Wednesday, December 4, 2024 - Anaerobic Composting

Anaerobic composting is a form of composting that requires little to no oxygen. The opposite of this is Aerobic Composting, which we will discuss in the next blog. In this process, anaerobic bacteria (bacteria that do not need air), turn organic material into compost. They also release gases, which include large amounts of methane. Anaerobic composting occurs naturally in nature in places where there is little or no oxygen – for example in wetlands. It is more likely to take place when high-nitrogen (green) materials are used.

Typically, there are two ways in which anaerobic composting can take place in the garden. In the first way, anaerobic composting may happen by accident. It could be that there is not enough oxygen in the aerobic compost pile due to too much moisture, lack of aeration, or too much nitrogen. In the second way, anaerobic composting can be done deliberately. Anaerobic composting generally involves less work, because you do not have to turn the pile as you have to for aerobic composting.

It takes much longer to produce viable compost using anaerobic composting than aerobic composting. Composting aerobically may yield viable compost within six weeks, while composting anaerobically may take six months or longer.

In our community garden, we compost anaerobically. Occasionally, we will turn the pile to introduce oxygen to help speed up the decomposition process, but for the most part, we let the pile decompose on its own.


 

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