Sensible Sustainability - Composting
Composting
Compost is one of the most important supplements you can give your garden. It is a simple way to add nutrient-rich humus to your lawn or garden that fuels the growth and restores vitality to depleted soil. It is also free, easy to make, and good for the environment.
But composing also has other benefits:
Soil conditioner
Recycles kitchen and yard waste
Introduces beneficial organisms to the soil
Good for the environment (a natural alternative to chemical fertilizers)
Reduces landfill waste
What to Compost
What you can put into your compost will depend somewhat on what kind of composter you have, but some general rules do apply. All compostable materials are either carbon or nitrogen-based, to varying degrees. The secret to a healthy compost pile is to maintain a working balance between these two elements.
Carbon-rich matter gives compost a light fluffy body:
Branches
Stems
Dried leaves
Peels
Bits of wood
Bark
Shredded paper bags
Corn stalks
Coffee filters
Coffee grounds
Egg shells
Wood ash
Nitrogen or protein-rich matter provide raw materials for making enzymes:
Manures
Food scraps
Green lawn clippings
Kitchen waste
Green leaves
A healthy compost pile should have more carbon than nitrogen. A simple rule of thumb is to use 1/3 green and 2/3 brown materials. The bulkiness of the brown materials allows oxygen to penetrate and nourish the organisms that reside there. Too much nitrogen makes for a dense, smelly, slowly decomposing anaerobic mass.
How to Compost
Start your compost pile on bare earth. This allows worms and other beneficial organisms to aerate the compost and be transported to your garden beds.
Lay twigs or straw first, a few inches deep. This aids drainage and helps aerate the pile.
Add compost materials in layers, alternating moist and dry. Moist ingredients are food scraps, tea bags, seaweed, etc. Dry materials are straw, leaves, sawdust pellets and wood ashes. If you have wood ashes, sprinkle thin layers, or they will clump together and be slow to break down.
Add manure, green manure (clover, buckwheat, wheatgrass, grass clippings) or any nitrogen source. This activates the compost pile and speeds the process along.
Keep compost moist. Water occasionally, or let rain do the job.
Cover with anything you have - wood, plastic sheeting, carpet scraps. Covering helps retain moisture and heat, two essentials for compost. Covering also prevents the compost from being over-watered by rain. The compost should be moist, but not soaked and sodden.
Turn. Every few weeks give the pile a quick turn with a pitchfork or shovel. This aerates the pile. Oxygen is required for the process to work and turns “adds” oxygen. You can skip this step if you have a ready supply of course material like straw. Once you’ve established your compost pile, add new materials by mixing them in, rather than by adding them in layers. Mixing or turning the compost pile is key to aerating the composting materials and speeding the process to completion. If you want to buy a composter, rather than build your own compost pile, you may consider buying a rotating compost tumbler which makes it easy to mix the compost regularly.