Composting in a high desert — print version.
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SUS Farms · Utah Gardening
Composting in a high desert
soil · beginner · ~6 min read
Compost piles are biological reactions, and reactions need water. Utah's 8% summer humidity dries piles out faster than they can decompose, and our cold winters freeze them solid. The fix is a covered system, deliberate watering, and patience.
Greens to browns
A 1:2 to 1:3 ratio of greens (kitchen scraps, fresh grass clippings, manure) to browns (dry leaves, straw, wood chips) keeps the C:N around 25:1, which is where thermophilic decomposition happens.
Water like it's a sourdough starter
A pile should feel like a wrung-out sponge. In Utah summer that means watering the pile every 3–5 days. Build piles in shade if possible.
Turn for air, not speed
Turn every 2 weeks until the pile stops heating. After that, let it cure for another 2 months. A pile started in September is ready to spread the following May.
Cold compost works too
If hot composting feels like too much work, just pile organic matter and ignore it for 18 months. Cold compost loses some nitrogen but works.