Composting Made Easy
By Bob Chapman
"Throwing money into the garbage bin." That's what many well-meaning gardeners do when they toss yard trimmings and vegetable scraps into the garbage can. Instead, they should consider turning these wastes into compost. With a composting program, gardeners can enrich and loosen heavy soils and add body to sandy soils, saving the money they would spend on purchasing compost or organic material to add to their garden soil. By using a few simple? steps any gardener can successfully make compost at home.
It's easy to get started! Just save all the yard wastes, grass clippings and vegetable trimmings. Put them in an out-of-the-way spot in the garden. When you have collected a fair amount you can start the process of composting. To start the process you simply mix equal amounts of dried material (dry leaves, sawdust, straw, wood shavings, twigs and small branches) with the green stuff (grass clippings, green leaves, vegetable trimmings, freshly pulled weeds). It is suggested that you try to collect enough materials to equal a cubic yard.
Compost piles turn yard and kitchen wastes into a final product called humus (or compost). When added to any soil, humus helps keep it loose and easy to work. And humus has a small nutrient value. It's great for holding nutrients and moisture for the roots of plants to use, an added benefit.
Bacteria does the work for you. They digest the raw materials, turning them into a usable finished product called compost. When you add materials to the compost heap you are also adding gazillions of bacteria. The bacteria are found on the surfaces of the ingredients used to make compost. There are three types of bacteria: those that start the process, those that take over from the starter bacteria and those that finish the job.
There are several methods used to hold the waste materials and turn it into compost. There are commercially available devices such as bins, rotating drums and enclosures, but a handy person can get by just fine by constructing wooden or wire enclosures. See the drawings below.
Most of us have lawns and the clippings are a prime source of materials for composting. The grass clippings and other things, such as freshly pulled weeds, vegetable trimmings, spent blossoms and manure are what are called "greens." The "browns" include dry leaves, straw, wood shavings, twigs and small branches. All of the above are considered the best for composting. Do not use large bones, animal feces, walnut leaves (these have a substance in them that can poison the soil), Eucalyptus leaves (these have oils that can inhibit growth) and Magnolia grandiflora leaves (too thick and take too long to decompose).
Whether you are making compost in a container or in a pile, you need to do maintenance. The bacteria that do the decomposing for you need air and moisture to live and work. You have to "turn" the pile to allow air to get to all parts of the decomposing organic matter. Most composters turn the pile once a week to allow the air to the center of the pile.
You also need to keep the pile moist. It should be kept as moist as a wrung-out sponge, not too wet or too dry.
If the pile seems to be slow in working, you may need to add some "food" for the bacteria. Sulfate of ammonia fills the bill for them. Sprinkle a handful or so over the pile and water it in.
Some compost piles may take only a few weeks to complete the process. Some piles may take up to a year. It all depends on the ingredients used, the proportions of "greens" and "browns, " the size of the pile, the time of the year, and the available air and moisture necessary to keep the bacteria working.
Compost is an excellent addition to any soil. The humus in compost coats the soil particles, keeping them loose and allowing air and water to move freely in the soil. Add as much compost as you can to your soil whenever you work it. You can add up to 50% by volume to your soil without concern of harming it. Try to get the compost mixed into the top 6-8 inches of your soil. Most of the plant's roots are found in this portion of the soil.
In the process of building up your soil some humus is used up and must be replaced. You need to continually make compost and add it every time you till or work the soil in preparation for planting. So keep on collecting yard trimmings, generating compost and adding it your soil. It's a never-ending process but it pays off handsomely in increased crops and healthier flowers, shrubs and trees.