[compost_tea] easy way to make compost

From: Jeff Lowenfels <jeff_at_gardener.com>
Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 15:39:43 -0800

<<<<Individual home composting is a challenge, unless you have a bunch of a=
cres
or animal manures and a steady carbon supply, and you work on it (turning,
turning, turning

Here is one of the simplest methods of making compost:

The modern version of instant compost requires three cubic yards of brown t=
ree leaves with a fifty pound bag of alfalfa meal. The latter can be obtain=
ed from any feed store and a 50 pound bag costs about 20 dollars. This is =
the price you pay for simplicity. We think it is worth it.

      This instant mix works even better if the leaves are shredded.

      Place the mixture on to the pile in layers. Water each layer and them=
 add the next. Add sticks and branches to increase air circulation to the m=
iddle of the pile. Once the pile is complete, that is you have accumulated =
the three cubic yards, your army of microbes and the other soil foodweb org=
anisms will go to work. Heat will be noticeable in 24 hours. Thereafter you=
 will need to monitor the temperature to prevent it from getting over 158 d=
egrees and from cooling down. Turning the pile will increase the metabolic =
activity until the pile reaches the mature stage.

      The end result is a dark, sweet smelling, crumbly soil full of humic =
substances and those part of the organic material that cannot be easily bro=
ken down. When it is applied to your gardens and around plants it will inoc=
ulate the soil with the whole range of soil organisms it contains.




<<<<AH, too, for sure. I would still like
to hear how AH was formed.:-)


Thanks for the pitch...can you wait until Sunday to hear about it? :)


Cheers,

Jeff






Received on Fri May 16 2003 - 23:46:19 EDT

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