Dirt from the Ground Up

A couple of decades ago, I started composting.  It was a very casual endeavor.  I threw a little dirt on top of some kitchen scraps and eventually created a big enough heap to bury scraps in the middle of the compost.  A beautiful pumpkin vine grew out of it one year and made two beautiful and delicious pumpkins.  A situation presented itself where a considerable amount of soil was needed to create a raised bed.  The compost heap provided the perfect quantity.  A mix of flowers and vegetables was planted in this bed and grew with abundant thrift.  They were extremely healthy, vigorous and productive.  The experience was a tattooed lesson for me.

A few years ago, I had weeds and spent plants to deal with.  We had a full compost bin and the labor of toting compost from the point of decomposition to the point of use was literally a pain and seemed so wasteful in time and energy.  Inefficient.  We had extra concrete blocks and need of a raised bed, so we began to collect composting materials within the confines of a block border.  A perfectly scientific process was not necessary to follow.  We didn't turn it or go buy one of those aerating sticks.  All we did was try to make sure that about equal parts of green and brown material went into the pile. We also had enough leftover lumber to fashion a 7'x9' raised bed and started composting there.  Awhile later, we realized rain runoff had eroded about three inches from one side of the garden next to the fence.   Another set of concrete blocks and one more raised bed was born, using the compost from the bottom of my husband's stick pile as a base. 



1.3 Pounds of Deliciousness!

After a couple of seasons of adding kitchen scraps, old vegetable plants, corn stalks, coffee grounds, weeds, and tender trimmings from shrubbery, there was enough soil to start using the beds.  They weren't full yet, but had enough compost to support root growth.  Sometime during all this raised bed building, I decided to compost in place.  Any low spot in the garden would get its own compost pile started and the finished compost could be raked out in the end.  To be honest, with all the raised beds this hasn't been done much and I found it a little bit of a challenge to work around and to get to for adding scraps.  I still think it's a good idea, but probably without using kitchen scraps.  Maybe hubby's stick pile can find a new home wherever we need to compost in place.  Now that I think on it, the one spot where I really concentrated on making a pile wound up growing a spontaneous, lush garden of tomatoes and greens.  That four square foot spot yielded like crazy!  The big raised bed has also produced an impressive share of volunteer plants (free food) as well as some whopper Mr. Stripey tomatoes from the one plant that I set in it.

 

The point of telling you all of this is that the most primo growing medium doesn't come from a bag.  All of the nutrients that are needed for plants to produce new growth, flowers, fruit, and seeds is contained in all of the things that go into a compost pile.  It's Yahweh's plan for the old plants to feed the new plants.   And for all of the organisms that participate in decomposition to make those nutrients available.  The process from start to finish is amazing and begins even before the first tomato is picked.  The same enzymes that help it to ripen also play a role in moving that tomato towards decomposition - if it doesn't grace mayo on white bread first, that is.  The creepy crawlies and worms and salamanders found in the compost pile are really employees of a rich dirt manufacturing plant. 

Compost has perfect structure for the movement of air and water, is loose so tender roots easily push forth, and has a perfect balance of nutrients.   What is amazing is that it grows healthier plants than commercial fertilizers can produce, though by analysis the commercial product has far more nutrients!  What is it that makes the difference?  What gives compost the edge?  It's life.  The thing that doesn't come pelletized, osmotically layered, or in a crystallized soluble form.  Compost is made from living plants, by living creatures, and contains living mycelia that assist in plant growth. 

The best part is that this perfect growing medium is given to us as a free gift.  We don't have to buy it in bags, have it trucked in, or go collect it from a giant steaming pile miles away.  All you have to do is put about half green and half brown plant materials where you want a garden and wait a little while for life to work a wondrous miracle.

 

(Note:  May I recommend viewing the film "Back to Eden", which is about gardening in compost.  Use it as inspiration and feel free to get creative with building your own fantastic dirt from the ground up.  http://vimeo.com/28055108)