How to Jump Start a Compost Pile
- 1). Mix nitrogen-rich animal manure into your compost heap. Stick with cow, horse, goat, sheep, rabbit or poultry manure, as these are less likely to contain harmful pathogens. As a rule, make sure the manure combined with any other nitrogen-rich ingredients in your heap (wet, green waste, such as grass clippings, fruit peelings, vegetable scraps or freshly pulled weeds) doesn't exceed half the volume of waste in your compost heap. Stir the nitrogen-rich manure thoroughly into the heap with a manure fork to spread out the nitrogen load sufficiently and minimize hot spots within the compost.
- 2). Toss some plain garden soil in your compost pile to increase the heap's population of bacteria. A single handful of topsoil contains thousands of bacteria just waiting to start munching on the biodegradable waste in your compost pile. As a rule, include two or three shovelfuls of soil in a single compost heap; using more than that may weigh your compost down and could potentially lead to water-logged compost. Avoid using bagged topsoil -- it's generally sterilized, which drastically reduces its population of compost-producing bacteria.
- 3). Add high-protein livestock grain to your compost pile. Look for a 25- or 50-lb. bag of vegetable-based goat, rabbit or poultry grain concentrate at a livestock supply center. As a rule, a commercial grain blend that contains at least 16 percent protein will provide more rapid activation. Mix the pellet grain blend thoroughly into your compost heap, using approximately 15 lbs. for a 3-cubic-foot compost pile, says "The Complete Compost Gardening Guide."
- 4). Sprinkle finished compost across your compost heap to boost the microbe load and jump start the waste decomposition. Add a 2-inch-thick layer of finished compost for every 12 inches of waste in your compost heap, recommends Stu Campbell, author of "Let It Rot!"
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