Composting Made Easy
By Chet Stentiford
Expert Author Chet Stentiford
I have often times been approached by gardeners with questions regarding proper composting and equipment needed to do the job properly.
Many people have begun their composting efforts by purchasing one of the many expensive composting bins available at local hardware stores,
nurseries, or other retail outlets. I would not disregard these bins as they do what they claim to do. The barrel type that can be turned with an
easy crank by hand to keep the rotting compost moving and breaking down, and other bin types are also used with good results, however,
I find the amount of compost as an end result is limited and actually almost not worth the effort as enough compost to support many gardeners
needs can not be produced by these compost bins (my opinion).
To provide enough compost for average to large vegetable gardens or perennial beds, I find that a home made compost bin, actually three
inked together, is essential and does a far better job of providing enough compost for the experienced and novice gardener. Keep in mind that
a single compost bin is not enough to continually provide the vital ingredients needed to keep soil fluffy and workable each season.
As you deplete the available compost from a single bin, you are left with nothing for next season, until you rebuild a new supply which will take
a year to properly rot and become good workable compost. My feelings on composting is that good compost is the building block to providing
good balanced workable soil, as the organic matter in soil, if left unattended, depletes each season due to micro organisms diligently
working to break down the organic matter in the soil thus requiring replenishing with more organic matter to keep the organic content constantly available.
There are countless homemade composting bins one can construct from ordinary scrap lumber, which I feel are an excellent alternative to ones you
purchase at garden centers or hardware stores, and are easy to construct by anyone handy with wood construction, and actually with a little ingenuity,
anyone can construct one, or in this case three, of these bins at far less expense. I hope this info helps those who are attempting to add composting to
your seasonal gardening projects each year, and remember, soil is not constant, and it is ever changing right before your eyes. What is there today
will NOT be there next season, so keep adding good compost and your veggies will grow like weeds, and your flowers will grow dramatically
better because of your efforts.One last note not included previously. The purpose of three bins is that in putting together a good compost program,
you need to have three compost bins active at all times. The first if for this years building, while the second bin is compost in the actually rotting stage,
and the third is the bin from which you are removing compost this season for your gardening needs, thus this give you a continual supply of compost
every season. It becomes a build, rot, and use cyclical program for yearly use. As far as composting material, additives, such as lime, manure,
kitchen scraps, garden debris and brush refuse; the following information I have included is a perfect compost recipe for backyard projects.
Follow these recommendations and the results will contribute greatly to all your gardening needs. Put your grass clippings to good use and conserve
our diminishing landfill space.
Where to Start...Find a level, well-drained, and out-of-the-way spot in your yard. The area you will need will vary depending on the size of your
household and the size of your yard or garden. Most compost piles are three to four feet in diameter and get to be about four or five feet high.
Plan on three feet across and three feet high to start. a functional bin. A sunny place is better than a shady one, but composting works
fine in the shade. You might want to make some sort of boundary. A cheap and easy way to enclose the compost is to make a circle of chicken
wire or wire fencing held in place with wood or metal stakes.
The wire allows the needed oxygen to get to the compost so that the bacteria and fungi can work to turn waste into fertilizer and mulch.
( Actually I consider a wooden structure lined with chicken wire, to be far more sturdy and reliable and will last far longer) Ingredients. Compost
everything organic. If you have a supply of leaves with which to start, so much the better.
Leaf mold is an excellent conditioner for clay or sandy soils because it retains water. Add: grass clippings, branches, tree and shrub trimmings,
houseplant clippings, broccoli, leaves, apple cores, potato peelings, tomato stems, corn husks, grapefruit skins, coffee grounds, eggshells, grape stems,
watermelon rinds, broom sweepings from your floors, house dust, cat and dog fur, and sawdust. Almost anything organic will do, but avoid
meat scraps and fats because they decompose slowly, and will attract animals. Pine needles and wood scraps also decompose slowly and may be
too acidic for some soils.Mix..Mix roughly 3-to-1 volumes of carbonaceous, or "brown", material and nitrogenous, or "green", material.
In general, brown material feels more dry and woody, like dead leaves and dried grass. Green material is softer, mushier, or easily bruised,
like fresh grass clippings, most kitchen waste, or livestock manure (not domesticated pet litter or droppings). These items, with the addition
of water, oxygen, heat, and composting organisms (microscopic and macroscopic), will degrade and become compost. The nitrogen will assure
quick composting, while the carbon will balance the mixture to prevent it from rotting and giving off that ammonia smell..Let it Cook...Once you
have enough material, the pile will begin to "cook" - that is, it will heat up to the temperature that will begin the composting process. The e cooking
will destroy weed seeds and disease organisms that may be present and will break down the organic material. You will need to turn over the composting
material every now and then to add oxygen and keep the less decomposed materials at the edges blended with the more decomposed materials in the center.
If you turn the material over about every three days or so, it will be ready to use in about two months. You can correct the mixture if it is not working.
If your compost has no smell, it has too much carbon material. Just add more kitchen wastes or grass clippings to give it more nitrogen. If it is very dry,
add enough water to dampen it. If flies, fruit flies, wasps, or other insects are attracted to your compost, it is because you have not covered the kitchen
scraps with fruits or leaves.
Animals will not be a problem as long as you avoid throwing meat scraps or bones into your compost..
Serving Suggestions: Dig Right In!...You can never have too much compost. It is an ideal soil conditioner and organic enriched.
Use it to break down clay soils, improve water holding capacity of sandy soils, and add nutrients to your garden. Your plants will thank you!
Other suggestions:
• Screen it and sprinkle it on your lawn. You can use compost to fill hollow spots or just to top dress.
• Mix it half and half with potting soil for houseplants.
• Compost serves as superb mulch on garden plants. Mulch helps to conserve moisture, reduce soil erosion, control weeds, and extend the growing season.
A standard compost recipe for backyard projects:
1. Start with a 6" - 8" layer of high-carbon wastes such as dead leaves, woody brush, and plant stalks.
2. Follow with a 2" layer of high-nitrogen material, such as grass clippings, manure, or vegetable scraps from the kitchen (but avoid meats, fats, and oils!).
3. Add a 1" layer of soil or sod.
4. Repeat the entire layering process, watering as you go, but do not saturate the pile!
Happy Gardening
Chet Stentiford
