Monday, November 17, 2008

The Art of Composting by Ella B. Peters

My mother-in-law so graciously gave me this information to post on my blog! She has been composting for years, and is a real pro. As you all know, plants arise where ere she walks. I hope this article will be beneficial to many people, me included.


The Art of Composting
by
Ella B. Peters

Most of us were brought up in an era when "waste not - want not" was a well used adage. This alone should spur us on to return to Mother Earth what is hers.

The advantages of adding compost to the soil are numerous. Most importantly you make the soil richer by adding nutrients as well as increasing it's "water-holding" capacity. There is better aeration and texture too! The utter joy "garden addicts" experience spreading the "black gold" around bedding plants and perennials is no small thing either!

There is a misconception among many that one needs large areas to compost or that the whole procedure is to "smelly". Firstly, large areas are nice to have but successful composting does not depend on size. Secondly, if you have odor, this is easily corrected by turning your pile more often. Composting is not expensive either. It's free!!

Compost is a combiniation of high nitrogen and high carbon materials with the addition of air and water. The smaller your "organic stuff" the faster it will break down or decompose. I use a big old blender (bought for a few dollars at a garage sale) for all my vegetable and fruit trimmings as well as egg shells. (It's amazing the amount a two member household can acquire in a day!) I keep a plastic ice cream bucket by my sink so that my husband is reminded that banana peels, etc do not go down the garbage disposal or into the waste can but to the compost heap!

Chewing up leaves with a lawn mower helps speed up the process as well as taking up less space in your pile, box, bag or bin. Using a machete or axe to chop up vines, tough stems (such as from sunflowers) also speeds decomposition.

Compost Recipe
High-carbon materials (fibrous things)
  1. Straw
  2. Saw dust
  3. Shredded newspaper (not glossy magazines or colored newsprint) (I soak my "shreds" in a bucket of water overnight)
  4. Leaves
  5. Hay
  6. Pine needles
  7. Hedge trimmings
High-nitrogen materials (plant materials that break down easily)
  1. Coffee grinds and tea leaves
  2. Lawn clippings
  3. Barnyard manure
  4. Fresh weeds that have not gone to seed
  5. Fruit and vegetable "kitchen parings"
  6. Perennial prunings
DO NOT USE: Meat scraps, grease, bones or dog and cat letter, droppings. These attract rodents and the neighborhood cats and dogs.

Methods of Composting
1. The Black Plastic Bag

If you are extremely limited in space and time, this method is for you! Toss your kitchen trimmings in a large heave garbage bag. (I'd use the blender first.) Add 1/2 cup of water if your trimmings are dry. Remember the compost needs moisture but shoud not be "soppy-wet". Toss in a cup or two of garden soil which has the microbes for break-down. (Store bought soil will not do!) Tie bag and shake. Open bag every 3 days to allow air in. If odor is strong your materials are too wet. You'll have compost 4-5 weeks after you've stopped adding scraps.

2. The Pile Method

One of the simplest ways to compost is to have a pile (or two or three in different stages in a corner of your garden or yard). Fences, flowers or trees are good ways to hide your "pile". Simply build layers of high-nitrogen, high-carbon materials adding a few light layers of garden dirt then sprinkle with water or let the rain do it! Your pile should be at least 3 feet by 3 feet to collect enough heat inside to "cook". Be sure your matting things like grass clippings and leaves are placed in thin layers as they tend to pack down under weight. When this happens anaerobic (without air) bacteria take over and your pile becomes a slimy mess! If you are in a hurry for compost, turn your pile every 3 days but this is not necessary. The composting process slows down in cold weather and speeds up during hot days.

3. The Box

A simply constructed 3 foot by 3 foot box with slats across the bottom for air is a more contained but easier method to compost.

4. Compost Bins

Store bought bins and tumblers are a great idea but more expensive. So far I've resisted the temptation to invest in the beautiful "contraptions" but they are efficient and not as unsightly as a pile. Most gardeners have too much compost for one machine and would need to resort to additional methods.

5. the Barrel

A round 3 foot hight and 2 foot wide barrel is a good compost vehicle that is mobile. Simply poke holes all over the barrel with a hammer and nail. Add your high-carbon and high-nitrogen materials with a little garden soil and water. If your materials are damp, omit the water. Put on the lid and every few days give the barrel a good roll. Put away upright and in 3-4 weeks you should have compost.

I always have been intrigued with the science of composting. If you are not, you may stop reading. The workhorses of the compost heap are the bacteria, fungi and other microbes. These creatures are found in common garden soil and every garden has them! They multiply by the billions in new compost and begin breaking down the material. This process generates or creates heat through oxidation. As the microbes break down the matter, they make "yummy" nutrients for the next "people" in the chain of critters such as mites and protozoa. The next group of workers are the millipedes, worms and sow bugs. Some times I look at my compost pile and wonder what's all in there. It's down right scary.

Tips for Composting

A person should own a pitchfork or what farmers call a hay or manure fork. It has 5 or 6 tines that make it easy to turn your pile or add layers. Do not turn your heap until it is ready. The heat inside is needed for good break down and the center of the pile should be 130 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. One measures the temperature by inserting a thermometer in the center of the pile (or inserting your hand. It should feel real warm. Yuk!) If you do the turning now you'll actually slow down the process. It's ready to turn when the center of the pile cools down to the same temperature as the outside layer. Turning at this time introduces air and new material.

The commercial liquid and powder bio activators which contain microbes have decreased in popularity lately. In fact, latest data tell us this is an unnecessary expense and garden soil does just as well. I like to use it. Maybe it is in my mind but I think it helps speed the break-down. Ahem!

Sources
  1. Rodaler Perennial Encyclopedia
  2. Ortho's Easy Composting
  3. Garden Gate Magazine
  4. Better Homes and Gardens Book
  5. Spring Hill Nursery Leaflet
  6. Data from fellow gardeners
  7. Personal experience
Turn compost every 3 days after Temp is 131 degrees
30 to one ratio of carbon to nitrogen


2 comments:

Cainan & Ryker said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you! We don't put our organics in the trash but we don't composte them either. We just toss them in the woods.

I've always been afraid that I'll do it wrong and end up harming the soil in our garden with my crazy mix of compost. Now I have a guide.

If Ella does it it's good enough for me!

Linda Peters said...

She's the queen of composting! I don't know if I'd burn the energy on the blender, especially if there isn't a big rush for your black gold :'). Ella on the other hand is gardening the entire city of Greenville. Good luck and go for it! We all learn as we go.