Compost is the answer to almost every Georgia clay problem. Poor drainage — add compost. Plants yellowing — add compost. Soil baking hard in summer — add compost. It is not a quick fix, but it is a permanent one and making it yourself costs almost nothing. Here is how to build a productive compost system for a NW Georgia garden.
The basics of what goes in
Compost is built from two categories of material — greens and browns. Greens are nitrogen-rich materials: kitchen vegetable scraps, fresh grass clippings, coffee grounds, and fresh garden trimmings. Browns are carbon-rich materials: dried leaves, straw, cardboard, paper, and dry garden stalks. A good compost pile needs roughly three parts brown to one part green by volume. Too many greens and the pile get slimy and smells. Too many browns and it barely breaks down.
What not to compost
Never add meat, fish, dairy, or cooked food — they attract pests and create odors. Avoid diseased plant material — it can spread disease back into your garden. Dog and cat waste are not suitable for vegetable garden compost. Avoid adding weeds that have gone to seed unless your pile gets hot enough to kill them — 140 degrees sustained for several days.
Building your pile
A pile at least 3 feet wide and 3 feet tall generates enough internal heat to break down materials quickly. Smaller piles work but decompose slowly. Layer greens and browns like lasagna, water each layer until moist but not soaking, and add a shovelful of finished compost or garden soil to introduce the microbes that do the work.
Using Georgia's fall leaves
NW Georgia produces an enormous amount of fallen leaves each October and November — oak, maple, sweetgum, and hickory. These are pure gardening gold. Rake them into your compost pile, shred them with a lawn mower first if possible, and mix with kitchen scraps through the winter. By spring you will have the start of beautiful, finished compost.
Hot composting for speed
Turn your pile every week or two with a pitchfork, mixing the outside into the center. A properly built hot pile in Georgia's warm climate can produce finished compost in as little as 6 to 8 weeks in summer. The pile should feel warm to hot in the center — if it is not heating up, add more greens or water.
Applying to your garden
Finished compost is dark, crumbly, and smells like rich earth. Apply 2 to 3 inches to garden beds each spring and fall and work it in lightly. Top-dress around established plants during the growing season. After three to four years of consistent compost application, even the most stubborn NW Georgia red clay becomes loose, productive soil.
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