The Great Heap
For about three years, Bath has been diverting large amounts of compostable organic waste that would’ve otherwise been trucked to the landfill. This material includes lawn clippings, sod rolls, expired plants, and miscellaneous debris from our landscape maintenance operations. Two 20’x20’ concrete bins were filled to capacity. The piles were only partially composted as material has continually been added over time. In order to turn these piles into a rich, organic compost useable in our daily growing operations, the piles needed to be broken down completely using an acid solution and bacterial activity.
The acidic solution was derived from evergreen clippings, fallen citrus fruit, and an astringent. Both piles were blended with water, straw (to add nitrogen and heat to the pile), and sprayed with the acid and beneficial bacterial solution, then piled into one Great Heap, as is has been affectionately named. It now joins one of the select manmade undertakings that is visible with the naked eye by astronauts in space.
We waited patiently and nothing happened, at least to the untrained observer. But within the depths of the Heap, bacteria and micorrhizal fungi began the overwhelming task of breaking the organic matter down into humus, humic acids, and fulvic acids, with heat and CO2 as a byproduct. Humus is basically decayed organic matter that has reached a point of stability. It is considered to be one of the most important aspects of soil health, improving water holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, and greatly improving soil structure. It is the essence of the soil.
The temperature of the Heap was monitored, by the second day it reached 55 deg F, and by day 4, it reached 120 deg F and broke our thermometer. The pile has now cooled, but we will again turn the entire heap, this time blending it with water, acid, and bio-char. We will then test the Heap for active beneficial microbiology and available nutrients, and screen it for use in all of our growing operations. This humic rich blend will provide our plants with a robust self-regenerating soil that will provide for rapid growth, disease and pest resistance, and environmental hardiness. In order to attain the healthiest plants possible, you must always feed the soil, and the soil will take care of your plants.
-Spencer Bath
The acidic solution was derived from evergreen clippings, fallen citrus fruit, and an astringent. Both piles were blended with water, straw (to add nitrogen and heat to the pile), and sprayed with the acid and beneficial bacterial solution, then piled into one Great Heap, as is has been affectionately named. It now joins one of the select manmade undertakings that is visible with the naked eye by astronauts in space.
We waited patiently and nothing happened, at least to the untrained observer. But within the depths of the Heap, bacteria and micorrhizal fungi began the overwhelming task of breaking the organic matter down into humus, humic acids, and fulvic acids, with heat and CO2 as a byproduct. Humus is basically decayed organic matter that has reached a point of stability. It is considered to be one of the most important aspects of soil health, improving water holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, and greatly improving soil structure. It is the essence of the soil.
The temperature of the Heap was monitored, by the second day it reached 55 deg F, and by day 4, it reached 120 deg F and broke our thermometer. The pile has now cooled, but we will again turn the entire heap, this time blending it with water, acid, and bio-char. We will then test the Heap for active beneficial microbiology and available nutrients, and screen it for use in all of our growing operations. This humic rich blend will provide our plants with a robust self-regenerating soil that will provide for rapid growth, disease and pest resistance, and environmental hardiness. In order to attain the healthiest plants possible, you must always feed the soil, and the soil will take care of your plants.
-Spencer Bath
