The EASY way to compost!

This new house needs a garden! It's a shame that with all of this acreage, and a pond, even, it has never had a garden. Our soil is decent, but I'd like a little more loam so as to hold onto moisture better, so we are going to compost right in place.

I've done this before. You layer "brown" and "green" components with soil to a depth that will allow heat enough for it to cook. Here is our process:

1. Cover the lawn we are turning into the garden with a layer of cardboard. We saved a bunch of moving boxes for this purpose. Don't bother taking the lawn out, it will compost right along with everything on top of it.
2. Cover the moving boxes with manure. We just happen to have a whole bunch that needs mucking. Make the kids do this part! It is so character-building for them! Just kidding. We all do this together, and it allows great conversation and learning to take place. It is just as character-building for me as it is for my kids.
3. Cover the manure with yard waste. We just happen to have a bunch of rotting hay! It's best to use the oldest stuff, if it is already partially moldy, all the better! You can use leaves or whatever yard waste you have on hand. We added a whole bunch of leaves, too, since we have an abundance of them.

4. Repeat the layering, thoroughly watering each layer to promote the bacteria that will compost it all. Your pile should ideally be about 5' x 5' x 5' to allow high enough temperatures to thoroughly compost all of the weed seeds. Cow manure is better than horse manure, as cows more fully digest their food, leaving fewer weed seeds.
5. Wait. If you build a large enough pile and keep it wet, it will compost very quickly. I always build my pile in the fall, and it is mostly ready for me to plant in by spring. By mostly ready, I mean that there are still bits of non-composted stuff. Those just act like wonderful mulch for your plants and keep the moisture in.
6. Plant. Your compost pile will have shrunk drastically, so you aren't planting in a 5' tall mound of soil. It will be mounded above the surrounding soil somewhat, but that's how I like my garden beds. They have warmer roots that way.

Easy, huh? Who wants to turn a heavy compost pile over and over?