The Who, What, Where & How of Composting

 When it comes to kitchen scraps my mother doesn't put them in the trash, but a bucket on the deck and throws her kitchen scraps into it. When it is full she empties the bucket into a pile in the woods on our property. She means well, but I don't know if you can just do that. I think you have to put a little more effort into than that, and it needs to be more than just kitchen scraps. So, I have researched composting and decided to share my knowledge with you, and of course my mother.

What is Composting?

Compost is the result of a feeding pattern involving many different organisms, including bacteria, fungi, worms, and insects. What remains after these organisms break down organic materials is the rich, earthy substance your garden will love. Composting is imitating natures own system of decomposition on the forest floor. In the forest, jungle, and garden, leaves and plants fall to the ground and decay. They slowly decomposed by the small organisms living in the soil. Eventually these plant parts disappear into the brown crumbly forest floor. This stuff, called humus, keeps the soil light and fluffy.

Humus is the good stuff at the bottom of the compost pile that you want to put in your garden. if you maintain proper conditions in the compost pile, the organisms will produce an excellent compost. By checking and monitoring the proper conditions of heat, moisture, air, and materials, we can speed up the composting process. Besides producing more good soil faster, making the compost faster creates heat which will destroy plant diseases and weed seeds in the pile.

Composting is also a cheap alternative to buying fertilizers because you can make it yourself. Using compost improves soil structure, texture, and aeration and increases the soil's water-holding capacity. It also loosens clay soils and helps sandy soils retain water.

The organic matter (yard waste, kitchen scraps) that you put into the compost provides food for microorganisms that keep soil healthy and balanced. 

Depending on the amount of space and how you want to compost, it can be simple, or a little more fancy. 

Reasons to Compost:

• Suppress plant diseases and pests.
• Reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers.
• Promote higher yields of agricultural crops.
• Facilitate reforestation, wetlands restoration, and habitat revitalization efforts by amending contaminated, compacted, and marginal soils.
• Cost-effectively remediate soils contaminated by hazardous waste.
• Remove solids, oil, grease, and heavy metals from stormwater runoff.
• Capture and destroy 99.6 percent of industrial volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air.
• Provide cost savings of at least 50 percent over conventional soil, water, and air pollution remediation technologies, where applicable.

Composting  - The Ingredients

There are two main ingredients that you can compost, 'greens" and "browns."

Greens - provide nitrogen, and act as a source of protein for the microbes in the compost pile.

• Green Leaves, Pine needles, and Cones
• Coffee Grounds
• Tea Bags
• Plant Trimmings
• Raw Fruits and Vegetables (Kitchen Scraps)
• Fresh Grass Clippings
• Hair

Browns - are a source of carbon, and provide energy for microbes.

• Dried grasses, leaves, and some weeds
• Straw
• Woodchips and sawdust
• Twigs and Branches
• Shredded Newspaper
• Corncobs and husks
• Ash from untreated wood

What Not to Put In -

• Ash from charcoal or coal
• Pet feces (bird, cat, dog)
• Weeds gone to seed
• Diseased Plants
• Food with oils
• Fish Scraps
• Meat*
• Dairy products*

*(Dairy and meat products can be put in  compost pile but you have to do so very carefully.)

The organisms in the pile need water and air, just like we do so they can do their job. Water lets the organisms grow and travel around in the pile to decompose materials. Aerating the compost by turning your pile each week with a spade or pitchfork will aid decomposition and control odors.

Now that we know what composting is about and what to put in it, lets talk size and space.  

Composting - Where and How

Location - You want the location to be at least 2 feet away from your house. A spot that is level and well drained is ideal. Don't put it too far away so that you will not add items or maintain it. If you live in a cooler latitude, keep it in a sunny spot, and if you live in a warmer climate, keep it in the shade so it won't dry out. Also, be sure to think of the seasons ahead. Start it in a place that will provide shelter from freezing winds that will slow the process.

Build the pile over soil or lawn rather than concrete or asphalt, to take advantage of the earthworms, and beneficial microbes.

You also might want a spot that isn't visible to your neighbors, they might not like the idea of a compost pile. Look for somewhere that it can be hidden, but not too out of reach that you will forget.

How - You can buy a composting bin  to keep in your yard or on your deck where you just dump everything in and there is no work required, which is good for people who lead busy lives, or do not have a backyard. Or you can buy or make your own "bin" with some wood, which is really just three sides so that the compost is fenced it, although it does not have to be. You might do this if you think an open pile is unsightly, or it you want it to be neater. You want three sides  so you can access it to turn it and to gather it for use.

www.composter.com has a wide selection of composting bins.

 Passive vs. Highly Managed -  You can just let the pile sit on its own and slowly rot, it just takes a long time. If you want faster results you have manage the pile and make sure its moisture content and temperature is in good order.

Passive - Takes the least amount of time and is where you pile up organic materials in a freestanding pile. It will probably take a year or two, but eventually organic materials in any type of a pile will break down into finished compost.  Add grass clippings, leaves, and kitchen scraps (always cover these with 8" of other material). The pile will begin to shrink when the materials compress and decompose. After a year or two you can check the bottom of the bin for finished compost. if its finished, you can shovel out the bottom of the pile and add it where you need it. Continue to add greens and browns to have a good supply of finished compost ready for use at any time. After the first few years, most simple piles produce a few cubic feet of finished compost yearly.

Highly Managed -  This takes active participation, which can be simply turning the pile occasionally or a major commitment of time and energy which could result in finished compost in 3-4 weeks.

How fast the turn out is of finished product depends not only on your participation, but also by the materials in it, whether you chop them up, how you mix them together, and so on. Achieving a good balance of carbon and nitrogen is easier if you build the pile all at once. Layering is traditional, but mixing the materials works as well.

The smaller the pieces placed in the pile, the faster it will decompose. So you might want to chop up the materials you are adding to the pile.

The temperature of the managed pile is important. It lets you know the activity level of the pile. You can easily just feel the pile, and if it feels warm or hot everything is fine. However, if it feels the same as the outside air you might want to add more "green" materials because the process has slowed down. You can also buy a compost thermometer if that is more your style.

Not only is the temperature important, but the amount of water. If the pile is to dry, the decaying process will slow down. When adding try materials add water to the pile. And if you are adding wet materials, mix them with dry materials. Check the pile for moisture when ever you turn it and add water if necessary. So overall, you don't want it too wet or too dry.

Air circulation is an important element in a compost pile as well. Most of the organisms that decompose organic matter are aerobic - they need air to survive. Try sticking in a few ventilation tubes if it is  large pile. You can also try adding a large tree branch in the middle of a smaller pile and shake it every now and then. Or, you can also aerate the pile by manually turning it which requires more time and labor.

Check out these websites for more info:

http://www.reduce.org/

http://www.compostguide.com/

So I guess my mother can just dump the stuff into a pile in the woods. She just won't be able to use it until 2010 . . .Good to know!