Compost Happens
“In the process of nature there is no throwing away”- Catherine Osgood Foster
Why compost?
First: It is the way of nature. Mother Nature has been composting since the beginning of time
Second: it’s free! In these economic times who couldn’t use a freebie now and then.
Third: It is GOLD! It is by far one of the best things you can do for you garden, lawn and all your plantings.
Most importantly it is vital to soil health. No amount of fertilizer can make up for poor soil, nor will your plants withstand disease drought, pest and other stresses. Compost contains nutrients that your plants need for optimum performance and it has the microbes in it that will hold onto those nutrient instead of letting them leach away into our water table. In some cases you may not even need to fertilize soil that is enriched with compost.
Compost also improves soil structure. The organic matter combines with the soil particles of sand silt and clay and creates small aggregates or crumbs. Crumbly soil is good structure as apposed to sand or clay. These crumbs hold onto moisture on their surface making it available to your plants all the while making air pockets and spaces for oxygen and room to grow, and good drainage.
Decomp
We have heard the word decomp a lot these past few years with all the science and cops shows like CSI. But decomposition has been doing this for millions of years. In 1 tbls of compost there are over 1 billion forms of life! Each of these microscopic bugs has a job and they all work symbiotically with each other for an end result…LIFE. These creatures help break down the million tons of organic refuse produced on the Earth each day, leaves, garbage, industrial waste, everything! Without these microbes there would be no decomposition, they are the alchemist, garbage collectors and mini refineries all rolled into one.
4 Basics Needed to Make Compost
1- Carbon- an energy source
2- Nitrogen a protein source
3- Oxygen
4- Moisture
1) Carbon- just like you and I we need carbs to give us energy. Same fit for your compost. This is the tough dry material or the “browns”, like dried leaves, straw, sawdust and corn stalks.
2) Nitrogen- this is the activator. This gets things cooking, like manure, grass clippings green vegetation, blood meal kelp. These are high nitrogen materials.
It is helpful to think of the carbon materials as the food and the nitrogen materials like our digestive enzymes.
3) Oxygen- is a vital part of composting. It is required by many organisms especially the most efficient bacteria called AEROBES. When there is not enough air the aerobes can not survive and the ANAEROBES take over slowing the process by up to 90%. The aerobes will do a more complete job of composting than their counter parts.
4) Moisture – not enough moisture slows decomp, to much forces out air suffocating and creating a stinky mess. Moisture content should be about 45-50%....like a rung out sponge.
Some Commonly Used Materials
Wood ashes- high source of potash, but not to much- it makes your compost very alkaline.
Feathers- high content of Nitrogen
Garbage- food waste- but not grease oil or animal meat.
Grass Clippings- best to dry out first- so not so soggy, and smelly or mix with dry ingredients.
If putting on straight remember to layer into the pile.
Hay or Straw- Best to weather it or spoil it. Farms are grateful to be rid of it.
Leaves- are slow to break down chop with mower first to help breaking down faster.
(Leaf Mold- gold to the planter- partially decomposed leaves. Mix 1 part leaf mold with 5 parts manure- WOW!)
Newspapers- It used to be that papers were printed with ink that contains PAHs- or polycyclic aromatics hydrocarbons.
Most papers today use soy based inks. If using, strip it up so that it does not mat. Colored magazines are
something you may want to stay away from- not sure of the chemical processes.
Peat Moss- can make a pile to dry if it’s all clumped together. It can wick water away from the pile but can make a nice
texture if done right.
Pine needles- good texturizers, break down slowly not good as a major ingredient.
Sawdust- breaks down slowly, if too concentrated, may cause an airtight seal. Best to sprinkle it in
Seaweed or Kelp- great source of Potassium, rots easily, and is loaded with trace elements.
Tends to be high in sodium, but some gardeners love to blanket their pile with it before winters sleep.
Things to avoid
Coal or Charcoal- has excess amounts of sulfur and iron that are toxic to plants
Diseased plants- good if pile get hot enough, but best to burn first the use the ashes in the pile.
No pet litter, no sludge and no toxic chemicals.
Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio
This is your “browns” to “green” ratio. It should be 30 to 1. 30 parts brown to 1 part green.
Or simply put 2-3 pounds of Nitrogen (greens) to 100 pounds of Carbon (browns). If you keep up this ratio you will have an earthy pleasant smell. If you get more greens you might get a little stinky.
Composting Bins and Tools
There are as many ideas and theories about this as there are stars in the sky. I personally have a pile that I tend to ignore until I need something from it. Thankfully my compost doesn’t take this personally. There are bins, tumblers pens, and piles. They can be square or round, made of wood, concrete, fencing material or be a metal garbage can, with holes in it. But the same rules apply to all compost containers: Material in the right amounts, turning to get air in for the right biology to thrive and water to help things to move smoothly.
Tools are getting fancier all the time. I use a pitch fork, or a shovel. Some people use a compost turner; this will help get air moving in and around the pile and help mix stuff around.
I also have a small bin on my kitchen counter at home that gets dumped 1-2 times a week, maybe more often in the summer.
Activators
There are many companies on the market that sell activators. Some have biology which can help a dead or slow moving pile get going.
Compost in the bag or loam can be an activator to you pile, and also some people have been know to throw in a handful or two of lawn fertilizer, just make it an organic one so that the biology doesn’t get burned.
Increasing your surface area by chopping up your material will make it break down faster, creating surface wounds for the bacteria to munch on.
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