Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
21
Introduction to Composting
In general, compost can be described as organic matter that
has decayed to a point of biological stability, but such a
generalized definition doesn't tell us much. The reason
generalizations fail is because compost can be made from
practically anything that was once alive, and it can be made
using a vast array of methods. Every variation produces
something different, so no two batches of compost are the
same.
Compost can be made both aerobically (using oxygen) and
anaerobically (without oxygen). It can be made at relatively
high temperatures (thermophilically) or at moderate
temperatures (mesophilically). You can even make it using
earthworms as digesters. Though doing so is inefficient, it can
be made entirely from a single starting ingredient, or from
any mixture of ingredients. All of these approaches can be
combined at various stages, and each has benefits that are
balanced against shortcomings. The potential for confusion
can seem insurmountable, which may be why anytime I go
somewhere to speak, I get questions about composting.
The happy reality though, is that nature is on your side. It's
really hard to mess up compost so badly that you get no
compost at all. Nature loves compost and will turn anything
that was once alive (or produced by something living) into
compost all by itself. Biological materials will naturally
degrade, and composting those materials is simply a way of
accelerating or controlling the process. Though there are
