This past week in the farm we focused on our management jobs and finishing transplanting starters or planting seeds. For the compost management job, the assigned students were tasked with adding and organizing the pile. The bottom layer is comprised of sticks to promote aeration, followed by layers of brown and green plant matter, and compost. The compost is sprinkled on top of the pile as an "inoculant" because compost contains lots of bacteria that aids in the decomposition of the plant matter. Contrary to popular belief, turning compost can be less effective than just leaving the pile be. Heat is key in decomposition, and it gets hot in the middle of the pile. Turning the pile can allow the heat to escape. We did not turn the pile, but we did add material like eaten apples and peaches. Also, we kept the pile's matter neat and evenly distributed so that the maximum amount of decomposition occurs. Lastly, we filled over 2 buckets with the compost the farm produced and added it to the farm's big pile.
-Alex Peters
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