Compost

We're planning to grow quite a bit more staples in 2012 and one of the challenges any gardener faces is achieving a high level of soil fertility. Compost helps. So, this year we're being much more aggressive in producing lots and lots of compost. We have one large pile that's finished and just aging. A second pile is about halfway along and a third is just beginning. We compost just about everything compostable. Old animal bedding, spoiled hay, weeds, grass, kitchen scraps, garden residue, and even paper and cardboard that Kate collects at work. The following series of pictures are of the second pile. The first photo shows the pile in progress next to a new stack of garden residue mixed (squash plants and corn stalks) with scrap paper and cardboard.

From compost

This next photo shows the pile after I've buried the "new" stuff with the older pile.

From compost

And a few days later you can see just how much the pile has sagged. When I turned the pile early in the past week, the paper and squash plants were gone!

From compost

The next two photos were taken by Kate yesterday as I turned the pile again.

From compost

From compost

I'm turning the pile fairly frequently to speed the process before cooler and even cold temperatures arrive. Plus I'd like the compost to be done and aging for some time before I use it in the springtime. And yes, I believe that having a tractor is a higher priority for my situation than having an automobile or even a truck. How many large compost piles can you turn with a car or truck after all?