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With all the recent press flak about what does or doesn’t constitute organic produce in the grocery store, you’d be wise to question if what you’re buying is actually organic. Local and federal laws differ widely as to what produce can be labeled organic, and you can never be sure that what you think you’re paying for is, indeed, what you’re getting.
The only way to be sure you’re eating organic produce is to grow your vegetables yourself. And an excellent way to fertilize vegetables the truly organic way is to build a compost heap and mulch your plants with it every growing season.
Compost is the dead and decaying remains of plants from the season’s end produce of your present garden, as well as grass clippings, raked leaves, and any other organic stalk, rind or peeling from the kitchen. It’s filled with nutrients and is a time-honored vegetation fertilizer. Lined with layers of regular powdered garden limestone, the compost decays over time to form a rich additive to your vegetable garden.
How do you build a successful compost heap? Here is how I did it...
First of all, not being a carpenter or an architect, a fancy bin with two-by-four pine corner stakes and a chicken wire side-wall lining was out of the question. I wanted to find building materials I already had around the house, so I looked in my cellar and located some cement cinder blocks, a roll of chicken wire and an old framed window screen. You can use similar items to construct your compost heap.
Build a cell by stacking the cinder blocks in a square or rectangular shape about three to four feet in length and depth, leaving the holes of the blocks facing outward so that your pile can breathe. Aeration is important to promote the breakdown of organic materials. Your compost pit should look like a large cube without a lid.
Next, line the cube with chicken wire, still allowing the pile to breathe, yet discouraging animals from getting into it. Now begin to layer your organic materials--chopped up corn stalks, grass clippings, leaves--into it. Don’t use leaves or grass which have been sprayed with chemical fertilizers or pesticides because that would defeat the purpose of making a truly organic compost.
Mix in a bag of manure, which you can buy at a garden center or from an active horse stable, to hasten the composting process. Spray the layer with a fine mist of water. Then add any fruit or vegetable scraps you may have from your kitchen, along with any other garden plant remains you can find. Try to chop whatever you put into your compost heap into small pieces to speed decay.
Always end with a layer of ground limestone and perhaps a layer of garden soil. This will keep the odor of the decaying produce down and the neighbor’s complaints of garbage smells at bay.
When you’ve added whatever scraps you have to your pile, place your window screen over the top and secure it with another layer of cinder blocks or bricks set around its perimeter. You can do the same thing with a section of chicken wire cut to fit the size of pit. Be sure to secure it firmly so that animals can’t get into the pile.
Continue to add organic kitchen scraps to your compost pile whenever you have some, and each time you do, turn your compost heap with a garden fork to introduce the scraps to the insides of the pit. It’s important to turn your pile frequently (at least every several days) and to spray it with water when you do. Keeping it moist and mixed contributes to the even composting of the materials and makes for better fertilizer for your garden next year.
Mulching your vegetable plants with home-made compost ensures growing organic vegetables. And nothing is fresher and tastier than home-grown produce picked at its peak--especially if you know it's organic.
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