Composting

Composting is an important component of organic gardening.

Composting is one of the most important elements of organic gardening. Contrary to popular opinion, composting, if managed properly, does not smell or attract rodents, and like gardening in general, it can be done in an urban environment or a small space.

Composting is the perfect act of recycling. It is a great use of materials that otherwise end up in a landfill. Food, yard and animal waste can all be composted and turned into nutrient-rich soil for your garden.

In order to get good, rich compost for your garden from these wastes, you need to create an optimal environment in which microbes can break down these materials. Decomposition will happen eventually to any organic material, but by putting effort into organizing a compost pile, the waste will heat up and material will break down very rapidly. Once the compost cools, insects and worms can contribute to further processing the materials.

There are many popular myths about compost that should be dispelled. A properly managed, well attended to compost pile will not smell or attract rodents. There are also many products marketed to aid your composting that you do not need. These include bioactivitor powders, yeast, worms (also called vermicomposting), fertilizer, and lime. All you need is organic material and a few supplies depending on your chosen method and space available. The most common methods of composting are described below.

Bin Composting

Perhaps the most common way of composting is in a bin. Compost bins are both commercially available and easy to build on your own. It is best to keep a bin outside on the ground or on a tarp, but there are also under the counter and window models for apartments. The exact size of the bin depends on how much waste you produce, and space available.

It is easy to add to a compost bin any time, and it is easier to turn the compost within the container. Turning is necessary every so often for any kind of active compost pile. It stirs up the material for more even decomposition, provides much needed air and helps piles avoid getting too soggy or smelly.

Some bins are designed as double or triple bins, so that compost may be turned by moving material from one bin to the next. This way, many piles can be decomposing in different stages at one time. Other bins available on the market are tumblers, which are bins that rotate so turning the material is extremely easy. Most bins are made from untreated wood or plastic.

Heap Composting

If you have a lot of waste materials to compost, heap composting may be the right solution. Heap composts should be built outside, preferably near or on the site where the compost will be used. A heap should be no smaller than a cubic meter.

The term “heap” does not imply that this kind of composing is just to form a pile of organic material. There is a particular formula for building heap compost that will provide the best conditions for well aerated, hot compost. The heap needs to be built in layers, starting with sticks and twigs to aerate the bottom of the pile. Then material should be added on in a repeating series of green, brown, and wet layers.

A green layer may consist of fresh leaves, grass clippings, flowers, thinned seedlings, seaweed, or other good, freshly cut and green nitrous materials. A brown layer consists of hay or straw, dried leaves, dead plants, cardboard, wood chips, sawdust, newspaper, or bark. These items are high in carbon. The relation of carbon to nitrogen in compost is a very important one. The wet layer of compost should include whatever food scraps or manure you have available, and water. Be sure to drench your pile with water at least once per repetition of the series.

Heaps should be built out to the edges to retain a square-like shape, not taper into a pile or pyramid. This will provide the maximum area within the heap for the microbes to work.

It is also a good idea to place a large stick at the center of the heap while you build it up so that later, once the material begins decomposing, you can remove the stick and assess the temperature of the middle of the heap. Compost thermometers are available at garden centers if you would like accurate readings on your heap temperature.

To keep the compost insulated and minimize smell, cover it lightly with hay or straw. Within a day or two after building the heap you should notice that the center of it is beginning to warm up.

If built properly, the heap will get too hot for you to hold your hand in the center. When you notice the temperature dropping significantly and the heap size diminishing, it is time to turn the heap. At this point, you may add more food scraps or other materials to be composted.

Worm Composting

A great composting option for those without the outdoor space is composting with worms, or vermicomposting. Worm composts require a lot more attention than heaps or bins, but properly maintained can be very efficient ways to recycle your household waste.

Basic worm bins are simple to make, but there is quite a commercial market for fancier bins with features that allow you to remove castings easier or drain off liquid waste for fertilizer. A homemade bin can be created out of a plastic or wooden box.

The size of the worm bin should be determined by the amount of food waste you will be feeding your worms and the number of worms you have. Each pound of worms needs about one square foot of living space, and can process about half a pound of food waste in a day.

The kind of worms that should be used in compost bins are red worms, also known as Eisenia fetida or Lumbricus rubellus. Worms can be purchased from various worm suppliers, some of whom will deliver worms by mail. Worm bins should be dark, as worms avoid the light, and have plenty of air holes.

To start a bin you first need about six to eight inches of bedding material. Bedding can consist of dry leaves, potting soil, sawdust and/or strips of newspaper. Avoid glossy paper, color dyes, and waxy cardboard for bedding.

You also need a quantity of food scraps to start off, which should be rinsed and buried under the bedding in the bin to prevent fruit flies. Food should be torn into small pieces so it is easy for the worms to break down. Worms will eat vegetables, fruits, eggshells, tea bags, coffee grounds, paper coffee filters, and shredded garden waste. Citrus fruits can be too acidic for worms, and so should be limited or added only after they are dried. Do not add meat scraps, bones, greasy or oily foods, tobacco, or manure.

After a certain amount of time, you may want to harvest the compost your worms have generated. There are many ways to separate your compost from the worms.

One simple way, especially if you have a very basic bin, is to stop adding food to the bin for a few days and let the worms break down most of what is already in the bin. Then push all worms and compost to one half of the bin and fill the other half with fresh bedding and food scraps. As the worms finish processing everything from the older half of the bin, the will migrate over to the new half. When this happens, you can simply scoop out the finished compost.

Another useful method involves dumping the compost out onto newspaper in the light. Worms will retreat from the light and gather at the bottom of the pile. You can continually scoop castings off the top of the pile as the worms travel downward, and then return worms to a refilled bin with bedding and food.

Whatever method you use to compost, once you have finished composting, use the material for potting and top soil, or simply mix it into your garden, and your plants will love you for it!

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