how to make and use compost, with lee reich
HOW CAN EVERY LAST SCRAP of goodness we’re all gathering during garden cleanup be put to optimal use? I asked expert Lee Reich, who practices no-till vegetable gardening, to share strategic soil-improving, weed-thwarting, and future harvest-enhancing steps you can take now, as you put the garden to bed. Learn to compost smarter, and prep your soil easily without tilling.
That’s Lee with his trusty scythe, above, which doesn’t figure into composting, but into how he cuts his meadow-like fields. Impressive, and mesmerizing! I’ve included a couple of his great how-to videos on composting and no-till soil preparation, along with links to the audio of our entire conversation.
I was especially excited to visit Lee Reich’s New Paltz, New York, “farmden”–that’s half garden, half farm–since it’s fruit harvest time. Lee is a longtime friend and author of many exceptional garden books, including “Grow Fruit Naturally” and “Weedless Gardening,” and “The Pruning Book,” among others.
Read the show notes from our discussion on the October 21, 2013 edition of my public-radio show below.
no-till gardens, making compost, and more, with lee reich
You’ve heard me talk about Lee before as the “unusual fruit guy,” and indeed we taste-tested paw paws and American persimmons and kiwis and more the other day. (Remember my story with Lee about growing those?)
But what really caught my attention the other day: seeing “Lee the soil guy” in action—how he composts, and how he preps his vegetable garden in fall for spring planting.
“Taking care of the soil is not rocket science,” Lee says (despite having an advanced degree in soil science). “Make sure the drainage is good, and beyond that it’s just a question of getting plenty or organic matter into the soil. Do those two things, and you’re 90 percent there.”
lee’s no-till, weed-less growing
LEE’S TACTICS for growing vegetables: a weed-less (emphasis on the less, meaning fewer but of course not no weeds). He hasn’t turned one vegetable garden in 15 years since he created it; his other growing area hasn’t been turned in 30. Both deliver bountiful harvests, despite the fact that his beds are very intensively planted.
All he does each year: Minimizes soil disturbance by not tilling or pulling things too roughly (which would bring weed seeds to the surface or allow others to sow in), and adds an inch of compost as a topdressing. That’s right: Don’t dig your compost deep into the soil, Lee says. An inch spread right on the surface of a tidied-up bed mediates the compaction caused by pounding of rain; insulates the roots of the plants you grow in it, and since most feeder roots are in the upper reaches, it supplies what plants need.
“The vegetables don’t need any other fertilizer,” he says.
So how does he clean up the beds without disturbing the soil? Lee doesn’t yank things madly (the way I do, I confess!), making gaping holes. Instead he strategically uses his Japanese weeding knife, or hori-hori, to encircle and sever the roots of each pepper or tomato or whatever, right around the main stem, then carefully lifts it out. Lee’s recent video on soil prep and topdressing with compost (up above, at the start of this section) explains it all.
Plus: Lee’s and my longtime friend Joe Lamp’l of “Growing a Greener World” on PBS has a whole section on no-till vegetable gardening, for additional reference.
can-do composting, lee’s way
EVEN AFTER 40 YEARS of composting, “I find the whole process so fascinating,” says Lee. “I never cease to be amazed by it.”
His key tools for success: A compost thermometer–about 18 inches long—to test the internal temperature of each heap. Lee’s compost gets to 140-160ish degrees F, though it doesn’t have to get that warm to decompose, he says. But
the thermometer helps Lee know if he’s got a good balance of ingredients—both “green” or Nitrogen-rich, and “brown,” or Carbon-rich. If it’s right, and if there is some moisture and air, the pile heats up.
Lee’s other key tool for the composting: a bin. Lee’s 15 identical bins are homemade from notched, 4-foot lengths of “manufactured wood,” stacked log-cabin-style gradually, a tier at a time, as he adds material. He keeps piling stuff up in each bin to a height of about 5 feet, filling again a few times as the material settles. He moistens any dry ingredients slightly as needed when adding them. Lee used rot-resistant real lumber to build bins for many years, but lately had turned to the more long-lasting recycled decking “lumber.”
He covers each bin with EPDM fabric, which is typically used for rubber roofing and available at building supply stores. “A very useful material around the farm or garden,” says Lee, “to keep things covered.”
Many expert sources say never to add diseased or insect-laden materials to the heap. Lee’s approach:
“I contend that if you look closely enough at anything, you’re going to find some ‘bad guy’ on it,” he says. “So my thing: I put everything into the compost.” Any and all organic material derived from a plant—“organic” meaning living or formerly living with an eye to adding both high-C high-N materials. He does turn each bin periodically, and again: His piles heat up to a temperature range helps kill off pathogens or pests.
It all goes like he demonstrates in his video called “You Won’t Believe What I Compost” that I embedded up above (and you won’t–and I didn’t!).
more how-to’s with lee reich
- growing pawpaws and persimmons
- all my conversations with lee (on blueberries, vegetable gardening, and more)
- visit lee reich’s website
- visit lee reich’s youtube channel
- Lee was the subject of a recent episode of “Growing a Greener World,” on PBS affiliates
get the podcast version of future shows
MY WEEKLY public-radio show, rated a “top-5 garden podcast” by “The Guardian” newspaper in the UK, began its seventh year in March 2016. In 2016, the show won three silver medals for excellence from the Garden Writers Association. It’s produced at Robin Hood Radio, the smallest NPR station in the nation. Listen locally in the Hudson Valley (NY)-Berkshires (MA)-Litchfield Hills (CT) Mondays at 8:30 AM Eastern, rerun at 8:30 Saturdays. You can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here).
how to win 2 books by lee reich
I’VE BOUGHT TWO extra copies of “Grow Fruit Naturally” and “Weedless Gardening” by Lee Reich to share with you. (NOTE: GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED.)
All you have to do to enter to win one of each is answer this question, entering your reply into the comment form at the very bottom of the page:
Do you have any particular tactics for composting, and do you turn your vegetable beds to work in amendments or not?
Me: I compost in a very long, large open pile called a “windrow,” rather than a bin, and it’s definitely not cooking along very “hot.” It gets turned once a year. I grow vegetables in raised beds, to which I add at least an inch of compost as a topdressing each year.
Feeling shy, or have nothing to share? Just say “count me in” and I will include your entry–again, put it in the box-like form at the bottom of the page! Good luck to all. I chose two winners at random after entries closed at midnight Sunday, October 27, 2013.
(Disclosure: All Amazon affiliate links yield a small commission that I use to buy books for future giveaways.)
We don’t till in anything. We do put leaves on in the fall on most of our rows because we never have enough compost. We are on a large city lot with berries, dwarf fruit trees, vegetable garden and flowers for the bees and hummingbirds. (we took out all the grass and we are totally organic in our approach) We have 2 of those black plastic things metro passed out to the neighbors years ago and 2 bins made out of non rusting fence wire like my grandpa used to use. We are really needing to remodel our composting into something easier to use.
I have 3 compost bins that I use in rotation. I have a small garden so my compost material is somewhat limited. I use vegetative kitchen scraps, plant material from the garden, some oak leaves, and a little soil that I’ve dug up for planting projects. I need to provide a lot of moisture in the dry California summers, then in the winter I keep the piles covered with garbage can lids (to retain heat and prevent excess moisture). I extend my compost by making compost tea to fertilize.
I love looking through gardening and food blogs. My friend just told me about yours and also “Cooking With Mr. C.” on Facebook. I just “Liked” his page and came to see your site. I’m glad when people share blogs with each other. Denise
We originally bought one of those large barrel-type composters and had some success with it, but found it more limiting than just building compost piles on the ground. Admittedly, we need help!
what a great post. It is inspiring to see the cotton clothing go into the heap. I do find that cutting and shredding material before it goes in to the compost bin helps the process. I have a small yard, so I just purchased an Earth Bin from our town environmental center. The bin is large but I filled it up in two days as I started prepping beds, pulling weeds, pruning overgrowth, etc.
Hi Margaret, I’m wondering why in several attemps there was no sound on video at my end? In any event after realizing for ten years that a composting area is long past due , as i have my fifty foot pile hauled out every year as it is unsightly , making the bins has been a bit of an issue as i have so much waste from one year of cutting down, leaves, grass etc. So big that i would need about 6 or more bins and that would be still not enough. I also have alot of items that in the old days woud not be composted, like peony leaves and rose bush cut down I guess in some cases if it is hot enough them it will compost ok. ? I always seperate piles and since I have hundreds of each of peonies and roses besides the rest of the perennials and shrubs , then it becomes a chore to have seperate areas. I have always taken the easy way out and had it hauled away. Costing money twice now because I buy compost too and pay to have it trucked to a neighbor with a huge yard, then he turns it into top soil and compost. Ridiculous with so much material . When one doesn’t have a corner that is out of sight or woods to haul to, pile needs to be easy access and not to far (wheel barrow full and an two acres to walk) then what to do? I have thought about a plan to hide bins with garden beds, but then getting around them to get into containers also an issue , to turn and hose down..I have all kinds of great plans, had contractors looking at it for years yet with the amount of debris not sure how to do it. I’m tired of buying and or hauling compost from outside.. Need to figure it out ? i know you put your in an area on it’s own and out of sight. I wish i had that here but I don’t, all parts of property are open and part of garden.. Also with so much debris each would need to get filled with every time one goes out to cut down , leaves alone would take up all of them and not enough space , let alone plant material. His photos showed very little debris but from one bed alone i might have three of his carts and then there are about thirty of those beds or more. I need help thinking it through.. I design but this is one problem that has me blocked.
Normally I don’t till my garden, but this year I had to move my vegetable garden to another part of my property, so we started all over again. Unfortunately, the move wasn’t planned in advance and I didn’t have time to do all of the proper prep work so I had an awful time with weeds this year. At the end of the season, I pulled all the weeds and top dressed the beds with newspapers, compost, and manure, so hopefully after breaking down over the winter, I’ll have some beautiful soil by planting time and I intend to use some of Lee Reich’s techniques for weed control this spring.
Hi Folks
Does anyone have a good suggestion for pruning Hydranga paniculata?
its the hydranga which forms beautiful white,turning to dark rose/rust and greenish brown blossoms and has the shape of a sheep’s head.
A helpful lawn guy pruned my shrub and this year I have tons of flowers all too close together and none able to grow to a decent size.
There are too many stems and tips for the blossoms.
How to prune? And when?
Do I take out whole branches to the main trunk? That would open it up to an aeirier look. I am thinking thats the way.
Thanks so much
Elayne: They bloom on NEW wood (meaning growth that comes next spring, then makes buds and flowers through the summer), so you can prune as hard as you like anytime from now till around early spring (I try not to prune after the start of May). Typically I take off the long stems and old flowerheads that are dried up and blowing around in late fall, then do a proper pruning around April. Please note: You don’t have to prune them — totally optional.
THANKS TO ALL for your entries! And the winners are: Betty Adelman and Marcia Hall (who have been notified by email).
I am thrilled to hear all your tips and tactics, and to see how many people love composting like Lee R. and I do!
AND THE WINNERS ARE….
Jef Taylor and Kelly (who have been notified by email).
I love seeing how curious and passionate you all are about nature. Thank you for the great responses!
We compost every scrap we can — leaves, grass clippings, kitchen waste. I have five composting beds/tumblers/containers, utilizing aerated composting in the tumblers, a turned bed, and a pile. I refill the tumblers from the piles after emptying them. I use no-till raised beds so turning is unnecessary. I recharge my beds with chopped leaves, and finished compost in the fall and top-dress with compost in the spring or when planting.
Can aged manure be used for the one inch top dressing that Lee talks about? Or does it need to be mixed with something else to make it less potent? How long should the manure be aged before it is used in the garden? I’m very new to the idea of compost and mulch but want to learn how to use these effectively. Any suggestions and guidance would be much appreciated!
We’ve tilled & not tilled beds. Nowadays build new gardens by layering on top of existing rocky packed soils. I’ve tried many composting methods & bins with the latest being the easiest — feed it to the goats & let them make pellets that can go right back on the garden beds.
I have not been able to find the video, “You Won’t Believe What I Compost”. It appears to be missing after, “A couple of his great how-to videos on composting and soil prep, along with links to the audio of our conversation: “. Yet I see references in comments, so it must have been there previously . . . Can the link be restored? Thanks!
Sorry, Ron. Not sure why they disappeared, but I have restored them. Sometimes software updates erase code. Frustrating! Thanks for telling me.
I think I am finally getting a handle on composting but would love to make this more productive.
We recently purchased a compost bin which we are working on & also built our first raised bed for veggies. We put some of the compost on the veggies so we’ll see how it all works out. We haven’t turned the soil yet since this is a new bed.
Sounds like you are off to a good start, Diane. Thanks for saying hello.
I loved seeing Lee Reich on Growing a Greener World and love his ideas on gardening! I bought myself his Weedless Gardening book but would love a second copy to give my daughter and her husband.
I use compost that has been in a windrow for one or two years. I also use well rotted horse manure that I put in a plastic pot and run water through.
I have a friend who uses your method of cutting around the roots to remove plants, only he uses it on trees. He is a retired dentist and it looks like he is extracting a tooth when he does it!
The dentist story is a fun one, Ellen, thank you. I compost in a windrow, too — but seeing Lee’s set-up I am always jealous.
Count Me In
This summer we’re putting clear plastic sheets – 3 mil, the kind painters use for drop cloths – over our piles and it’s awesome how hot our compost gets. We’re also disciplined about turning the pile every Wednesday. The stuff is disintegrating like magic.
Count me in.
This is my second year at home gardening and thanks to Pinterest and Google I’ve learned a lot. I built a compost bin this spring from pallets and purchased bulk compost in the spring from the local Ag center at the Western Ky University where I live. I spread about 4-5″ of compost to a raised bed and tried square foot gardening with great success. I haven’t turned my compost this summer but plan to soon. I’m getting ready to plant my fall garden after cleaning out the last of summer crops and weeding. Then I plan to mulch with straw and leaves over the winter. Count me in.
What plant material should not be added to compost? I read that Iris (fan type) and I believe poison ivy should not be put into compost.
What about rhubarb ,leaves and stems? What about invasive plants i.e. water chestnuts w their very hard nutlet seed cases? Decomposing material from the bottom of a pond where there is an amount of copper from years of applications to kill algae?
fresh corn husks?
thanks so much
elayne dix
Lee says you can add everything; I leave out some sickly things, and weeds with seeds or rhizomes (because my heap does not “cook” fast, or “hot,” like his does). As far as pond chemicals, I would he hesitant to use them at all.
thanks…. ..tho my terror of poison ivy is still going to drive my practice of putting it into a plastic bag and sending it to waste collection.
Sure chemicals should not be added to ponds, but some of us live at lakes and ponds where chemicals are added. And all of us are living in a world where the use of chemicals to solve “problems ” is profligate.
elayne
Elayne brings up something that has been on my mind. I have composted for years, but I try to avoid putting anything into the composter that I would not want to reappear in my garden. We have tons of ivy and other vines we try to keep in check. I have been putting those into my garbage cans, but recently the hauler refused to take my garbage because it had “yard waste” mixed in. We get yard waste pick up every two weeks and it goes to be turned into compost. I wouldn’t want to put anything invasive into my own compost or the municipal compost either. Any suggestions? I have been bagging up the vines and putting into the garbage and hoping the pick up guys don’t notice, but there has to be a better solution.
Dahlink – We also have problem plants that we’d not like to see reappear – bind weed, wild chervil, witchgrass – so their inclusion in compost making is precluded by ‘cooking’ them
in black plastic (can be used multiple times). Contain the problem weed in black plastic set out in the sun for a few weeks. Then they should be non-viable and can be added to the composting material.
Thanks, Elayne!
Dahlink
I mean Beth (oops!)
i live on the top /side of a rocky mountain with thin soil cover-have been terracing for 20 years using open fencing against the lee side of the mountain – everything goes into the open piles – and when it is deep enough with thick beautiful soil I plant and move the fencing to the next spot- never have to turn the pile and no rocks…xxx
Love how you came up with a solution even against the odds of a tough site, Doreen. Way to go!
I confess that we compost straight into a raised bed! We have a fairly new set of beds and have designated one each year for composting, mainly because we haven’t built up enough soil yet. Eventually we’ll build a designated bin, but this works for now!
Sounds like a great plan, Katie. The famous and beloved late Ruth Stout composted right in place, too.