finished compost | Crazy About Compost

Compost Contaminants

I just finished filling in the beds with 15 month finished compost, and the contamination wasn't as bad as I thought. Besides the produce labels and the blue strand of plastic from my old tarp, I think the rest of it was all swept up when collecting leaves off the street. I use my finished compost for horticultural purposes, and I double-screen the stuff I use for my cilantro and basil. Plastics are everywhere... it would be crazy to think I could remove 100% of it from my compost, but I'm definitely satisfied with what I have. Composting is always worth it :)

How do I know when compost is ready?

When is compost ready? I add to my cubic yard sized compost bin for a year, then I let it sit for a year. At that point, I scrape away the top layer and underneath is a bunch of the earthy, crumbly stuff- it's awesome! How do you know when it's ready? Here's a few thoughts: -The longer you let compost sit, the further it will break down. -Remove any bits that don't belong, such as produce labels or bits of plastic that made their way in. -Toss any unfinished organic materials in your next compost pile. -It should smell earthy (good!). -The particle size is up to you- sift and screen it down to the size you want... my screen is about 1/2" spacing.

First compost of the season!

This bottomless pit of a compost bin ate everything I threw at it for over a year. I decided to give it extra time to sit, and it was worth it- 15 months later and I have some really nice stuff. A cubic yard of compost is a lot to work with- I hope I can use it all quickly so I can get back to using it again. Working with a cubic yard means higher temperatures and higher tolerances- you can get extra lazy with it and still get great results. I'm about to empty a trash can's worth of compost that sat over the winter- I have a feeling it's not going to look nearly as good and I'll end up throwing half of it (the unfinished stuff)…