Sep
Just How Does A Composting Pile Work?
We know & understand that compost is “Backyard Magic” because compost helps restructure the soil, it reconditions the soil, it helps the soil hold onto its water thus protecting it from drought & erosion, & most importantly it puts nutrients back into the soil & by the same token into our food to help us stay healthy. There is just nothing comparable to the taste & value of food grown in organically healthy soil.
By now you may be asking yourself this question: “So how does a compost pile work?”
To help you understand the composting procedure, I will give you a general explanation of how a compost pile works.
Without any help from people, leaves drop from a tree and, over time, decay into soft black humus. Right. When an animal dies, its remains slowly return to the earth. Anything that once lived will eventually decompose.
Composting is based closely on this natural process & begins with the thousands of micro-organisms which live naturally in soil. These micro-organisms feed on a moist heap of organic waste materials (food), generating considerable heat in the process. Other groups of “decomposer” organisms go straight to work as the temperature rises. It becomes an ever-changing workforce of bacteria, fungi, & insects.
When the temperature drops, turning or stirring the pile gives the decomposers more oxygen & the heat builds again, killing off harmful bacteria & destroying any un-wanted wild seeds. Right. When all the easily decomposed material has been consumed, the temperature drops for the last time & earthworms & ants may move in, signaling that the compost is ready to feed new plants with its “recycled” nutrients.
Finished compost has the distinctive fresh smell of newly-turned soil or a forest floor in spring, & it will not heat up again no matter how often you turn air into the pile. The ideal result of the composting process is crumbly, dark, soil-like humus where none of the original material can be identified. The nutrients stored in compost depend on the richness & variety of its ingredients & on its exposure to harsh weather. However - experienced gardeners know there is no such thing as bad 
:cry: compost!
About the Author
A gardener for years, Marcelle has learned the value of composting & using it to put nutrients back into the soil. You can get her free 12-page pdf “The Composting MiniHandbook” at her blog: http://www.OrganicGardeningClub.com
