Notes:- When you turn a compost pile, make the base of the new pile smaller than the
original base to give the turned pile more internal volume and less surface area. - If you are not ready to use your compost when it is fully cured, stop watering it and
spread it out to dry. (See Ecology Action’s booklet 32, GROW BIOINTENSIVE®
Composting and Growing Compost Materials.) - Compost sifted through ½-inch wire fabric is less likely to attract root hair-eating
symphylans. For an easy-to-use sifter, see Ecology Action’s The Backyard
Homestead, Mini-Farm and Garden Log Book.
Composting Methods Compared
The GROW BIOINTENSIVE method of making compost
di<ers in particular from the biodynamic method in that
the GROW BIOINTENSIVE method is simpler, normally
uses no manure, and usually uses no herbal solutions to
stimulate microorganism growth.^4 Manure, used
continually and in large amounts in biodynamic compost
piles, is an imbalanced fertilizer, although it is a good
texturizing agent because of its usual decomposed
sawdust content. Rather than using herbal solutions,
GROW BIOINTENSIVE practices sometimes use weeds,
such as stinging nettle, and other plants, such as fava
beans, as part of the ingredients in compost piles.
Special compost recipes may be created in GROW
BIOINTENSIVE to meet particular pH, structure, and
nutrient requirements.