compost disappearing - Ask Extension
Hello again - I have had a cold compost pile for years. Nothing fancy, just a pile on the ground inside some chicken wire. Every year I notice that th...
Knowledgebase
compost disappearing #889155
Asked November 01, 2024, 10:01 AM EDT
Hello again - I have had a cold compost pile for years. Nothing fancy, just a pile on the ground inside some chicken wire. Every year I notice that the pile barely gets taller but seems to almost disappear into the ground. I dig a little deeper and usually get a decent amount of compost.
In the last couple of months I have seen the chicken wire on the ground away from this small pile and the compost now seems quite a bit lower than usual: almost level with the ground. There is no trail of compost.
Do you have any ideas about this observation?
Howard County Maryland
Expert Response
It's hard to tell what's going on, but we suspect a wild animal might be digging into the pile to look for invertebrates to eat. (Or, maybe it's looking for food scraps that haven't degraded yet, if that is a material you are adding to the pile.) You might just need to anchor the wire fencing more sturdily to discourage them from digging in again in that case. Soil life, like worms and insects, also move organic matter from the soil surface down into deeper layers, and perhaps you happen to have enough soil life below the pile (especially since it's insulating the ground below it, like a mulch) that they are essentially tilling it into the ground for you.
Miri
Miri
Miri - that sounds very plausible. I hadn't thought of an animal actually eating in place. Great idea about pinning the fence down. I used to do that. It worked so well I forgot it was needed. I'll do that as soon as I can. And I appreciate your explanation of the disappearance of my compost. It seems to validate digging below ground level to get all that black gold. - Jim On 11/1/24 11:29 AM, Ask Extension wrote: >
You're welcome!
I forgot to give you my thanks! - Jim
