A collection of veggies and expired fruit mixed with yard trimmings is a great start for your compost pile. Flickr user: net_efekt
Welcome to Composting 101! Home composting is an easy way to recycle yard waste and food scraps and prevent them from adding to landfill waste. It is a natural process where organic materials decompose and are recycled into a rich, natural fertilizer. Composting improves soil structure, moisture retention, and contributes to healthy plant growth by providing plant nutrients. There are a variety of ways to compost including backyard composting and worm composting which helps the environment by recycling organic resources and also helps conserve natural resources.
Americans throw away over 200 million pounds of trash each day. Approximately 30% of the waste stream comes from yard waste and kitchen waste. Almost all of that waste can be turned into natural fertilizer by home composting and it’s easier than you think.
What can you compost?
The first thing you need to do is figure out what you can compost. A healthy compost pile needs a variety of ingredients that contain carbon and nitrogen. Meaning you should have a balanced amount of green materials and brown materials in your pile. A well balanced diet will create a friendly environment for nature’s tiny composters. Examples of green material are; vegetable trimmings, fruit peels, egg shells, tea bags, yard clippings, coffee grounds, etc. Brown material includes dried leaves, wood chips, sawdust, shredded cardboard and/or paper, paper towels, etc. It is important to remember that certain items may not be composted. These items include: meat, bones, dairy products, fatty foods, grease or oils, dog or cat feces, treated wood, and diseased plants.
How to make a compost bin
Making compost is very easy and can be done by forming a basic pile in your backyard or using a composting bin. You can either purchase a compost bin or use a homemade compost bin. Making a compost bin is easy and inexpensive. You can easily convert an old plastic trash can into a composter by drilling four rows of holes 4 to 6 inches apart all around the sides of the trash can. A successful compost pile requires plenty of air so these holes are crucial. It is also important to cut the base of the trash for drainage. Another option is to build a compost bin out of galvanized chicken wire or four recycled wood pallets.
How to start your compost pile
Once you have an equal amount of green and brown material, you need to shred or cut all of the material into smaller pieces and mix thoroughly. The smaller the better as it helps speed up the decomposition process. A shovel, shredder, or lawnmower are useful tools to assist you in this process. One the pile is broken down, you need to add water until the mixture is damp like a wet sponge. In order to maintain your compost you need to turn or stir the compost bin once a week. It’s also important to constantly add fresh material to keep the bin full. Water should be added each time new material is added.
The compost bin needs to get hot, at least 140⁰ F, so the bin should be placed in an area that gets an adequate amount of sunlight. The heat will help in the decomposition process and also kill weed seeds and potentially harmful microorganisms.
When is your compost ready?
Your compost is ready to harvest when it’s dark brown, crumbly and smells like fresh soil. Backyard composting generally takes about 2-6 months depending on how hard you work at it. Before using your compost, break up any large clumps, and put any material that is not fully composted back into your new compost pile.
Worm composting
Backyard composting is pretty standard but if you’re feeling a little more adventurous, you can also try worm composting. Worm composting is easy, fun and another thrilling way to help the environment by reducing waste. Worms are nature’s composters because they quickly eat your food scraps and turn them into lush organic fertilizers. You can use worm castings as part of a potting soil mix for your house plants or around your yard. The liquid from the worms, often referred to as worm tea, is great for creating a natural fertilizer.
Two handfuls of these critters mixed with a cup of soil and food scraps will help perfect your worm compost. Flickr user: superdensity
How to worm compost
Worm composting is a little different than backyard composting. It still requires a plastic or wooden storage bin, but it also needs a tight fitting lid with plenty of holes in it to allow the worms to breath. A worm composting bin may get warm, but it should not get hot. Worms generally prefer a cool and moist environment so it is best to place the bin in a shady location out of direct sunlight.
In order to get started with your worm compost, you need at least a half pound of worms. Red composting worms usually work best. The worms reproduce quickly, and the amount of worms will grow as you start feeding them. The worms need to be comfortable in their new home so it’s important to build them a cozy worm bed. Place shredded newspaper, peat moss or coconut fiber at the bottom of the bin. You should also include about one cup of soil to provide the grit your worms need to digest their food. You should feed your worms small amounts of food scraps every day. Worms love kitchen scraps like fruit and vegetable peels, tea leaves, and coffee grounds. Add crushed, dried egg shells every 2-3 weeks to keep the pH level around 7.0 Gently mix about one pound of the food scraps into the worm bedding and allow them a couple of weeks to get used to their new setting. Be sure to bury the food to avoid fruit flies and foul odors. Make sure you monitor how much of scraps are being consumed every couple of days. The scraps should be placed in a different corner of the bin each time to make sure the worms are doing their job. If the food is not gone, try feeding the worms a little less.
Composting bin layered with shredded newspaper, food scraps and a piece of fabric to keep everything in place. Flickr user: kidmissile
Worm composting usually takes about 4-6 weeks. Finished compost material will settle to the bottom as the worms turn the food scraps into natural fertilizer. When the original bedding has been transformed into compost, it’s harvest time. Worm castings are richer in nutrients than yard trimmings compost and should be used more sparingly. Worm castings are rich in nitrogen, iron, calcium, magnesium, and 60 other minerals!
Composting problems
You may run into a few issues when you first start your compost, but they can be solved easily. If your backyard compost pile isn’t composting, it may be to dry or have too much woody material. It is very important to make sure that you always stir the compost and keep it moist, but not too wet. If the compost pile gets too wet, it will cause a rotten smell and you will need to add more brown material. A bad odor may also occur if there is too much green material or incorrect food items (meat, fatty foods, oils) in the pile. If the compost is dry or not getting hot, stir the compost, add water and more green material.
If you’re having trouble with your worm compost, you may have similar issues. If the worm compost bin smells bad, there may be too much food or it is too wet. Check drainage holes and add dry bedding. If you are getting fruit flies, the food is most likely not properly buried. Cover the surface of the bedding with sheets of newspaper. And if the worms aren’t eating the food scraps, you may be feeding them too much or the food is too acidic. Stop feeding them citrus peels and sprinkle crushed oyster shells to help neutralize the compost. If you have any more questions or would like to attend a compost workshop, check with your county to see if there are any offered.
- If you successfully manage your compost pile, the result will be a valuable rich natural fertilizer. Flickr user:OrganicNation
Composting is nature’s way of recycling. Leaves, grass and yard trimmings are valuable resources that we can easily recycle in our own backyards. Not only does composting successfully divert a large portion of landfill waste, it’s also a natural method of recycling organic materials into valuable soil conditioner. It may seem like a daunting task, but after seeing how easy it can be, you will be successfully composting within weeks!
Tell us about your experience with home composting!
