Sure, I could just mow the grass/“weeds,” but it’s far more useful to add the nitrogen rich material to my compost piles.  

Instead of using a machine to chop the grass/”weeds” down & leave them to decompose on the ground, I do what I’ve come to call “hand mowing.” It’s basically weeding, but over a much larger area than a garden bed. I pull the plant up from the root whenever possible & gather as much variety of green matter as I can so as to add diverse nutrients to my finished compost.

The grasses & weeds are then piled up into alternating, moistened layers of green matter & brown matter (mostly shredded cardboard or dry leaves) in our compost bays.

Ambient heat on this moistened, nitrogen rich environment causes the pile to heat up & speeds up decomposition- along with help from the bugs living & feeding on the pile.

I turn the piles weekly in order to aerate & re-wet them, as well as add more nitrogen rich material when needed (if pile temperature isn’t within desired range). Turning & actively managing the piles in this way shortens the time to a finished pile of compost.

Repeatedly lifting pounds & pounds of organic material & (until recent water system upgrade) carrying even heavier buckets of water to the piles probably sounds terrible to most, but for some reason I really enjoy it. I just focus on this one task & nothing else. Rhythmically scooping & tossing the piles puts me in a meditative state & after awhile I hardly notice the muscles aching in my back & thighs. Before I know it, the piles are neatly reconstructed in their new bay & I bask in the satisfaction of knowing I’m one step closer to finished compost.

As Summer continues to heat up, the labor involved in active composting is less appealing. For now I can perform the task of turning the compost piles at sunrise when the weather is still tolerable.

Soon my work window will be closed & even before the sun rises it will be 100 degrees with 90%+ humidity😖. I will then resort to the much slower process of static composting. I will build up the compost piles & they will sit for months slowly decomposing (though hopefully accelerated some by the insane ambient heat) until Fall when temperatures return to a more comfortable working environment & I once again begin to turn & actively manage the piles.

‘Til the unrelenting, oppressive heat arrives…I’ve got more high quality compost to produce💪🏾!