Why Compost
Composting not only helps make the soil more fertile but it can also help combat climate change!
By creating compost from your garden and kitchen waste instead of sending it to the landfill, you can help prevent methane emissions that are 21 times more damaging than carbon dioxide. Now that's something worth thinking about!
What's even better - compost boosts drainage for clay soils while improving aeration on the compacted ground, retaining moisture on sandy grounds, and preventing surface crusting when you have silt-rich soil.
Compost can be added directly into the soil of your pot plants or garden, but when used as a mulch will help regulate soil temperature in both cold and hot months.
NOTE: please don't stack up too much near plant stems and trunks - you might end up with some unwanted decay fungi guests!
If this is all new info for you- fear not- we've got basic tips on how to perfect your composting skills right here.
Hot Composting
Hot composting is a great way to break down your organic matter quickly and efficiently - you need about 12 large wheelbarrows of material (that's around 1 cubic meter!) if you are using an open bay type system or, for smaller amounts, just use a compost tumbler.
As the materials come together in one heap, aerobic bacteria will kick into action; breaking down the pile while consuming oxygen and creating heat up to 60°C in ideal conditions!
To create hot compost all you need to do is add an equal balance of nitrogen-rich materials such as leaves, grass clippings some animal manure (not from humans, dogs, or cats) with roughly equal amounts of carbon sources like shredded newspaper, straw, or leaves - plus plenty of air circulation.
To ensure that the pile is working effectively, leave it overnight and then check its temperature in the center. If you have a big thermometer, great, if not you can insert a wooden stake into the center of the pile, and leave it a minute or two, when withdrawn it should be hot to touch.
Using the hot composting method:
Start by gathering all your raw materials, grabbing a hose, and roping in some help. Next up is filling that first bay with alternate layers of nitrogen-rich animal manure, garden waste, and whatever other organic material (leaves, paper, straw) you have available! it's important to remember this golden ratio: carbon-to-nitrogen. For best results make the heap about 4-5 feet high (1.5 meters) high wetting each layer (without saturating).
Keep out heavy rain with old sacks or canvas tarps – just don't forget to give air enough space if using non-permeable coverings! The pile will start heating immediately.
Leave the pile alone for a week, then turn your compost bays weekly for the first few weeks, and then every two weeks afterward. This will ensure that all materials are evenly heated up - killing weeds and diseases! You may need to add more fresh greens or animal manure if you're not seeing too much heat in there initially.
Cold composting
Cold composting is a low-effort way to turn your food scraps and other organic wastes into nutrient-rich soil!
You simply add materials every day as they are generated, with no heat involved. You still need to provide a mix of materials and by alternating between bays or bins you can keep one maturing while adding ingredients in the next - it's that easy!
You can expect your compost pile to shrink down by at least two-thirds of its original size with no traces whatsoever of what went into it. In return, you'll get beautiful dark brown crumbly organics that smell like earthly soil - and if anything wasn't completely broken down during the cycle, simply add it back in for round two!
Using the cold composting method:
With cold composting, adding materials as they come makes it easy – simply fill each bay or bin with ingredients and let them mature until ready. No need for constant stirring or flipping - now that's a no-fuss approach to gardening!
Ok, let's explore the various composting systems to see what is right for you and your garden.
Trench composting
If you're just starting with composting, this is the simplest way to go. It's an ideal solution for disposing of kitchen waste and small amounts of garden debris - simply bury it in the ground around your garden! This method doesn't require any special tools or equipment, (other than a shovel) making it perfect for beginner Composters.
To get started dig a 12 x 12 inch (30 x 30 centimeter) deep and wide trench in an area of the garden that needs improving. As you go, add your daily kitchen or garden waste to one end followed by a covering of soil before continuing along until all is contained - a mounded line indicates where everything was buried.
For vegetable growing beds, some gardeners plant directly into the fresh surface and allow roots to travel through decomposing matter below for improved nutrition absorption.
Where already established gardens are present, dig individuals instead of trenches around plants without harming existing root systems- just find any available space then get digging!
Composting in trenches is a fantastic way to welcome worms into your garden. As an added precaution, make certain that you bury the waste deep enough so as not to entice dogs, cats, or vermin from digging it up. Also, adding lime over waste material accelerates decomposition and attracts more worms for faster composting results!
Compost bays
Gardening pro or aspiring compost-er? Then a couple of compost bays might just be the perfect way to give your garden waste and food scraps an earthy second chance!
Depending on how much space you've got, create enclosures made from hay bales, timber (not arsenic treated), or other suitable re-cycled materials - anything that makes sense.
Their size will depend on the garden space and how much waste is available. Each bay should measure at least 3x3 1sq feet (1 x1 sqm) so they can all sit side by side and open at the front.
People often compost their great kitchen waste, but too much of it can make the compost smelly and excessively acidic. To prevent this from happening, you should have a pile of dry materials (like leaves, straw, or sawdust) near your compost pile/bin so that you can cove kitchen scrap as soon as they are added.
If you notice bad odors coming from the bin, chances are the compost is wet and overly acidic, add some lime or dolomite to neutralize its smell. And if it's especially over-wet, simply mix in more dry material!
Compost heaps
Not ready to commit to compost bays? Well, you can still get on board with eco-friendly cold composting. How about making a heap instead?
Not as tidy as bays but all those organic materials can be layered together on larger properties or when there's lots of material involved - just remember not too close to stormwater drains or creeks so that nutrients don't escape into other areas.
Compost bins
Let me introduce you to the bins, those bottomless and tightly-sealed plastic containers that come in diverse shapes and shades (black or green being the most common).
Work is carried out in the bin by fungi, bacteria, worms, beetles, or other organisms which can decompose the matter within them. The more ‘finely chopped’ or 'shredded' components are, the sooner they will break down.
For the most nutrient-rich soil, combine layers of organic matter high in carbon including dried leaves and prunings, straw, paper, etc. while those higher in nitrogen could be items like grass clippings, spent annuals, soft prunings, or kitchen scraps. This way bacteria will have a source of nourishment as well as fungi!
To ensure that waste completely breaks down, leave it to mature in the compost bin for three to six months. To make this process more efficient, consider multiple bins so you can progress through them as needed. When one is full, simply begin adding your waste into the next; by then the contents of the first should be ready for use!
NOTE: Compost bins, without a base, unfortunately, may attract mice and rats. To help prevent this from happening, never include any people or animal food in the bin.
For additional protection, dig a 4-inch (10-centimeter) deep depression in the soil that matches the size of your bin's foundation. Line it with small mesh wire to keep out any potential mouse intruders and place your bin on top before mounding up extra soil around its edges.
Tumblers
If you're looking to experience the magic of composting, but don't want to wait around for it, tumblers are your answer.
Great for above-ground use and with an easy handle turn design so you can whiz through a session of composting in just three to four weeks if done right - the only thing that'll help make sure your work pays off is finely chopping all materials beforehand. You could even save some money by making one yourself!
What you can put in.
- High-carbon (or brown) ingredients
- Dry leaves, twigs, sawdust (untreated), straw, grass clippings or trimmings, wood ash (in moderation), shredded paper, torn newspaper, and chopped-up cardboard.
- Bedding from vegetarian animals, such as chickens, rabbits, and hamsters are great option options.
- Green ingredients such as vegetable and fruit scraps, freshly cut lawn clippings, dead flowers, garden trimmings, coffee grounds, and tea leaves.
- In addition, other items that can be composted include used potting soil, broken eggshells, and worn clothing crafted from natural fibers.
What not to put in
- Steer clear of meat, bones, fish, and dairy waste.
- Don’t put diseased plants or weeds with seeds (despite the hot compost method, the temperature of the compost might not reach a crucial level between 55 and 60 degrees for efficiently killing weed seeds and diseases)
- If you have some fruit that is infested with fruit flies, the best way to dispose of it safely is by putting it in a sealed plastic bag and keeping it out in the sun for 1 week. If this isn't possible, bury the bag at least one foot (30 centimeters) deep into the ground.
- Excrement from carnivorous animals, including humans as may contain harmful bacteria, intestinal worms, or chemicals from medications.
- cooking fat
- glossy paper
- timber treated with arsenic
- large branches (unless you shred them first)
Wrap Up
Experiment with the methods listed until you find what works best for you and your garden. Often, experienced gardeners blend different systems to manage various materials.