So you have homemade compost. Here’s how to get the most out of that pile
Compost piles are just beginning to dry out and heat up again. Cold weather and too much water (rainfall) stops the decomposition process. Help restart the decomposition process in your garden waste compost pile by turning the pile regularly, several times a week, to expose the interior material to warm air and sunshine.
If your pile has an ammonia smell, it means that it contains too much nitrogen. Stop adding grass clippings and green waste which are major sources of nitrogen until the ammonia smell disappears. Cover the pile with a tarp when rain is predicted. Begin adding water when necessary to keep the pile consistently moist but not soggy.
Kitchen waste compost piles usually contain less nitrogen than garden waste piles. They should be composed of vegetable and fruit scraps, eggshells, tea bags, coffee grounds and filters. No proteins, no bones, no animal manures. If the kitchen waste pile is also stinky because the decomposition process has stopped, use the sharp edge of a shovel to finely chop any large bits and pieces to a 1-inch size and turn the pile whenever you add new materials.
Compost tumblers can speed up the decomposition process so that compost tumbled daily can be turned into the soil within two to three weeks. The smaller the pieces, the sooner the compost will be ready. Temperatures inside a tumbler can get high enough, especially during our summers, to kill weed seeds, fungal spores and pest insect eggs. Smaller tumblers hold less material but are much easier to turn. Tumblers on wheels with a latched opening can be rolled into the garden so that the compost is dropped just where it’s needed.
Fresh homemade compost is full of microorganisms and beneficial fungi that aren’t killed by the high temperatures inside the tumbler. Digging in a cup or two of fresh compost to the soil around your plants each time you fertilize will also improve water retention and drainage.
Mosquito season
Warm spring showers mean that the mosquito season has started. Mosquito larvae can live in just 1/8th of an inch of standing water. Check your property for any spots where mosquitoes might lay their eggs including clogged roof gutters, discarded plastic bags, the constant puddle that forms next to the leaking hose bib and the kids’ empty wading pool from last summer.
Mosquito dunks made from the microbial insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis-israelensis or Bt-i can be found in nurseries and garden centers. Bt-i is nontoxic to warm-blooded animals and beneficial insects. The dunks remain effective for 30 days and can be used to kill mosquito larvae in fountains, birdbaths and ponds. Most dunks can be broken into small pieces that can be tossed into your clogged gutters until you have time to clean them.
Summer vegetables
The Fresno County Master Gardeners are offering a free class on Summer Vegetables on Saturday from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at Garden of the Sun, 1750 N. Winery Ave. in southeast Fresno.
Master Gardeners Gwen and Marie will teach the “Seven Rules of Gardening” as well as how to choose the best summer vegetable plants for your yard. They’ll also be providing information how to help our community by participating in the “Plant a Row for the Hungry” or PAR program.
Contact mgfresno@ucdavis.edu for more information.
This story was originally published March 25, 2019 at 7:56 AM.