C O M P O S T I N G 2 (via EnviroNet 4/19/89) This updated file contains information adapted from two sources: "Home Composting," published by Seattle's excellent Community Composting Education Program, and "Ecological Shopping Guide: Shopping, Cooking and Gardening for a Better Environment," published by Pollution Probe in Canada. There is some redundancy, since each of these brochures is fairly self-contained, but I think you'll find it is helpful to have access to both. Also see the file WORMS. ------------------------------------------------------- (from " H O M E C O M P O S T I N G ") WHAT IS COMPOST? Compost is a dark, crumbly, and earthy-smelling form of decomposing matter. WHY SHOULD I MAKE COMPOST? Composting is the most practical and convenient way to handle your yard wastes. It can be easier and cheaper than bagging these wastes or taking them to the curb or dump. Compost also improves your soil and the plants growing in it. If you have a garden, a lawn, trees, shrubs, or even planter boxes, you have a use for compost. a useable form. Organic matter in the soil improves plant growth by helping to break heavy clay soils into a better texture, by adding water and nutrient-holding capacity to sandy soils, and by adding essential nutrients to any soil. Improving your soil is the first step toward improving the health of your plants. Healthy plants help clean our air and conserve our soil, giving us a healthier place to live. WHAT CAN I COMPOST? Almost anything that was once alive can be composted. Yard wastes, such as fallen leaves, grass clippings, weeds and the remains of garden plants, make excellent compost. Woody yard wastes can be clipped and sawed down to size useful for the wood stove or fireplace, or they can be run through a shredder for mulching and path-making. Used as a mulch for paths, they will eventually decompose and become compost. Care must be taken when composting kitchen scraps. Compost them only by the methods outlined in this brochure. Meat, bones, and fatty foods (such as cheese, salad dressing, and leftover cooking oil) should be put in the garbage. HOW DO I MAKE COMPOST? Compost can be used to enrich the flower and vegetable garden, to improve the soil around trees and shrubs, as a soil amendment for houseplants and planter boxes and, when screened, as part of a seed-starting mix or lawn top-dressing. Before they decompose, chipped woody wastes make excellent mulch or path material. After they decompose, these same woody wastes will add texture to garden soils. ESSENTIALS OF COMPOSTING Biology: The compost pile is really a teeming microbial farm. Bacteria start the process of decaying organic matter. They are the first to break down plant tissue and also the most numerous and effective composters. Fungi and protozoans soon join the bacteria and somewhat later in the cycle, centipedes, millipedes, beetles and earthworms do their parts. Materials: Anything growing in your yard is potential food for these tiny decomposers. Carbon and nitrogen, from the cells of dead plants and dead microbes, fuel their activity. The microorganisms use the carbon in leaves and woodier wastes as an energy source. Nitrogen provides the microbes with the raw element of proteins to build their bodies. Everything organic has a ratio of carbon to nitrogen (C:N) in its tissues, ranging from 500:1 for sawdust, to 15:1 for table scraps. A C:N ratio of 30:1 is ideal for the activity of compost microbes. This balance can be achieved by mixing two parts grass clippings (which have a C:N ratio of 20:1) with one part fallen leaves (60:1) in your compost. Layering can be useful in arriving at these proportions, but a complete mixing of ingredients in preferable for the composting process. Other materials can also be used, such as weeds and other garden wastes. Though the C:N ratio of 30:1 is ideal for a fast, hot compost, a higher ratio (i.e., 50:1) will be adequate for slower compost. Surface Area: The more surface area the micro-organisms have to work on, the faster the materials are decomposed. It's like a block of ice in the sun -- slow to melt when it's large, but melting very fast when broken into smaller pieces. Chopping your garden wastes with a shovel or machete, or running them through a shredding machine or lawnmower will speed their composting. Volume: A large compost pile will insulate itself and hold the heat of microbial activity. Its center will be warmer than its edges. Piles smaller than 3 feet cubed (27 cu. ft) will have trouble holding this heat, while piles larger than 5 feet cubed (125 cu.ft) don't allow enough air to reach the microbes at the center. These proportions are of importance if your goal is a fast, hot compost. Moisture & Aeration: All life on Earth needs a certain amount of water and air to sustain itself. The microbes in the compost pile are no different. They function best when the compost materials are about as moist as a wrung-out sponge, and are provided with many air passages. Extremes of sun or rain can adversely affect this moisture balance in your pile. Time & Temperature: The faster the composting, the hotter the pile. If you use materials with a proper C:N ratio, provide a large amount of surface area and a big enough volume, and see that moisture and aeration are adequate, you will have a hot, fast compost (hot enough to burn your hand!) and will probably want to use a Turning Unit discussed below. If you just want to deal with your yard wastes in an inexpensive, easy, non-polluting way, the Holding Unit will serve you well. HOLDING UNITS [description: 3x3-foot boxes consisting of a scrap lumber frame and steel mesh sides; open top] These simple containers for yard waste are the least labor- and time-consuming way to compost. Which Wastes? Non-woody yard wastes are the most appropriate. How? Place the holding unit where it is most convenient. As weeds, grass clippings, leaves and harvest remains from the garden are collected, they can be dropped into the unit. Chopping or shredding wastes, alternating high-carbon and high-nitrogen materials, and keeping up good moisture and aeration will all speed the process and improve the quality of the compost (but are not essential). Advantages & Disadvantages: For yard wastes this is the simplest method. The units can be portable, moving to wherever needed in the garden. This method can also take from 6 months to 2 years to compost organic materials, so be patient. Variations: Holding units can be made of circles of hardware cloth, old wooden pallets, or wood and wire. Sod can also be composted, with or without a holding unit, by turning sections of it over, making sure that there is adequate moisture, and covering it with black plastic [ugh - JH] TURNING UNITS [description: several holding units constructed side by side; with lid] This is a series of three or more bins that allows wastes to be turned on a regular schedule. Turning units are most appropriate for gardeners with a large volume of yard waste and the desire to make a high quality compost. Which Wastes? Non-woody yard wastes are appropriate. Kitchen wastes without meat, bones or fatty foods can be added to the center of a pile if it is turned weekly and reaches high temperatures. How? Alternate the layering of high-carbon and high-nitrogen materials to approximately a 30:1 ratio. These should be moistened to the damp sponge stage. The pile temperature should be checked regularly; when the heat decreases substantially, turn the pile into the next bin with a pitchfork or rake. Dampen the materials if they are not moist, and add more high-nitrogen material if heating is not occurring. Then make a new pile in the original bin. Repeat the process each time the pile in the first bin cools. After two weeks in the third bin, the compost should be ready for garden use. See the "Rodale Guide to Composting" for more information on hot composting. Advantages & Disadvantages: This method produces a high-quality compost in a short time utilizing a substantial input of labor. Variations: The unit can be built of wood, a combination of wood and wire, or concrete block. Another type of turning unit is the barrel composter, which tumbles the wastes for aeration. TROUBLESHOOTING symptom: compost has a bad odor problem: not enough air solution: turn it symptom: center of pile is dry problem: not enough water solution: moisten materials while turning the pile symptom: compost damp & warm in middle, but nowhere else problem: too small solution: collect more material and mix old ingredients into a new pile symptom: heap is damp and sweet-smelling but still not warm problem: lack of nitrogen solution: mix in nitrogen source such as fresh grass, fresh manure, or ammonium sulfate MULCHING Yard wastes can also be used for weed control and water retention. Which Wastes? Woody yard wastes, leaves,and grass clippings. How? You can simply spread leaves or grass clippings beneath plantings. For wood materials up to 1 inch in diameter, rent or purchase a chipper/shredder. Tree services, if they operate in your neighborhood, often will deliver wood chips free. Advantages & Disadvantages: All yard wastes will work first as a mulch and then, as decomposition proceeds, as a soil enrichment. A disadvantage of mulching with woody yard wastes is that you may have to buy or rent power equipment or make arrangements with a tree service. [That's better than a landfill or incinerator, though - JH] Variations: Use chipped materials for informal garden paths. SOIL INCORPORATION Burying your organic wastes is the simplest method of composting. Which Wastes? Kitchen scraps without meat, bones, or fatty foods. How? Everything should be buried at least 8 inches below the surface. Holes can be filled and vovered, becoming usable garden space the following season. Advantages & Disadvantages: This is a simple method, but because of the absence of air, some nutrients will be lost. Rodents and dogs can become a problem with wastes buried less than 6 inches deep. Variations: Using a posthole digger, wastes can be incorporated into the soil near the drip line of trees or shrubs and in small garden spaces. EARTHWORM COMPOST Feeding earthworms in wooden bins is a good way to make high-quality compost from food scraps. [bin description: wooden chest, about 10 inches deep, with lid] Which wastes? KItchen scraps without meat, bones, or fatty foods. How? Fill a bin with moistened bedding, such as peat moss, for the worms. Rotate the burying of food wastes throughout the worm bin. Every 3-6 months the worm population should be divided and moved to fresh bedding. Refer to "Worms Eat My Garbage," by Mary Appelhof for more information. Advantages and Disadvantages: This is an efficient way to convert food wastes into high-quality soil for houseplants, seedling transplants, or general garden use. The worms, themselves are a useful product for fishing. However, worm composting is more expensive and complicated than soil incorporation for dealing with food wastes. Variations: A stationary outdoor bin can be used in all but the coldest months, or a portable indoor/outdoor bin can be used year-round. ---------------------------------------------------- (from "Ecological Shopping Guide") A good way to reduce your output of garbage and use of chemical fertilizers while saving money is to compost your kitchen and garden wastes to produce fertilizer. This natural fertilizer not only provides the nutrients necessary for healthy plant growth but also conditions the soil. There are almost as many composting methods as there are people who compost. Even in colder areas of North America, outside composting can be carried out between April and October. Conventional methods using soil take six to nine months, meaning that compost is available only in the fall. Also, many weed seeds and other nuisance organisms tend to survive this process. The following method, which has been successfully tested by Pollution Probe, allows you to store kitchen and other organic wastes during the winter and then produce hygenic compost from May through October without the use of soil or garden space. This method is particularly suited for use by individual householders or, on a larger scale, by residents of apartments, condominiums, housing co-ops or small neighborhoods. COLLECTING AND STORING MATERIAL o Use a five gallon plastic or metal drum or pail with a close-fitting lid. Store in the basement, back porch, balcony, or wherever convenient. o Collect kitchen waste, lint from dryers and vacuum cleaners (no plastics, metals, glass or meats) in a small garbage pail. Try to keep the wastes as dry as possible. Each time the pail is full, empty it into the five gallon container and cover with an inch of dry sawdust, wood shavings, wood ash or soil. Keep a tub of this cover material next to the waste container for convenience. Waste stored in this way will remain undecomposed for several months. o Collect other material such as cut weeds and grass clippings as they become available and store dry in boxes. o As most kitchen and green garden wastes are high in nitrogen, some carbon-rich material must also be collected. Obtain a source of sawdust, wood shavings, dry leaves, or hay, or a mixture of any of these, and store dry. BUILDING THE BIN o Each composting bin should be at least one cubic yard (27 cubic feet or 150 gallons) in volume in order to retain the heat of composting. Convenient dimensions are 2 feet 6 inches wide, 4 feet deep, and 3 feet 6 inches high (fill to 3 feet). o Individual households should have two bins. Community units or apartment units should have three or more to allow two or more batches to be composted at once. o Bins should be watertight, and the front should be sectioned and removable. All aeration is carried out during turning, so holes are not needed under or around the pile. Holes would only allow loss of nutrient juices and attract flies. The best construction materials are 2 foot X 2 foot concrete slabs for the base and solid cement blocks for the walls - all mortared together. Pine boards running in a track can be used for the front, and plywood may be used for the top. o If wood is used for the sides and back, it should be insulated and all joints sealed with pitch roofing cement. BUILDING THE PILE o To operate an odorless, high-temperature pile, it is necessary to have the correct ratio of nitrogen to carbon in the mixed wastes and to have the correct moisture content. Too much nitrogen produces ammonia and attracts flies. Too much carbon slows the reaction. o Most kitchen and green garden wastes require the addition of carbon and water to achieve the right conditions. Sawdust, wood shavings, straw, dry leaves, or hay can be used. The lighter the material, the easier the pile is to turn. Any uncomposted material of this type can makes a valuable mulch. o Each spring, and whenever enough material has been gathered for a new batch, build layers of waste and wood shavings (or other carbon source) in a bin until full. Start with a layer of shavings to absorb the juices. o Water each layer lightly to moisten, but never let water run out the bottom of the pile. TURNING THE PILE o Turn the batch with a pitch fork into the second bin after two days. If there is a strong smell of ammonia or if water runs out of the bottom, add a few more shavings while turning. Chop up any large pieces of waste such as orange peels and corn cobs while turning. o Hose the first bin out well and clean up all waste spilled during turning. o Continue to turn the batch from bin to bin every three days, checking smell and moisture each time. Take the temperature of the batch before each turning using a candy thermometer pushed deep into the pile. Signs of a good working batch are temperatures between 140 and 170 degrees F. (60-70 degrees C.) during the first week and the appearance of long white streaks on the material after a week or so. These are beneficial soil fungi. o If the temperature does not rise, add some nitrogen in the form of fresh manure or more kitchen waste. o Hose out the bin after each turn, and keep the area clean. o In about three or four weeks, the temperature should start to drop. When the compost is consistently below 100 degrees F. (37 degrees C.) and is crumbly and odorless (some "woody" smell may remain) it is ready to use. Sift out any large lumps that have not decomposed and put them in the next batch. USING THE COMPOST o If the compost is going to be mixed with soil to form a potting mix, sift out any undecomposed woodshavings or other materials and reuse them in the next batch. o For the majority of uses, either before planting or during the growing season, layer the compost over the soil, covering as much as possible. Do not dig it in - let worms draw down the nutrients and humus, while the remainder acts as a mulch to keep down weeds and retain moisture. The above method is just one technique for composting kitchen, garden, farm, and municipal wastes. Information on other methods is available from Pollution Probe. The journal of "Compost Science" is also a good source of ideas. ------------------------------------------------------- S O U R C E S "Home Composting," Community Composting Education Program, 710 2nd Ave., Suite 750, Seattle, WA 98104. "Ecological Shopping Guide: Shopping, Cooking and Gardening for a Better Environment," Robert Fulthorpe, et al; Ottawa, Ontario: Pollution Probe, 1979. Booklet also covers: overpackaged goods, overprocessed goods, energy wasters, harmful cosmetics, reuse, recycling, other garden methods, ecological do's and don't's. Copies of the "Ecological Shopping Guide" may be obtained for $2.75 from: InfoEarth, P.O. Box 138, Station B, Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA K1P-6C3. (uploaded by Jeff Howard) -More-