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Composting – Which Method is Best?

In the last couple of months I have been talking about traditional composting which is also called hot composting. For this method, you pile up the ingredients and keep turning them so the pile gets hot. There are several other types of composting such as bokashi composting, cold composting, vermicomposting, compost tea and making leaf mold. How do these methods compare to traditional composting and do they offer any advantages? In this post I will look at some other options you might want to consider.

Vermicomposting

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Compost Tumblers – Do They Work?

Manufacturers of compost tumblers claim that you can make compost in 2 weeks. This sounds like a really good idea. Instead of waiting for months, you have almost instant compost. Are the claims really true? How labor intensive is the process? Is it worth using a compost tumbler?

Compost Tumbler — Compost Tumblers

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Compost Accelerators, Starters and Activators

Compost accelerators, compost starters and compost activators are all terms used for products that are added to the compost pile to make better compost and to make composting faster. What is the difference between these terms? Are they required for composting, and how much faster is the composting process if you use them?

compost accelerators, compost starts, compost activators, compost boosters — Compost Accelerators, Starters and Activators

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The Full Scoop on Composting Poop

Human and animal waste is considered to be a good garden fertilizer in much of the world. In more civilized countries we call it ‘icky’. Can you compost urine and poop? Are there disease issues? Does it need to be composted differently than other organic ingredients? Read on to get the full scoop on poop.

urine and straw equals compost — Urine and straw equals compost

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What Can You Compost?

Composting is the process of degrading organic matter. So any organic matter should be good for the compost bin—right? Maybe. You will find lots of lists showing you what you can and can’t compost. Are the lists correct? Why can’t you not compost everything that is organic? Let’s look at this closer.

Composting meat and cheese — Composting meat and cheese, source: Charles Hope

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Compost Creates Acidic Soil

Does compost make acidic soil? It is a common claim made for compost but does it really work? Is it a good option for making alkaline soil more acidic? Let’s have a closer look.

does compost acidify soil — Compost pH madness – does compost acidify soil? source: Anathea Utley

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How to Compost: Browns & Greens

The common advice for making compost is that you should use the correct ratio of browns and greens. Why is this important? What is the correct ratio? Are dried green grass clippings, a brown or a green? Good questions that will help you understand how to compost.

how to compost - browns and greens — How to compost – browns and greens

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Compost Controls Pests

Most discussions about compost and pests are concerned with keeping pests out of compost bins. Lots of insects and other pests like to live in a compost bin and I’ll discuss this issue in a future post. But does compost, when added to the garden, reduce the number of pests affecting plants? It is a claimed benefit of compost.

Japanese Beetle - Compost Controls Pests — Japanese Beetle – Compost Controls Pests

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Compost Adds Enzymes and Hormones

One of the claimed benefits of compost in the garden is to provide the soil and plants with enzymes and hormones. Is this true? What would enzymes and hormones do for the garden? Good questions in the quest to understand compost better.

compost enzymes — Compost enzyme converts larger molecule (green substrate) to two smaller ones (products)

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Does Compost Reduce Plant Disease?

Plant disease reduction is a common benefit attributed to compost—but is it true. Will compost, added to the garden, reduce diseases in the garden? This is a very complex question that leads to some very interesting discussions about plants, and their diseases.

compost reduces plant disease — Compost reduces plant disease

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Compost Microbes – Good for the Soil?

Compost microbes are micro-organisms (mostly bacteria and fungi) that live in the compost pile and get transferred to your soil when you add the compost to the soil. Many people consider this to be a benefit of using compost. Compost manufacturers even advertise their “special microbes”, sometimes called Effective Microbes.

It is all a myth. Let’s dig deep and understand this important gardening topic.

compost Microbes — Compost Microbes

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Benefits of Composting

In past posts I have talked about some of the benefits of compost. It improves soil structure and it adds nutrients to the soil. What about the other benefits like adding microbes to the soil, reducing diseases and eliminating the need for additional fertilizer? Are these real benefits or just gardening myths?

Benefits of composting

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