to purchase compost tumblers online, if you are composting regularly, you will be glad to have this handy tool!

3. Do Not Forget to Turn

It is important to ensure that your compost pile gets enough oxygen; this will ensure that the materials break down quickly. The bacteria which supports the decomposition process needs oxygen to thrive. When the bacteria have absorbed all of the air, it begins to die.

As long as you turn the pile, you will be providing new air for the microorganisms. Ensure that you turn your perfect compost pile around every two weeks at least. To turn your compost, you can use garden tools such as aeration tools or a shovel.

4. Shred your Brown Items

Brown materials take longer to break down; for this reason, you should shred and cut them into smaller pieces before adding them. You can shred your brown items using gardening scissors or a shredder.

You won’t need to cut your green materials (as these are soft and will break down easily). Skipping this step will only slow down your composting, so it is important to remember this one if you want the perfect compost pile!

5. Keep an Eye on Moisture Levels

To produce a perfect compost pile, you have got to ensure the right moisture levels. Using equal green and brown materials is the best way to do this.

If you do notice that the pile is too moist, you should add some extra brown materials. You can always add a little water to your pile if it becomes too dry. Besides this, make sure that your pile is covered to protect it from the rain.

6. What Not to Add 

When it comes to composting you should not compost fish scraps, bones, or meat, these items can all attract pests. On the other hand, if you are using certain types of compost tumblers, you should do fine to use these items.

It is also not advisable to use diseased plants or perennial weeds. This is because you might end up spreading diseases or weed seeds to your compost.

Lastly, if you are making compost for food crops, you should not use pet manure in your pile. It’s also not a good idea to put milk products into your compost pile.

7. Banish the Flies

If your compost pile is smelly and full of flies you might want to place a fruit fly trap nearby. Another thing you can do is wrap your food scraps in paper before you put them into the pile.

Lastly, you can add more brown materials, (as it is the green materials that attract flies). A compost pile that has some flies is not too much to worry about, so do not fret too much if you can’t get rid of them completely!

Final Thoughts on the Perfect Compost Pile

To create the perfect garden it pays to know all about composting so you can create the perfect compost pile! When you are growing vegetables in your garden, it can be helpful to gain a few tips along the way. Apps such as ‘My Veggie Garden Planner’ and ‘Garden Plan Pro’ have plenty of great tips and advice to help you create the perfect vegetable garden.

For more information on creating the perfect compost pile, see my post, Composting: Everything You Need To Know, and What Can Be Added To The Compost Pile.