Donut Compost Pile- Sat Aug 28th 2010

This last Saturday morning Miguel was up to his Permaculture tricks once again. Alongside his trusty assistant Moses, they built a compost pile in the configuration of a doughnut – not a compost circle! The objective of the Doughnut compost pile is to maximize the volume of the compost pile whilst aiding airflow through the center of the pile. Miguel and Moses started the pile by building the walls of the pile with a combination of mulch and weeds from the garden. These were stacked in approximately equal layers and compressed slightly to hold the form of the pile. Then a one to one mixture of horses manure to bedding was mixed with weeds and mulch in the center of the pile. The center of the pile was not compacted. The morning was brutal and other duties were calling, so we still have to add another three feet to the height of the pile. Feel free to help Miguel finish this compost pile next Saturday, and he will be more than willing to share his composting knowledge.

See the sequence in the following photos: