Composting
Composting - The Who, What, When and How to Compost
Nashville, Ark. – With warmer weather approaching, many of you may be planning a garden or already have one started. If you have found that your soil is not up to par, you may consider composting. Composting involves controlling the natural decay of organic matter and will allow you to convert yard trimmings into a product that can be returned to your landscape or garden.
Composting can be very beneficial for your garden. Compost will improve the structure of your soil by adding organic matter. If you have sandy soil, compost will help hold moisture and hold the soil together. It will also attract earthworms which will aerate the soil and improve drainage. Compost is a soil conditioner, releasing small amounts of plant nutrients and essential trace elements throughout the growing season. Compost also helps latch onto nutrients from fertilizer and prevents them from leaching out of the soil. Finally, compost improves soil health. It has been shown in research trials to reduce plant diseases.
You may be wondering what materials can be composted. The answer is any natural organic material including grass clippings, weeds that have not gone to seed, fallen leaves, pine needles, hedge clippings, straw, livestock manures, flowers, and remains of garden plants. Some other things that can be added to your compost pile are manufactured organic materials that are not wax or plastic coated such as newspapers, paper boxes, clothing scraps, and wood shavings. You should avoid adding compost made from herbicide-treated grass clippings to your vegetable garden. Organic materials that should not be added to your compost pile include meat, bones, and fatty foods. Weeds with large roots should be left out and dried in the sun to reduce their chances of survival.
Avoid using any compost before it is ready. Compost is ready to use when the original materials are no longer recognizable, and it is no longer generating a significant amount of heat. If the organic materials have not completely decomposed, plants growing in the amended soil may turn yellow and appear stressed. Soil micro-organisms compete with plants for nitrogen during the decomposition process. Organic acids in immature compost may also be harmful to plant roots. Finished compost should have a dark, crumbly appearance and an earthy odor.
For more information on compost, call the Howard County Extension Office at 870-845-7517 or view some helpful fact sheets on our website www.uaex.uada.edu. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
By Dawson Bailey
County Extension Agent - Agriculture
The Cooperative Extension Service
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Media Contact: Dawson Bailey
County Extension Agent - Agriculture
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
421 N. Main Nashville AR 71852
(870) 845-7517
dbailey@uada.edu
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