Composting can turn organic matter, like food waste or leaves, into compost that you can use in your garden or around your yard.Composting in a pit is less messy than a compost pile and less work than building a homemade compost bin.You just need to grab a shovel, dig a hole, and add compost to it.
Step 1: You should dig a hole for your compost pit.
The compost hole should be about 1 ft deep.The area of the hole will be determined by the amount of organic matter you want to add.The compost should reach a depth of 4 in (10 cm) in the pit.The compost material will be finely chopped or torn to pieces before being thrown in the hole.The pit can be as wide as you want it to be.Garden rows can be enriched with a compost trench.If you have a lot of compost material, you can dig a deeper pit, but don't go deeper than about 1 m.Important decomposing organisms can't live below this depth.If you need more room in your pit, try widening it.
Step 2: You should chop your compost materials.
Composting happens at a slower rate underground.As much surface area as possible is the key to speeding the process.Kitchen scraps can be shredded by hand, chopped with a knife, or even used in a food processor.Yard scraps can be broken down.Aim for pieces no bigger than 2 to 3 in (5 to 8 cm) long, wide, and thick.
Step 3: The organic materials should be put in the compost pit.
It is time to start composting.You don't want the materials you'll be composting to be taller than about 10 cm, so dump your food scraps and yard waste into the hole.To mix the materials together, use a shovel.It is important to make sure your carbon-rich materials are mixed with your nitrogen rich materials thoroughly.Compost materials that are well-mixed are important from the beginning, as you don't turn the materials like you would with other compost.
Step 4: If you plan to add more to the hole, cover it with a board.
It is possible to add more to your compost pit later.Put a fine layer of soil or carbon-rich material in the pit and close it with a board.In order to get an easy meal, animals may be lured to your compost pit.Heavy rocks are used to keep your board in place.To write the date and height of the materials on the board covering, use a permanent marker.When you put fresh compost materials in, cover the top layer with more soil or carbon-rich material.The materials are ready to be filled when they reach 4 in 10 cm.
Step 5: When you have full compost, cover it with soil.
You can backfill the pit once you have finished adding compost materials.The pit should be level with the surrounding soil.If you dug the pit, cover it with sod or grass to prevent unattractive patches of dirt.
Step 6: The compost area can be improved by watering it.
Compost is more slow to break down than above ground piles.Ensure the area stays fairly wet by using a garden hose.If you have a hose, soak the ground above the compost pit.It will be harder for microbes to break down your scraps if you are dry.In about a year, underground compost should be fully decomposing.
Step 7: Plants can be grown above the compost pit.
You don't have to perform any additional steps to harvest underground compost.Plants can be planted directly over the compost pit to take advantage of this.The soil will be enriched by the decomposing scraps during the year.If you can, wait at least a year before planting to make sure your plants have access to the maximum amount of compost.
Step 8: Your garden area should be divided into 3 rows.
Each row should be about 3 feet wide.An empty middle row separates the rows containing your compost trench and plants.Even after many years of growing, using a 3-season rotation will keep the soil rich.If you keep your garden in the same place every year, the plants will deplete the soil's nutrients over time, making it harder to grow things.
Step 9: There is a trench that runs the length of the row.
To make sure the entire row gets an equal amount of compost enrichment, dig a deep trench that runs down the middle.The hoe works well for this.During your first year of composting, keep an empty row between your compost row and the row containing plants.
Step 10: The trench should be maintained as a normal pit.
The trench should be filled evenly with compost material.The trench will be filled with dirt when you reach that level.The compost trench should be watered regularly to improve its decomposition.If you plan on adding more compost later, cover the material with soil and seal it with a board, as described in the "Maintaining a Filled Pit" method above.
Step 11: The compost trench should be moved in the second year.
The rows containing your plants and trench are going to be moved at the start of the new planting season.Move the row with plants that were left empty last year to the one in the compost trench.
Step 12: The compost pit should be moved in the third year.
In the third year of the planting season, the trench-row will continue to chase after the plant row.The empty row becomes your new plant-row after the second year.By rotating plants and compost trench-rows in this fashion, you can keep your garden well supplied with vitamins and minerals.