Biological compost vs organic material labelled as compost.

compost

: a mixture that consists largely of decayed organic matter and is used for fertilising and conditioning land.

I won't describe the compost I create as decayed. To me that implies that the product is dead or diseased, and my compost is very much alive and healthy. The way it’s created fully supports the living organisms in the material to thrive by creating an ecosystem of communities beginning with bacteria. Their reproductive process produces the heat sufficient to kill pathogens and weed seeds. The right ingredients in my starter materials ensures my microbes maintain that heat through a minimum of 3 turns to ensure all of the material reaches the hot temperature consistently through the whole pile.

Other microbes (protozoa, nematodes and fungi along with the bacteria) in the compost begin the nutrient cycling process by absorbing and storing the nutrients from the raw materials inside their living bodies. This ensures the nutrients and minerals are not lost through leaching as these are not mineral salts sitting inert waiting to be dissolved by watering or rain before being washed away either into waterways as runoff or deep into the soil profile and potentially into our water storage aquifers.

The nutrients held within living organisms are released as nutrients in plant available form as exudates and the ecosystem maintains this balance in the compost as it eventually interacts with plants when used as a growing medium. Plants create root exudates (carbohydrates through photosynthesis) to feed the microbes it needs. The microbes in turn create a protective zone around the roots to prevent pests and diseases from getting access to the plant.

When soils have been depleted of microbes and organic matter, due to the use of synthetic chemical fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides, or been heavily tilled, living biological compost is the way to reintroduce these missing indigenous organisms so they can bring the soil back to life and health as nature intended.

Here is a Timelapse video showing how I build a thermophilic batch of compost.

Making a batch of biological compost.