Gentlemen (and women)! Please prepare to activate your compost!

Baby it's starting to get cold outside and you want, nay you NEED to keep the heat on in your compost pile, so why not do it the easy natural way? 

Pee in your compost.

Ok, that was a little blunt, but really, not to get all "Dodgeball" the movie on you (j/k), but human urine is really a great method to get your compost hot and bothered and eventually broken down.  The urea in urine is chock full of nitrogen and trace minerals (little did you know your were a little fertilizing machine!) and heats up compost like nothing else.  In case you were worried about sanitation, do not fret.

OK, there is the issue of cold buns, and while I could talk about men having it easy and methods akin to the doctor's office, I'll get off the topic of bodily fluids/functions and mention the other natural methods because purchasing something labeled: Compost activator? Phhbbbtt.  Don't buy those.

Before I continue on to what a person can use as compost activators, let me explain what it is (other than the obvious in its name).

Compost activators are heavy boosts of nitrogen added to a compost pile to get it to heat up and break down faster and thus giving your your pirates booty of black gold quicker, because hey, am I not American?  I loves me the instant gratification ;)

So yes, cheap easy activators (other than urine):


Alfafa?  I've spoke of it before, and here I'll say it again.  It's awesome! And will heat up your compost too, so chuck some pellets in there.


Dry dog/cat food is also considered a good compost activator.  Just watch fido/fifi in your garden for a while.


Coffee grounds will jolt things right up, especially if you are a daily drinker or are a Starbucks stalker.


Beer, though this seems like a crying shame to waste a brew on, it's less of an issue if you are poor and have some of the more flavorless type.


Ammonia is a killer of slugs too (and our nasal passages), but did you know that it also is a byproduct of urine?  Oh the connections!

Really, there are so many easy, accessible ones there you'd be surprised!  This post may seem like a reiteration of me spouting on and on about amendments and such, but this is a great time to get things in the ground/compost bin/pile so that the freezing/thawing of the upcoming seasons will allow for organic matter to decompose and release nutrients more fully.

For the most part, many of you who compost already most likely are consistently keeping your bins hots without trying by inadvertent addition of these elements above, but for those who are trying to figure out why things aren't heating up or breaking down accordingly try the above materials and always remember that you need a good mix of browns and green and sometimes, you may need to water your pile.  Don't forget, your in luck, you have an easy source right in you! ;)

Thank Google! (and I am sorry Rodale if this is your bane) but here is an excellent link with more amendment info:
The Rodale book of composting - Google Books

Live out your My Little Pony Fantasy: Alfalfa Pellets

Like horses? Or at least pretending you own a stable and enjoy the scent of grassy feed in the morning, use alfalfa in the garden!

Did you know that alfalfa grown is a nitrogen fixer and great as ground cover to smother weeds/be a green manure that can be turned over before it flowers?

If you are not in the season/mood to grow alfalfa, do what I do, use alfalfa pellets! It has a good all around mix of nutrients, its NPK being: 2-2-2 and you you know it won't burn your plants when it's that low.

The pellets can be purchased at local farm or Tractor Supply Stores, or you can potentially get them as rabbit pellets in pet stores, but as I don't have a bunny, I don't know the price and can only imagine that it's super jacked up.

(this is the cheap, available brand I use, about $11/50lb bag here)

(closeup of the nutrition content, more for animals though, just in case you were curious)

Mostly I use the alfalfa for mulch, either by spreading the pellets straight onto or into if you so wish, the garden where they will break up in the rain, or even better, I soak them in a bucket of water and walk away for a while doing garden-y things until I walk back and they're all swollen up and easy to break apart where I spread them as nice as I can. You can also wait even longer and let them go overnight in a wheelbarrow (just hope it doesn't get rusty!) and allow the pellets to completely fall apart into strands and then toss it and the water evenly all over the garden to spread the goodness.

This type of mulching I find is immensely cheaper than regular mulch by the bag due to alfalfa's compressed nature. The alfalfa releases nitrogen slowly and allows water through easily all the while breaking down into the soil well and the earthworms love it, dragging it below!

Oddly enough, my dog loves alfalfa too (part horse? or bunny? She does love carrots...) and so that may be a thought if you have a canine in your life and garden, or it could just be that my dog is a freak, which is likely.

Also, another good use for your 50lb bag of alfalfa might be to make it into tea. I have done a rather weak version of this myself, not getting into it too extensively yet, some recipes:

http://feverishthoughts.com/garden/2006/08/05/stinking-brew-alfalfa-tea/
http://davesgarden.com/guides/terms/go/2294/

Note that its best to use in spring or during summer, not in fall when you want to allow your plants to start preparing for dormancy rather get a mass of nutrients and push out fresh tender growth just before the cold hits.

Other good uses for alfalfa is that it can be as a compost activator. Break it up a bit before dumping it in your compost pile to get things hot. (More on compost activators in a later posting because it could definitely be talked about.)

Remember, alfalfa is SMELLY. I personally like the grassiness, but if you aren't a musty barnyard person, you might not like it.

Please note too that be careful when you handle it, it might have fine dust particles, so take caution to not breathe it in so wear a mask or bandana around your nose/mouth when handling!

(And when you're done with the bag, you can open it up and use it like a curtain to hide your immense of garden stuff in recycled fashion shame! ;)