“The main objective of composting is to transform organic materials into a stable usable product.”
Elliot Epstein, Author of “The Science of Composting”
The practice of composting is on the rise. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there is about a 13% increase in the amount of household and yard waste composted by Americans each year. On average, about half a pound of material is composted per person per day in the U.S.
More and more Americans have become interested in the benefits of composting, and those benefits are clear. When consumers choose to compose waste instead of tossing it into the trash, it prevents the production of carbon dioxide and methane, saves room in our landfills, and when used in gardens, reduces the use of chemical fertilizers.
In addition, it’s just plain better for your soil and plants. “It’s nature’s way of recycling,” says Charlotte Pitt from the City of Denver’s waste management division. She adds, “We can capture that material and use it for growing vegetables and flowers.” Adding properly prepared compost to your garden and landscaping enriches the soil and helps suppress disease and pests. Soil augmented with compost holds moisture better, so you have healthier plants that will need less water. It can remediate troublesome soil and improve the yield of food plants. And you’ll save money! Composting is a very inexpensive way to get natural fertilizer and soil enhancer without shelling out money for fertilizers and soil treatments over and over each season.
Compost in soil allows for better production of beneficial bacteria and fungi. These continue to work in your garden, producing humus, which works to increase the nutrient content of the soil. Plants love humus and grow healthier, stronger, and with a more diverse root system than plants grown in unamended soil. Unlike with the application of synthetic fertilizers, humus does not wash away, giving it more time to improve plant growth and is safer for our community’s environment.
“Composting is defined as the biological degradation process of heterogeneous solid organic materials under controlled moist, self-heating, and aerobic conditions to obtain a stable material that can be used as organic fertilizer.”
The Definition of Composting in Earth Science
So, what exactly is compost? Compost is formed when food waste, yard trimmings, and sometimes manure is combined and matured over time to create an organic and rich mixture full of humus. Mature humus is dark brown or black in color and has a wonderful earthy, soil-like smell. Composting is this process of taking your food scraps and yard waste and speeding up the process of decomposition to create the humus. It is an easy process of transformation from one type of waste into a very useful product.
Gardeners can make compost themselves with just a few supplies and some patience. In fact, more than 28% of what we throw away could be composted, so you already have the material you need to get started. By keeping your food scraps and yard waste, you’re on your way to producing rich and inexpensive compost.
Compost requires three basic elements. It’s easy to remember what you need—things that are brown, things that are green, and some water. That’s it! Brown material, the carbon-based material, includes fallen leaves, branches, pine needles, straw or hay, corn stalks, paper, dryer lint, egg cartons, and cardboard. The greens, which are nitrogen-based, include grass clippings, vegetable and fruit scraps, plant trimmings, eggshells, and other organic food waste.
The best ratio is one part greens to two parts browns. While a compost pile can manage slightly different ratios, this is ideal for not only richer humus, but also faster decomposition. You can add some of your existing soil from your garden to a new compost pile to give it a head start. The existing soil contains beneficial microorganisms that can activate your compost pile and will work to start the decomposition process faster.
You’ll need an area in your yard for your composting. Usually, compost bins are tucked into a spare corner of your garden or yard. It should be handy and easily accessible, but also have set back, as there are occasion smells and insects hanging around your compost pile. Ideally, it should be on level ground and should get some sunlight during the day. Take care, however, not to place it the hottest part of your garden, as it might dry out too quickly, and compost needs a well-balanced level of moisture to work properly.
Placing it too close to a tree or your existing garden is not the ideal choice. Nearby root systems can migrate to your compost bin. After all, it’s full of rich nutrients. What tree wouldn’t want some of that? You don’t want shrub or tree roots growing into your compost pile.
But ultimately, the location of a compost bin is flexible and really depends on how accessible you’d like it to be. You need some working space around it and you want it close enough to prevent you from having to travel too far to lug scraps to the pile. and then to haul the compost back to your garden. Ideally, it will also be accessible to your water source so that you can add the third element needed, water.
So, you’ve picked a great spot, and you’re ready to compost! Now what? You have several options, from bins you can buy to a less structured freestyle approach. There are plastic and metal bins available for purchase in all sizes. There are bins that are small enough to fit on a balcony, all the way up to large scale bins for serious gardeners.
Some bin systems have two or three sections, allowing you to have compost in various stages of maturation all at the same time. These are very efficient and allow you to better control the process and rate of your composting. But even a bin with just a single section can be easily used. Bins that allow for ease of turning are essential. Small bins can be rotated to achieve this. Larger bins should allow for the use of a garden rake to toss and rotate the material.
But in fact, you don’t even need a bin. A no-bin approach just involves finding an out-of-the-way space for a compost pile. You can layer your greens and your browns, and give your pile a good watering. Continue to layer and water on a regular basis. Every so often, your pile will need a tilling and tossing.
While the three materials of browns, greens, and water are essential, there is another element that makes for the best compost, and that is simply time. As your compost pile grows with the addition of more kitchen scraps and yard clippings, you should continue to water and turn it. After several months, the material will begin to turn into a healthy soil with a loam-like consistency. It should have a pleasant earthy aroma.
The more you turn your compost, the faster the organic material will break down. In the fall, your compost bin or pile can be covered with a tarp and left to sit, as it will continue to develop over the winter.
There are definitely some things that you should keep out of your composting bin. These include animal products like bones, meat, fats, dairy products, and also materials such as wood ash and oil. While some manure can be added to a compost pile, this should be limited and should never include waste from cats or dogs. Yard waste that includes weeds, diseased plants, pesticides, or herbicides must be kept out of a compost pile.
In addition, while you can include some paper and cardboard products, tossing lots of these into your pile will slow down the production of humus. If you wish to include paper products, your best bet is to shred them first. Don’t include glossy or colored paper. Fabric is a candidate for a compost pile, but again, it should be shredded down first and should be limited, as too much will keep compost from forming.
If your compost is getting smelly, you may be overwatering. Excess moisture can cause foul odors and increase the number of flies and insects. You also could be adding too much fresh material at all once. The best compost has a mix of fresh and dry material, such as kitchen food scraps and dry leaves. If too much is added at once, parts of the compost pile could become compacted, which prevents water and air from reaching it. In these conditions, not only would you have reduced composting activity, it can also begin to rot, causing unpleasant smells. If your compost is too wet, you should give it a complete toss and then add some dry material, such as sawdust, straw, or torn cardboard to regain the necessary balance.
A compost pile that is too dry results in lack of the necessary decomposition activity and does not allow the beneficial bacteria to thrive and do its work. Regular watering and thorough tossing can prevent drying issues. You can also add more fresh green material to a dry compost heap.
Sometimes, finished compost ends up being too coarse. Some material takes longer than others to decompose and can result in a chunky, uneven compost mix. You can avoid this by breaking down these slow-to-decompose materials before adding them to your compost pile. Shred or chop up materials such as twigs, cardboard, and corn stalks before adding them to the pile. You can also sift your compost before using to remove any larger material. Use the finer compost and return the large pieces back to your pile as the starter for your next batch.
There is no doubt that composting is rewarding and good for both your garden and the environment. Getting started is easy and the maintenance of a backyard compost bin or pile is simple. You and your family can quickly get into the habit of saving scraps and yard waste. A small container on your counter or near your trash can is a great reminder to collect those food scraps. Tossing this material onto your compost pile each day adds the right amount to a healthy compost bin.
Composting is not an exact science and it is a very forgiving process. Once you get started, you’ll quickly get a feel for how to manage your pile and avoid any problems. The art of composting comes from working with the processes of nature to intuitively create something new. And the best part is that this creative process is accessible to all types of gardeners. So, dive in and get your compost pile started to let you grow healthier plants, help the environment, and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
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