Compost is what you get when yard and garden debris, kitchen scraps and other organic materials have completely broken down into a rich, dark, crumbly material. Gardeners call it “black gold,” because it is so rich in nutrients and adds so much value you when add it to your soil. If you put your food waste in the trash it will be trucked to a landfill. Trucking food to landfills generates diesel fumes and emissions. And as food decomposes in landfills, it releases methane, a greenhouse gas. In the right conditions, bacteria and other microorganisms quickly break down organic material into rich, fertile earth that you can add to your soil to increase its fertility and health. After the organisms have done their thing, they generate finished compost, which has lots of minerals and micro-nutrients in an easily accessible form for plant Composting is cheap and easy to learn, but there is a little bit of an art to it that comes with practice. Breaking down waste requires the right amount of moisture, heat, soil aeration and a proper mix of materials. And here’s the good news. We’re going to teach you how to do it on this site, which will reduce your learning curve significantly. Your compost bin in the back could be as intricate as a store-bought tumbling composter, or as simple as a homemade bin created from wire and wood. The most important thing is that you are checking your compost, and turning it regularly. How to build a compost pile: A compost pile is easy to make and doesn’t require much space. In order to reach optimal temperatures, the pile should be at least 3 feet wide, 3 feet across, and 3 feet tall (one cubic yard). That is the minimum size to generate temperatures that can kill weeds and pathogens, but smaller compost piles will also work with reduced efficiency. Larger piles work even better because their size will increase the temperature in the pile, but anything taller than 8 feet is overkill. Extremely large piles of compost are at risk for spontaneous combustion, and they are also extremely difficult to aerate properly. To build a compost pile, start by clearing off a patch of ground. Choose a spot that’s away from trees or fast growing vines – the roots from these plants can infiltrate the compost pile and suck away nutrients. It’s also important to remove any weeds or seeds from the area – if your compost pile fails to get hot enough, these seeds will get mixed into the finished product and may germinate when you use the compost as potting soil or fertilizer. The best ground for a compost pile will be slightly elevated and have excellent drainage. It is also a good idea to locate compost piles away from inhabited buildings, gardens, or silos because they can attract insects. If you plan to build a very large pile, be sure to put footpaths every 8 feet or so that are wide enough for a wheel barrel. Then, line the ground with groundcloth or plastic liner to protect against root intrusion. If there are moles, groundhogs, or other burrowing animals in your area, you may want to put a layer of chicken coop wire or hardware cloth too. Avoid putting the compost pile against a wooden fence or deck – the compost can stain wood and may encourage rotting. After you pick out the perfect spot, it’s a good idea to gather separate piles of ‘green’ and ‘brown’ organic matter. Green waste is high in nitrogen – it includes things such as vegetable scraps, fresh grass clippings, and manure from herbivores. Brown waste has a high concentration of carbon – it includes things such as leaves, dried grass, and twigs. Break these components into very small pieces, but save a few sticks for building support structures. The more surface area your ingredients have, the faster they will decompose. Start with a layer of brown waste and leave plenty of airspace at the bottom of your compost pile – this will help with drainage and also create a chimney effect of airflow. Use your piles of organic material to create alternating layers of brown and green waste. Sticks and split logs are important for building the pile because they will provide support and hold everything together. Use twigs in the compost pile the same way that you would use them to build a campfire – with alternating rows and columns that allow air to flow through easily. The center of the pile will have to support the most weight, so you may want to use the thickest sticks in that area. If you plan on turning your compost pile regularly, don’t worry so much about structure. Instead, you may want to feed your sticks through a wood chipper to get the most surface area and the fastest decomposition. Animals and pests are often attracted to the smell of rotting garbage. If you put a lot of green waste into your compost pile, it can be a very good idea to put fresh waste near the bottom and under sticks or thorns. Such a barrier will do a good job keeping raccoons and skunks away, but insects and rodents will often be able to sneak through very small openings, and snakes may also move into the pile to feed on them. Because of this, it’s a very good idea to wear protective clothing and make plenty of noise to scare animals away when turning a compost pile. Keep building your compost pile until you run out of materials. Each layer can be as thick or as thin as you’d like to make it. The best way is to use thin layers of green material (2-4 inches) and thicker layers of brown materials (5-7 inches). If you don’t have any green waste available when building your pile, it may be a good idea to add one of the following as a compost activator: manure from a grass eater (ie; cow, sheep, goat, llama, hamster, gerbil, rabbit, chicken), alfalfa meal, bloodmeal, bonemeal, coffee grounds, or even just soil from another part of your yard. Cat and dog droppings are not recommended because they may carry disease. Horse manure is not recommended because it has a high number of weed seeds. Depending on your climate, it may be a good idea to cover your compost pile with a tarp. This is necessary if rainfall or snow is heavy in your area, because excess moisture can slow down the composting process. Moisture should be in the same range as a wrung out sponge – if you can extract water by pressing or squeezing the compost in your hand, then there’s too much moisture. There are other ways to protect your compost pile from the weather, such as placing it under a tree or under a roof overhang, but they have drawbacks (trees rob the compost pile of nutrients and building a compost pile against a building can attract pests inside). To get around this, you may want to take advantage of dead trees or unoccupied buildings, such as a garden shed, patio, or arbor. The final step is waiting. Let nature take its course, and before you know it, you’ll have a pile of rich, black gold (no, not the kind that you can put in your gas tank, but the kind of natural fertilizer that plants thrive on). Finished compost has a carbon to nitrogen ratio of about 15:1. The resulting material is coarse, crumbly, and spongy – a perfect mulch for absorbing water and gradually releasing nutrients into the soil. Potential solutions to compost odor: Are you dealing with compost odor, or afraid to begin composting because you’re worried about bad smells? If your compost has a bad odor, then there is something wrong. When the composting process is working correctly, then there are not any bad smells or strong odors. Compost has a strong ammonia smell A strong ammonia smell is typically related to too many nitrogen rich materials, and too much moisture. Solution: Add sawdust, shredded leaves, shredded newspaper or shredded cardboard to add more carbon rich materials, dry out the pile, and bring it back into balance. If it’s a bin, leave the lid off in sunny weather so that the moisture can burn off. Compost smells rotten A rotten smell is usually related to adding materials to your pile that should not have been composted in the first place. Are you added meat, dairy, grease or bones to your compost pile or bin? If so, stop! Solution: You can try adding more carbon rich materials like leaves and sawdust to bury the smelly materials. You could dig a hole and bury the entire contents of the bin or pile and start over, avoiding meat, dairy, grease and bones in your next batch. Trench composting takes place underground, but there aren’t any smells because the materials are fully buried. "Odors can be reduced, or eliminated, by following two practices: first, remember to not put bones or meat scraps into the compost; second, cover new additions to the compost pile with dry grass clippings or similar mulch. Adding lime or calcium will also neutralize odors. If the compost smells like ammonia, add carbon-rich elements such as straw, peat moss or dried leaves. Too much nitrogen makes for a heavy, smelly, slowly decomposing mass. Good composting hygiene means covering fresh nitrogen-rich material, which can release odors if exposed to open air, with carbon-rich material, which often exudes a fresh, wonderful smell. If in doubt, add more carbon!" A compost pile should have about a 50-50 mix of brown and green matter. Brown matter is low in nitrogen can include leaves, wood chips, old hay and shredded newspaper. Green matter is high in nitrogen and usually means manure or grass clippings. A compost pile that's too high in nitrogen will smell bad. One with too little nitrogen won't rot. Keeping it aerated and moist will help it decompose faster. Adding a little powdered limestone will reduce odors |
Composting at home is a simple task that is easy, and can bring many positive results in the end for your home or garden. The task may at first seem overwhelming or daunting – but have no fear, it’s quite simple.
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