Cris
Composting 101, Making Great Compost
Compost is a great way to return valuable nutrients to your soil with relatively little effort. You get to collect all the organic matter form your farm, and let it decompose naturally and then reuse it. There are some rules to making great compost, so know what to do and what not to do is essential. This quick composting 101 post will show you how to make great compost.
There are a ton of different ways to start making compost. The one you pick should be the one that is right for you, and your space. Here, there is not a ton of space, so building our bin took some thinking.
First things first, you need to get ready to start composting. Get into the habit of saving vegetable scraps rather than reaching for the garbage disposal switch. Learn what does and does not go into the compost bin. And then actually make or buy your bin.
Making a Compost Bin
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The simplest compost bin was what we did for our first bin. We cut pallets in half and screwed them together into a four-foot-tall rectangle with a lid. It was pretty much just a box to put everything into, and the lid kept the critters out.
It turned out to not be big enough for our needs, so it needed to be redesigned. I was doing some research on compost bins and came across this fantastic compost bin, and decided to design my own around the design. Again, we used pallets to save money in our build, and then have it match our garden design.
So, I have a three-tiered compost bin that has a drying chamber, and sifting chamber and then an opening to get at that garden gold. You don’t have to go this fancy; a simple three pallet U shaped bin will suffice.
Where to place your Compost Bin
Figuring out where to put your compost bin is always a question. It should be placed in a shady area, so it does not get too hot, or dry out too fast. You want it to be a bit secluded, away from where animal can get into it and where it won’t be in your way. Place it somewhere convenient, it if is too far away, it becomes a hassle to actually use it. You also don’t want it in a super soggy location, so pick someplace well drained.
My compost bin is under an apple tree, in the back of the garden. This makes it easy to throw things into, and easy to retrieve the material from the bottom tier. It is not the best location to add kitchen scraps during the winter as we have to trudge through the snow to get to it. Thankfully, the snow does not stay too long in that sunny corner of the yard.
What To Compost
Any and all organic vegetable matter can go into the compost bin. Egg shells, coffee grounds, leaves from fall clean up. You are looking to add a good mix of carbon sources and nitrogen sources. These will feed the microorganisms and yield great fertilizer for you garden. Having good air flow through the bin also aids those beneficial decomposers.
You want a good mix of greens and browns to go into your compost to achieve the right amounts of carbon and nitrogen. The greens are your kitchen scraps and garden leftovers that provide the nitrogen component. The browns are your dry leaves, twigs, and paper to provide the carbon source.
Whatever you put into your compost, make sure it is biodegradable. This way you are nourishing those good fungi and getting the best possible return for your effort. The general rule is 3 parts brown to 1 part green for the optimal carbon to nitrogen ratio.
Things to Never Compost
As stated before, make sure you only add biodegradable items to your compost. It won’t do any good to put glossy paper or wax lined cups or plastic bottles into your bin. Those things will stay for a very long time and end up polluting the final product. Good microorganisms will not be able to break them down, so it is best to place those things elsewhere.
Only raw unprocessed vegetable material should be placed in the compost. This means that the zucchini you steamed from last night’s dinner should go to the chickens or pigs rather than the compost. Cooked vegetables tend to rot rather than decompose and invite many non-beneficial organisms to your compost, such as houseflies.
Meat and dairy products should never be composted for the same reason. These will rot, attract flies, and smell really awful. These products also attract many other unwanted guests to your bin such as raccoons, mice, and rats. All of these animals are known to carry disease, which is something that should be avoided introducing to the home garden.
Pet and other livestock waste should not go into the compost. Many pet foods do not break down well in animal digestive systems, leaving a lot of material in the feces that is hard to compost. The longer this material sits around, the longer the potentially harmful bacterial have to thrive and reproduce. This is not what you want to add to your garden plot that feeds your family.
We have a separate animal waste compost set up where it can reach the minimum temperature to kill these pathogenic bacteria. It is a best practice to keep human, and animal waste away from your regular compost. This minimizes the risk of exposure to serious health risks.
Using the Finished Compost
Once your compost is well broken down it should look like rich crumbly dark soil. There should be only an earthy smell similar to a moist forest floor. The pile should have decreased in size to about a third of what you started with, and the temperature should be close to the ambient temperature around the bin.
Once you are sure your compost is ready to use, you can simply add it to your garden beds as mulch. Sprinkle some on your potted plants or across your lawn. Try making a compost tea to water sensitive plants with. Enjoy the benefits of this naturally sourced, organic fertilizer for your garden.