Little test we did concerning composting

[tjcnok]

Not scientific or anything but tried a little test for household compostables this sumer. Just left our compostable stuff in the plastic trash bags, added water and just left them up by the garden area then dug holes in the part of the garden we left fallow and buried other trash can loads, minus the plastic sacks. Just this morning opened the trash sacks and dug up the buried stuff. The stuff in the sacks had composted very little if at all. Just a evil looking and smelling mess. Buried stuff was gone. Nothing but improved garden dirt and earth worms. Just thought some one else may like to add comments.

[freelancer79d]

Thanks for the info.

[kath]

Worms, decomposers, microorganisms, etc. are so invaluable in our gardens and elsewhere. It's important to keep them as happy as possible so they are able to help transform our soils and produce magnificent plants.

[RinTinTin]

To make compost, oxygen is required. The plastic bags excluded oxygen, and the addition of water displaced what oxygen was already present. The bags enabled rot, but not composting. For the micro-organisms to do their job, they need oxygen to survive.

Your experiment proves the importance of periodically turning a compost pile, and not letting it get too wet.

Thanks