Compost, what it is and how to make it.

I spent about 6 hours painting our little farm house today. Thankfully, I got it all done. Now, without further delay, the topic for today: Compost!!! First of all, what is compost? Compost is the decayed remains of plants or food scraps. However, compost does not smell if it is prepared properly. It looks like a brown powder, and is incredibly easy to apply as top dressing, regular fertilizer to be plowed under, or even side dressed. I have never heard of anyone side dressing compost, but I am quite sure it could be done. One of the advantages of using compost for fertilizer is the fact that it is less likely to burn the plants you are attempting to feed. I usually apply compost well before the planting season, and I usually plow it under to allow it to fertilize the ground before planting. Now, with all of that said, what is compost? I know, I know. It seems that I have already answered that question, but this is more in depth. Or more accurately, what is compost composed of? I obtain my compost from food scraps, straw, chicken droppings and grass clippings. At harvest time, I even use the clippings from mowing down the remains of my garden. All of these things go into quality compost. Some even use mulch for their compost pile. One of the biggest questions that I am posed with is, "if compost is decaying plants and such, wouldn't it have a rotting smell to it?" My answer is no.  The difference, as I understand it, between "rotting" matter and composting it is one simple thing: air. If the pile has a continuous supply of air in it, this allows certain bacteria to feed off of the pile, thus producing compost that is usable. How does one keep air in the compost pile? Before I go into that, let me cover the types of compost bins that can be used. First of all, no bin is needed for composting. My first compost pile was just that, a pile. It was small, and in a good location on the property. Then there are the traditional "bins" that can be bought or built. These can be as simple as a wooden box with holes drilled in it. Then there is the open air or fenced in compost area. This is almost like a pile, except it is fenced using chicken wire or something of the like. At last, there is my favorite: the rotating compost bin. This is the type of bin that I use, and I get usable compost in about 3 weeks. With this type of bin, the entire containment area rotates, this stirring the compost while it is "cooking". Now we can cover the ways of keeping air to the pile. If you are using a square bin, pile, or fenced in area, the compost should be stirred often. I stirred mine once per day. This ensures adequate air supply throughout the entire pile. The reason that I like the rotating composter is the simple fact that with one turn of a lever, the entire containment area (containing the compost) is stirred much like clothes in a dryer. There is also PVC pipe contained within the containment area that have holes drilled in them. This allows the pile to get the air it needs to speed it along. The containment area is nothing more than a plastic 50 gallon food grade drum mounted on a wooden platform. When the compost is ready, it is high enough for me to back a small trailer under it with a tractor and dump it in one swoop. The plans that I used to build my composter will be coming in a later post. How does one go about composting? My process is beautiful in its simplicity. I don't worry about the actual pattern in making up the pile simply because I know the whole pile will be turned and turned. I simply put my hay, or other dry matter in the barrel, followed by wet matter (food scraps, etc.) and keep the pattern going there. I generally don't worry about adding this then adding that. Just worry about adding the dry and wet in tandem. At that point I close the door, and let it cook. I would like to make one small note here: if you choose to use a rotating composter, do not fill the composter over half full of raw material (uncomposted material) because this would take away adequate space for the pile inside of the barrel to shift when it is being rotated.