Compost, walls of water and plant bedding

Q: Would too many pine needles be bad for my compost?

A: Poor old pine needles! They often get a bad rap from gardeners, for no good reason. Pine needles have been accused of making paths slippery when it rains. Perhaps, but very few materials are not slippery when wet. Pine needles also have been accused of ruining garden soil by making it acid. The truth is that it is nearly impossible to make alkaline soil acid, or vice versa. Various characteristics of soil can be changed-somewhat, with conscious effort-but the pH level can be nudged only a little.

I would not consider a pile of pine needles anything except a pile of pine needles. It would not be a compost pile anymore than a pile of grass clippings would be a compost pile. Or a pile of coffee grounds. Compost piles are a mixture of various kinds of plant debris. Since different kinds of plants contribute various good things to compost, rich compost is made from a mix of plants.

We all hear that compost piles need to be a mix of green and brown materials, and that is for a simple reason. Green stuff is wet and therefore rots quickly. A mix of all green stuff rots quickly enough that it may become slimy and smelly. Brown stuff is dry and rots slowly. A pile of all brown stuff will take years to break down into soil, especially in this dry climate where rain seldom falls on compost or anything else.

Pine needles, of course, are part of the brown stuff in a pile. Not only are they dry, but also they contain resins. Resins are natural waterproofing; they further slow down rot, which can occur only in damp surroundings. That means that something like a pine needle is a good companion for a lettuce leaf. Mixed together, they both contribute to steady breakdown in a compost pile.

No matter what the books say, I have not succeeded in making good compost in less than two years. I put the pile in a sunny spot and out of drying winds. I irrigate it regularly during the summer. I make the pile big enough to generate some internal heat from decay. Actually I have a pair of compost piles. I add to a pile for a year; then I let it sit for a second year before sieving it through half-inch screen and spreading the resulting goodies on my garden.

To return to your question: there are several large pines near my house. Some of their needles go into my compost, but enough fall every year to outweigh the supply of other compost materials. I make a separate pile of excess pine needles, which I use as winter mulch on garlic and other tender plants. Three or four inches of pine needles make great insulation, never blow away, and are fairly easy to remove in spring.

Q: Do you leave walls of water on tomatoes all summer?

A: I do not. On any plant, I leave the wall until the plant starts to outgrow the space. That is four weeks at most. By drying out the walls and storing them flat, I am able to reuse them for many years.

Q: Should I turn my compost?

A: That depends on how much of a career you want to make of creating compost. Turning it helps it to rot more quickly. I prefer to be lazy and let the compost break down at its own rate.

Q: What should I look for in buying bedding plants?

A: If possible, buy ones grown locally, since they will be better adapted to the climate. Try to buy plants which are not yet blooming. Trust the label to tell you what the flowers will look like. If plants are transplanted to your garden before they bloom, they will make more flowers, for a longer time.

Hackett welcomes reader questions related to gardening, pest management, plants, soils and anything in between. Submit questions to mhackett@centric.net, call 406-961-4614 or mail questions to 1384 Meridian Road, Victor, MT 59875.