All ‘Bout Composting

Composting: Nature’s Way to Recycle Leaves + Grass Clippings + Vegetable Peels + Organic Waste + Weeds not yet gone to seed + Pet and human untreated hair + Air and Water » = Humus – the richest soil conditioner available, and at no cost to you!

Benefits of Composting Environment ☺ Reduces garbage by 27%, according to the EPA ☺ Increases life of existing landfills and reduces need for new ones ☺ Creates healthier plans without artificial fertilizers ☺ Builds up soil and makes it act like a sponge – absorbing rain and releasing it in dry weather; holds air ☺ Improves structure of clay and sandy soils; protects them from erosion

Benefits of Composting Gardeners ☼ Compost is excellent for the garden, the lawn and your house plants. ☼ Compost gently releases nutrients as plants require them. ☼ Finished compost will never burn plant roots, so you can use as much as you want. ☼ Compost creates stronger plants, naturally able to fight off insects and diseases. ☼ Dark compost absorbs the sun’s heat; extends growing season in cold climates.

How does composting work? Anything that lived will eventually decompose. Soil contains thousands of micro-organisms that feed on moist organic waste, generating heat in the process. As the temperature rises in the compost pile, as high as 150 degrees F within first week, bacteria and fungi add to the process. When the compost cools, turning the pile adds oxygen, which builds the heat once again, and kills harmful bacteria. When the compost is done, the temperature drops for the final time. The composting is finished when the earthworms move in. The soil has a fresh smell and is dark and crumbly. Little of the original material can be identified.

The basic recipe for compost Slow Cooker Method: Place leaves and grass clippings in a pile and let nature do the rest. This method, called “Cold Composting” is fine for gardeners with large areas, and for those whose main purpose is to reduce waste. It can take up to a year to produce compost with this method.

Quicker “hot” method compost Add Air to the mix –to help bacteria do their “aerobic” decomposition, which produces sweet smelling compost. Mix - Air only gets in a few inches, so the pile has to be turned, preferably using a pitchfork. Or you can poke the pile and lift up the layers to introduce air. Oxygen creates the high temperatures that kill bacteria. You can add air by elevating the compost – placing the pile on loosely spaced boards, so air can be drawn in from the bottom. Add Water – compost should be moist to the touch, like a wrung out sponge, not soggy. If too wet, turn pile over or spread to dry in the sun. Add soil to introduce the bacteria necessary for the composting process to begin. Hot composting produces quicker results (as little as two weeks!) in less space.

Variations on the compost recipe A good compost should consist of equal amounts of brown and green ingredients. Brown Ingredients are woody materials high in carbon, leaves, clean paper, peat moss, sawdust, cornstalks, hay, straw, dry grass clippings, coffee filters, cotton-wool-silk scraps, pine needles, wood ash. Green Ingredients are garden refuse, manure, tea and coffee grounds, feathers, hair and fur, fresh grass clippings, bone meal, eggshells, flowers, seaweed rinsed of salt, vegetable peels and weeds that have not gone to seed.

Tips for successful composting If the pile doesn’t heat up, add green ingredients. If the pile smells of ammonia, add brown. Do not add fats, pet wastes, rotting meat, dairy or fish, infested plants, anything treated with herbicides, crabgrass, rhubarb leaves (toxic), Black Walnut leaves or twigs. A good sized pile should be 4’ x 4’ x 4’

More tips Start bottom layer with an equal mix of brown and green ingredients, then add layers of alternating materials – green- brown-green-brown. Cover pile to hold heat; keep it from getting too wet If compost doesn’t heat up – pile may be too small, too dry, need more greens, or need a nitrogen starter like fresh manure.

How to use compost Trees and Shrubs: plant in half soil and half compost mix. Lawns: Dig in compost before seeding, or rake ½” of sifted compost over existing lawns in Spring, when ground has dried. Established plants: scratch compost into top layer of soil and water deeply. Mulch: Spread compost around trees and shrubs when ground has warmed. Spread on vegetables & flowers when plants are several inches high. Potting soil: mix soil with compost for use in containers. You can sterilize the compost in the oven for 1 hour at 200 degrees. Make Compost Tea: place compost in burlap bag or old pillow case and soak in bucket until water turns tea color. Use to water plants.

Bibliography Backyard Magic, The Composting Handbook. New Brunswick, Canada Department of the Environment. United States Environmental Protection Agency website The US Composting Council. Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.