If you compost, you may consider it to be an ongoing process. You produce food and yard waste, the food and yard waste goes to the compost heap, you aerate it, check it, and then determine that the bottom of the pile is finished. If you're lucky, you have a composter that allows you to remove the compost from the pile at the bottom and continue to add compost to the top. However, this is not the only way to create compost. There are two main schools of thought behind compost creation: the batch method and the continuous composting method. Continuous Composting In continuous composting, different parts of the compost heap are in different stages of the decomposition process. You place a layer of food waste on the top of the pile, followed by a larger of leaves, paper, or other carbon-rich material. You aerate the pile using an aeration tool and ensure that it is well-drained. Over time, the bottom part of the compost becomes finished, while you continue to add to the top of the heap. Some compost bins have the option of removing the compost at the base while continuing to add to the compost at the top, while in others you add compost until the bin is full of finished compost, then you remove the bin, add the compost to the garden, and start the continuous composting process all over again. Batch Composting Batch composting gets everything done at once. You compost layers of food waste and leaves or paper at the same time in a stratified pile, taking care to turn the pile, drain it, or add a little bit of water over time. This method of composting is excellent in the fall, when you're raking large quantities of leaves, as long as you have the appropriate amount of green material to go with the brown, carbon-rich leaves. You can create the recipe for excellent compost and continue to mix it over time until it's done. No more struggling with the base of a compost container, trying to extract the rich compost at the bottom while keeping the scraps on top from falling down. Which Composting Method Will Work For You? If you are a landscaper or have a large yard, then batch composting may be for you. Batch composting also requires a fairly large amount of storage space to prepare the green and brown materials, so it is not ideal for people in limited spaces like apartments. Continuous composting is what you do in a worm bin or in the typical backyard bin. It is a perpetual process, and unless the weather gets very cold and the bin freezes, you can continue to compost in the same space without adding another bin. This saves on space. Don't feel limited to a single type of composting. Sometimes you may feel overwhelmed by the amount of compost on hand, so that's the time to start up a batch compost. At other times, you may simply require a compost bin for daily food and garden waste, and that's an ideal time for a continuous compost bin.
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Creating and using compost in your yard and/or garden is one of the easiest ways to create free and natural fertilizer that plants love. Here are the two main ways to create this organic soil additive in your own backyard.
Lars Handley is a certified master composter based in Dallas, Texas. Visit his How to Compost site to see text and video that teaches how to make compost. Dont miss the Dont miss the Benefits of Composting page where you can learn why it is important and easy.
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