Composting
Let Mother Nature Do the Work!
Composting is Mother Nature’s way of taking care of her own “garbage”. Fallen leaves, fruits and dead tree branches all decompose naturally producing a rich soil called humus that nourishes living plants.
Like Mother Nature, we can take care of our own organic garbage and do it in our own backyards! Items such as fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, eggshells and grass clippings make up almost one third of the garbage we put out at the curb every week and all these can easily be transformed from “garbage” to “gold mine” in a backyard compost. Hey, you paid for the whole fruit – why throw a third of it away?
Whether you build your own or buy one at your local hardware store, all it takes is a few extra minutes to collect your kitchen scraps in a plastic container and empty them into your backyard composter. That small walk each day can make a world of difference – by reducing the amount of garbage you send to landfill, you help protect our environment and the natural beauty it holds for future generations. You also produce a valuable soil conditioner that you can share with all your gardener friends… and the walk is good for you too!
Benefits of Compost
Gradually release nutrients necessary for growing plants.
Insects and diseases don’t do as much damage where soil is enriched with compost.
Dark compost draws the sun’s rays to warm the soil, extending the growing season.
Compost added to soil acts like a sponge, soaking up excess water during rain and releasing it during dry spells.
Compost improves the structure of sand and clay soils, protecting them against drought and erosion.
From: Backyard Magic: The composting Handbook
Composting is essential for everyone to practice. Reducing waste by up to 30% is vital to protecting our environment. Every little bit counts and it all adds up. Let’s all do our share and compost!
What is Composting?
Anything that once lived will eventually decompose. Composting is simply the natural process of decay in action. Thousands of micro-organisms that naturally live in the soil feed on moist heaps of organic waste materials, breaking them down and generating heat in the process. As the temperature rises, other “decomposer” organisms such as fungi, bacteria and insects take over the degradation process. When all of the easily decomposed material had been consumed, the temperature drops and ants and earthworms may move in, signaling the compost is now ready for use. The ideal finished compost should be dark, crumbly soil-like humus where none of the original matter is visible. It should smell like freshly turned soil or like the forest floor in spring.
Getting started
The first thing you will need is a container in which to start your backyard compost pile. Pens, bins and boxes are all good options.
Pens
Although they leave your compost pile in full view, pens are very easy and inexpensive to build. When it comes time to turn the pile, simply unwrap and remove the fencing, set it up in a new location and fork the compost back into the pen.
Bins
Bins are sturdier than pens and a bit more discreet. They may require a bit more skills to build but are still inexpensive. This design has three walls of concrete blocks, stacked without mortar, and a fourth wall of removable boards.
Boxes
For the serious composter, this “New Zealand box” design is perfect. This three-box design allows compost to be turned from one box into the next, leaving one box empty for beginning a new batch.
If you don’t want to build your own, there are many manufactured composters on the market. Check out your local hardware store to see what is available.
How to Compost
Like all of us, the organisms at work in your compost need three things in order to survive: Air, Water and Food.
Air
In order to do their work quickly and efficiently, the micro-organisms in your pile require an adequate supply of oxygen. Without it, anaerobic organisms (organisms that do not require oxygen) can take over your pile, producing a very nasty odour. Turning your pile now and again will ensure that it gets the air it needs.
Water
As a general rule of thumb, your pile should be “as damp as a wet sponge” – moist to the touch but not releasing water when squeezed.
Food
Feed the organisms in your pile a “balanced diet” equally rich in carbon and nitrogen. One part “Browns” to one part “Greens” should do it. “Browns” tend to be woody materials such as autumn leaves, shredded newspaper and corn cobs that are high in carbon. “Greens” are nitrogen-rich and include garden refuse like grass clippings and weeds, food scraps and manure.
Dos and Don’ts - Use these ingredients for composting:
GREEN:
Bone meal
Coffee grounds
Eggshells
Feathers
Flowers
Fruits and fruit peels
Grass clippings (fresh)
Hair
Manure
Tea leaves
Vegetable and peels
Weeds
Brown:
Coffee filters
Corn cobs
Grass clippings (dried)
Hay
Leaves (dead)
Paper (shredded)
Peat moss
Pine needles
Sawdust
Straw
Tea bags
Wood chips
Avoid using the following:
Pet wastes may contain extremely harmful bacteria.
Rotting meat, fish, fats and dairy products are likely to smell and may attract four-footed visitors.
Materials contaminated with herbicides or pesticides should never be used.
Insect-infested or diseased plants may persist in the compost.
Weeds with mature seeds and plants with a persistent root system may not be killed by the heat of the compost.
Rhubarb and walnut leaves contain toxins to insects or other plants so many choose not to compost them.
Key Points to Remember
Use equal parts “greens” and “browns”.
Mix together a variety of ingredients.
Shred or chop all ingredients if possible
Build the pile large enough to retain heat.
Turn or aerate the heap regularly to let in the air.
Keep the pile as moist as a damp sponge
What to do with Compost
Soil improvement
Dig several inches of finished compost into your flower beds or vegetable gardens to improve the condition of your soil.
Top dressing for lawns
Feed your lawn in the spring by treating it with a half-inch of compost.
Spot-fertilizer
Lightly scratch compost into the top few inches of soil around any plants that need a boost and water deeply.
Compost “tea”
Soak a burlap sack or an old pillowcase of compost in a pail of water until the water is tea-coloured. Or stir one part compost into three parts water and strain. Using this liquid to water plants will provide nutrients to growing plants.
Mulch
Spread several inches of compost on top of the soil around trees and shrubs and mulch around vegetables and flowers as soon as the plants are several inches high to keep roots cool and discourage weeds.
Potting soil
Compost alone can be used for growing vegetables in containers and for starting plants from seed. Houseplants, window boxes and hanging baskets will all benefit from mixing your usual potting soil with sifted compost.