An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure: Composting for Healthy Plants

Keeping your plants healthy (and happy) is a great way to avoid pests and pesticides. Just like a healthy person, a healthy plant has a stronger immune system making them less susceptible to diseases and pests. It’s important to know then, that when it comes to plant health, it’s really all about the quality of the soil. That’s where composting comes in.

Composting is an easy, economical, and earth friendly way to get your plants the nutrients and organic matter they need to thrive. There are many books and online resources for starting and maintaining a compost bin.  It can be as simple or as complicated as you’d like it to be.  It’s important to choose a good site; out of the way, but easy to get to.  I’ve found a homemade 3-sided wooden bin works best for me.  This makes turning piles much easier.

My compost recipe is basic and I liken it to my mom’s pancake batter - 3 main ingredients.  For good compost you need carbon (brown material), nitrogen (green material) and bacteria (kitchen scraps).  What is important though is the ratio: 2 parts carbon, 1 part nitrogen.  A good source of carbon is leaves.  Right now they are in abundance making this a great time of year to collect materials!  Oaks are especially high in nutrients, but any kind works. For your green material use grass clippings, vegetable vines, garden debris.  Your kitchen scraps (cantaloupe rinds, banana peels, etc…) become your beneficial bacteria.  No meat or dairy though.  Many composters recommend breaking down your materials. This makes more surface space available for the bacteria.  Mulch up your leaves first or blend your kitchen scraps.  I also add well-rotted manure (good source of Nitrogen) to my compost pile from time to time.  You can buy this cheaply at most garden centers or get to know your local farmer. 

The other 2 important ingredients are water and air.  Your pile needs to be kept wet, but not dripping and air is absolutely necessary for the aerobic (oxygen-using) bacteria doing the hard composting work.  This is where the fun begins.  Once you’ve begun your pile, make sure to keep it moist and turned.  A good turning fork is vital, and maintaining your pile’s temperature makes for quicker compost.  This also helps with keeping out critters.  If you’re worried about attracting rodents a few good tips include placing ¼” galvanized wire beneath your bin, turning your pile often, or adding alfalfa which helps with heating and breaking down materials.  

There’s nothing more exciting then digging into your pile to find it alive with worms and your leaves have turned to crumbly black material.  It’s magical (and addicting). Some folks cover their piles in winter to keep the temperature up (an old carpet works well, or a large tarp).  If you don’t the pile will probably cool down and take longer to decompose, but once the summer heat kicks in and you start turning it again, it heats right back up.

As I work in my fall garden I become a part of the cycle.  Leaf piles get raked up and dumped on my newly forming compost pile.  I leave the small leaves and pine needles for my acid loving plants.  I burn or toss out any diseased or infected plants and put a fresh cover of mulch or compost on my beds to tuck them in for winter. This gives my soil and plants a healthy, head start for the coming growing season.