Plant peas/beans in the compost pile?

Commanding_Heights · Heavy Crude Joined: Nov 09, 2006 Posts: 125

If nitrogen is the macro nutrient that allows bacteria to heat up a compost pile, would it make sense to create a compost heap and plant peas or beans in it? Reason being that legumes affix nitrogen into the soil. Or would those plants rob more P&K out of the humus than it'd be worth?

Windmills

It seems like a compost pile heating internally to well over 100 F wouldn't be a good place for legume roots.

If you want some extra nitrogen in your compost pile, collect your urine, dilute with 10 parts water, and pour it on your compost.

kpeavey · Expert Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 1126

You can try anything that suits your fancy.

While planting peas/beans/legumes in your compost heap may offer additional N for composting, and would eventually be spread around the garden, I think you'd do just as well to plant them in your regular garden spot:
-For all the effort, how much N are we talking about, how big is your heap, how may plants can you start in the heap?
-The N from the legumes is not spread around but concentrated for a particular follow up crop.
-The plants would interfere with turning the pile. You can always start another pile. You can always turn the plants in when you turn the pile they are growing in. If you don't turn the pile, it will still compost, although you may wait a little longer for the finished product.

If you did plant legumes in the compost heap, I would expect you to have some mighty vibrant growth. I suggest you try it, see if it works for you.
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pstarr

Commanding_heights I believe the value of legumes is that the bacteria on their root nodes fix atmospheric nitrogen, rather than the nitrogen locked up in soil.

Given that, the peas or beans would not be 'interested' in what you are giving them. Better to plant a nitrogen-hungry plant there. But as Windmills pointed out, a hot compost will kill your plants, or steal nutrients, or have a bad ph.

Better to put the finished material where you need it.
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kpeavey · Expert Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 1126

I get stuff growing in my heap all the time. If it is not turned, the temperatures will reduce in a couple of weeks. It would take that long for roots to reach the depth at which the heat would be damaging.
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If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face--for ever."
-George Orwell, 1984

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Accept the Facts.

Ludi

Personally, I plant legumes throughout the garden. This is the simplest way for them to share nitrogen with other plants.

Cutting the legumes for mulch or compost before they have finished producing seeds provides more nitrogen in the material, as much of the nitrogen produced by the root nodules is used by the legumes to produce seeds. If you want to harvest some seeds (such as green beans) you can, but then you can cut the plants down before they finish producing, to get two benefits.
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WildRose · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Jun 21, 2006 Posts: 1020

Ludi

darwinsdog · Heavy Crude Joined: Jun 27, 2008 Posts: 170

Why go to all the trouble to dilute your urine before pouring it on the compost? Just pee on your compost pile. I do all the time.

Once I did an experiment. I peed on knotweed (Polygonum) growing in cracks in a sidewalk, in two places. In one place I peed on it first thing in the morning. It died. In the other place I peed on it with dilute afternoon beer pee. It thrived more than the control where I watered it about the same amount as the volume of my pee.

I imagine that my concentrated morning pee plasmolysed it, whereas my dilute beer pee watered it & provided a bit of extra nitrogen without being hypertonic.

WildRose · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Jun 21, 2006 Posts: 1020

BlisteredWhippet · Intermediate Crude Joined: Feb 08, 2005 Posts: 839

RedStateGreen

Tucker · Tar Sands Joined: Jan 29, 2008 Posts: 56 Location: Orygun

I don't know about peas and beans but I plant my squash on my compost pile. Because the pile is warm, I can plant them earlier than elsewhere in my garden. They survived many a cool night earlier this spring without damage.

After they finish producing, I spread the compost where I need it in my garden and start a new pile. By the time next summer arrives, I'll have a new heap for the next generation of summer squash.

BlisteredWhippet · Intermediate Crude Joined: Feb 08, 2005 Posts: 839

Windmills