The Compost Area

The compost heaps are made from the plants which have been cut down in St Nicholas Fields. If you put your hand on the heaps you’ll notice that the heaps are warm.

The compost heaps in St. Nicholas Fields. These piles may look dead but inside millions of bacteria are busy, breaking down the dead plants.

What’s going on?

A compost heap contains tiny bacteria that break dead plant material down into smaller bits. When the bacteria do this they give of heat which causes the compost heap to warm up. There are millions of bacteria in each compost heap so together they produce a lot of heat which causes the whole heap to warm up. This effect can be so strong that on cold days compost heaps can look like their steaming.

Steaming compost heaps (Image taken by benketaro http://www.flickr.com/photos/misskei/145850569/)

Why do we need compost?

Plants need food to grow just like humans. One way that plants can get food is from nutrience in the soil. These tiny particles of plant food are taken into the plant in their roots and help the plants grow. The small bits in compost, which the bacteria make from the dead plants, are exactly the nutrience that a plant needs to grow. So, when you spread compost around plants you give them extra food which makes them to grow more.