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Composting Made Easy: Learn some
secrets.
Composting seems to be a mystery to many
people, and seeing as this is an important part of growing good
herbs, spices and food I decided to devote a page to this gardening
necessity. It doesn't have to be hard work and it shouldn't
be a smelly pile that you run away from.
Behind
the garage at my Aunt's house in Milwaukee (yes, right in the heart of
the city) my Godfather took care of the compost pile. "What
are
you doing?" I remember asking as a 5 or 6 year old girl.
"Making dirt, what to help?" My Godfather replied.
He gave me a
pitch fork and
told me to dig in and turn it over. When I did I saw clumps
of
cabbage, old carrots, and other vegetable matter. I asked,
"Why
are there vegetables in here?" My Godfather
answered, "Because
that's what God turns into dirt." A few weeks later I took a
bunch of vegetable pieces from my Grandmother and ran outside to do my
first composting. But my vegetables never turned into dirt
and
the whole process remained a mystery to me for decades.
My
next
experience (at about 20 years old) resulted in a ticket
for $50.00 with a demand to remove the offending pile of garbage.
I didn't learn the secrets until I was about 30
and
it took another decade for me to realize there was a science behind it
as well. What's the secret? You have to make a good home for
worms.
My Godfather was an avid fisherman and I would venture a
guess
that his worms lived in his compost pile. The science is what
I'm
about to teach you here.
There
are 5 things you need for
good active pile:
Brown Stuff (high in carbon)
Green Stuff (high in nitrogen)
Air
Water
Worms (the good red ones). You can do without adding worms
as, in
most places, they will likely find the pile on their own. |
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Beyond that you are going to have to do a little experimenting as your
location and
climate are going to play a big part in your success. And you
are going to
have to do some thinking as to 'how' you tend your compost and where
you put it as well. It should be reasonably close to your
garden and a water source. Keep it away from
buildings as the decomposition process could cause problems
with any wood on buildings. It would also be a good idea to
keep it away from the areas you entertain at and take note of which
ways the
air usually flows through your yard. You may also need to
check with any home owners associations or city laws (remembering my
$50.00 fine).
What's
the best size?
The standard size for a good composting pile is 3' x 3' (.9144 meters x
.9144 meters). This size is easy to manage and is large
enough to work efficiently. You do not need to create a bin
(or bins), however some people find it easier to work with a two or
three bin style. This web site has some good
information on building a composting bin.
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Composting
Tumblers and Containers:
I highly recommend using a tumbler or container if
aesthetics
is an issue - but also for ease. There have been some
wonderful advancements in this area making the entire process easier.
You could even look closely at compost tumblers, get the idea of how
they work, and build your
own. The concept is to make the turning process easier, the
time factor shorter, reduce any smell - and face it, they are better
looking than a pile of garbage.
This
page has many examples of different kinds of compost tumblers. |
All organic stuff is made up of (larger amounts of) carbon and (lesser
amounts of) nitrogen - this is what you are going to need to learn to
balance. You are going to be cooking dirt. The
balance of this is called the Carbon - Nitrogen Ratio (C:N).
Your goal will be a ratio of about 20 - 30 parts carbon to 1
part nitrogen. If you have too much carbon your pile's
decomposition will slow down. If you have too much nitrogen
your pile will be a smelly pile (but it will decompose fast and be
hot). Many people decide to put up with the smell to get to the end
faster.
So remember - if your pile does not seem to be working and isn't
getting warm, you have too much carbon (brown stuff) and need to add
nitrogen (green stuff).
If your pile is really, really smelly and you want to slow it down a
bit (or get rid of a little of the smell) you have too much nitrogen
(green stuff) and need to add some carbon (brown stuff).
*** IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT
MANURE: NEVER use any manure from Cats or Dogs -
they 'can' carry pests that would be very harmful - don't risk it.
A general rule of thumb is that you should never use manure
from any animals that 'could' eat meat. This is why it's so
important to really know the farmer you are getting your manure from -
as often meat products are mixed with animal feed. It should
also be pointed out here that meat or bone products should never be
added to your compost pile. Aside of the health risk, it
draws dangerous animals.
So how
do you put it all together?
Start with things that are in the range of 20 - 30 : 1 (see the chart
below). This will get things going fast. Then use
the chart below to speed things up, or slow it down depending on what
you need to do.
Add a dash of water if the pile is dry, however, if you are adding
vegetable and fruit items your pile will remain moist. Your
pile needs to be moist - not wet. Cover it with a tarp (or
have it in a tumbler or bin) if it's going rain.
Rain makes it too wet and will cool it down and leach all the
good nutrients out of it. Plus a tarp will help it stay warm
and work faster. If you live in a very dry area adding a tarp
will help to keep the moisture in.
It's best to add things in large amounts versus throwing your daily
kitchen waste in it. Keep a few sealed buckets in your
kitchen (to separate types of items) and only add the buckets when they
are full.
Turn your pile once a week - plus every time you add something.
This keeps the air in, as it will compact down as it begins
to turn to dirt. Move the outside edges to the center and
push the center out toward the outside. If you have a two bin
model simply move your pile, shovel by shovel to the next bin.
For this part I strongly recommend a composting tumbler -
they make life SO MUCH easier.
When is
it done?
Any black dirt you see can be removed as you need it. Your
compost pile will continue to recycle throughout your entire growing
season. In the winter just cover it with a tarp until spring.
A
good tumbler or bin can keep going all winter, depending on
your
area
and how cold it gets.
Here's a list to help you figure things out. Please pay attention to the note
section.
| Carbons
(brown stuff) |
Ratio
C:N |
Notes |
| Ashes (wood) |
25
: 1 |
Make sure there are no charcoal ashes
or that no colored ink as been added (like in news paper or cardboard).
Also remember that chemical treated wood ash should NEVER be
used. |
| Bark |
100-140 : 1 |
Shred it up good. It
depends on what kind of bark you have. |
| Blood meal |
43
: 13 |
This is good as a starter. |
| Cardboard (shredded) |
350
: 1 |
Large pieces do not break down well
so shred it up,
make sure there is no colored ink on the cardboard as it is toxic. |
| Corn Stalks |
75:
1 |
Shred these if possible or at least
chop them up. |
| Fruit Stuff |
35
: 1 |
The juice from fruit will help the
moisture in your pile, cut this up to help things decompose faster. |
| Leaves |
60
: 1 |
It helps if these are shredded up -
run your lawn mower over them. If you're getting this from
around your city, make sure the leaves haven't been sprayed with
chemicals that could be toxic (such as pesticides). |
| Newspaper (shredded) |
40
- 150 : 1 |
It depends on the thickness of the
paper. Again, make sure there's no colored ink on the
newspaper as colored ink is toxic. Don't use bleached papers. |
| Peanut Shells |
35
: 1 |
Wow - bet you didn't think to save
these. |
| Pine Needles |
80
: 1 |
It's best to let pine needles turn
brown (and leave them out in the rain) before you use them to leach
some of the
acidic properties out. |
| Sawdust |
50
- 500 : 1 |
It all depends on what kind of wood
it was. It is VERY important that this is NOT from treated
wood. The chemicals used to treat wood for construction use are VERY
toxic. The fresher it is (meaning just cut to weathered) the
higher the carbon content will be. |
| Straw |
75
: 1 |
Know your farmer and find out if
chemicals have been added to the crops. |
| Wood Chips |
50
- 350 : 1 |
Again, as mentioned with sawdust make
SURE the wood has not been treated. The fresher it is
(meaning just cut to weathered) the higher the carbon content. |
| Nitrogens
(green stuff) |
Ratio
C:N |
Notes |
| Alfalfa |
12
: 1 |
Should be green, not dried. |
| Clover |
23
: 1 |
Fresh picked, this is sweet clover,
white clover or red clover. |
| Coffee Grounds |
20
: 1 |
If you throw the coffee filter in
with this, shred it up and that raises it to about 30 : 1 |
| Dried Legume Stalks |
20
: 1 |
Gives extra nutrients. |
| Food Scraps |
20
: 1 |
No meat or dairy should ever go into
your pile. |
| Garden Clippings |
30
: 1 |
Not dried out. If it's
dried up then count it as Straw. |
| Grass Clippings |
20
: 1 |
This is just good for the pile.
If you spray your yard with any kind of chemicals don't use
it. |
| Hay |
25
: 1 |
Know your farmer and find out if
chemicals have been added to the crops. |
| Manures |
15
: 1 |
Remember - only from vegetarian
animals. |
| Seaweed |
19
: 1 |
This isn't the same as algae. |
| Vegetable Leafy |
10
: 1 |
Make sure and cut it up small. |
| Vegetable Firm or Starchy |
15:
1 |
Make sure and cut it up small. |
| Weeds |
30
: 1 |
This is when they are fresh, not
dried. |
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All
information, shared on
this web site, is for enjoyment and study only and is NOT meant to
diagnose or treat any medical condition. Only your
health care professional is qualified to diagnose or treat medical
conditions. Do not risk your health! Just because
something is 'natural' does NOT make it safe. Do not, under
any
circumstance, ingest or use herbs in any form
without consulting your Doctor. If you do, you do so
at
your OWN RISK.
Web Site
Content (text, graphics, look and feel) are Copyright Protected © All
Rights Reserved 2009, Sandy Marie.
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