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| Photo Credit: Claudio Calcagno /fotolia.com |
| If you’ve got more fall leaves than you know what to do with, a compost pit can be the ideal way to dispose of them. |
It was one of those desperate autumns where three compost bins, already stuffed with torn-up annuals and cut-back perennials, just weren’t enough to take on the relentless flurry of fall leaves. They were full to overflowing. But I couldn’t bring myself to rake up and bag all those leaves for trash day (too expensive and wasteful)! I figured why not just bury the problem – sweep it under the rug, so to speak?
So I did just that – behind two ancient lilac bushes in a corner of my yard. I dug a big hole, large enough that the neighbors were making jokes about missing bodies. Then I raked in the leaves from my back yard – lots and lots and lots of leaves. (My young son was thrilled – he could burrow into the leaf-filled hole and jump out of it, seemingly from out of the earth, at his sister or unsuspecting playmates.)
Later, I found out that what I created has a name: Pit composting.
It’s like a mini-landfill. Just dig a hole a few feet deep and wide wherever you can, and fill it up with sticks, plant waste, autumn leaves and other suitable compost material. (Never, of course, add meat byproducts, fats, bones, kitty litter or doggie doo.) Leave as is or, if you want, cover it with soil. Voilà! Disappeared!
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| Photo Credit: Laura/fotolia.com |
| An out-of-the-way spot is perfect for a yard-waste compost pit. |
Pit composting has many advantages. For starters, it’s free. There are no materials needed to contain the heap. Also, it’s nearly invisible. It took me about an hour to dig the monster hole in my sandy, deep soil. When I filled it up with leaves, it was indistinguishable from the leaves scattered around it. After a week or so, the pile broke down a bit and I could rake in more leaves. It was fabulously easy!
Pit composting also is efficient. Since it’s underground, the materials stay moist, even in hot, dry weather. (If your soil drains poorly, however, be warned: It might turn into a mucky hole in wet weather.) Pit temperatures are also moderate. And you don’t have to toss any soil on this pile to introduce helpful microbes – they’re everywhere already, so the materials break down very quickly.
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| Warnings |
- Before you dig, always check with the proper local authorities to find out where any buried utility, cable and other lines and pipes run though your yard. You might even want to ask them to mark lines for you (often at low to no charges). The last thing you want to do is dig into an electric line while you’re digging a compost hole!
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| Facts |
- One of the beauties of pit composting is that you don’t have to be too fussy about what you put into it and how you layer it. Within reason, whatever you toss in there breaks down pretty fast. But if you want things to move along quickly, you can do the classic compost pit layering of “green” and “brown” materials. Green materials include grass clippings, most kitchen plant waste, fresh leaves and flexible plant stems. Brown materials include raked autumn leaves, dried plant parts and shredded newspaper.
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| Tips |
- You don’t need to dig a big hole to do pit composting. A 1-2 foot wide and deep hole tucked into or behind a planting bed or border is a great place to toss nearby deadheads, cut-down stalks and other pulled plant material. As it all breaks down, they’ll feed neighboring plants.
- If rats and other vermin are a problem in your area (especially an urban area), definitely avoid putting any food scraps in your compost pit. Keep it to leaves, yard waste, grass clippings, etc. – stuff that’s going to be outside anyway. And if you think your pets might be tempted to tear through your compost pile (my eat-everything golden retriever used to love to rip through ours), tack down some chicken wire over the pit. That should help dissuade all but the most curious of animals.
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| Faqs |
- Q: Where are some other good places for compost pits?
A: Consider these: Behind the garage, in the side yard, next to the air conditioner unit, as part of the vegetable garden, behind a hedge, behind large shrubs, in a lightly wooded area (if roots permit digging) or next to your traditional compost pile.
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