With a hot cup of coffee in hand I look at our indoor weather forecasting gadget that is mounted inside where it is warm and toasty and see that the outside temperature is twenty-five degrees. I have many thoughts rolling through my pre-caffeinated brain. The first and most powerful observation is "when is this cold snap going to end!?" After further commiseration I've decided that no matter how much I dislike this winter in particular there is not a thing I can do to get Mother Nature to turn on the heater a little early this year. I think that her heater is broken and she is having a hard time finding a good heating and air conditioning person to fix it. I'm finally able to pry my eyes away from the, not moving, outside temperature and look out at our upcoming project. The strip of ground that borders one side of a neatly manicured lawn. One side will come in lush and green this spring due to aerating, sanding and seeding. The strip that has been used to dump lawn clippings and corral weeds must be trembling with fear. It has to know that it will be tackled this spring. The land that has produced nothing for years will be transformed into a productive member of society by becoming a compost-producing ANIMAL.
Why Compost?
A lot of people think that the major goal of composting is to reduce the amount of solid waste that is generated by your household. The thought is that if you reduce solid waste, you will save space in municipal landfills, which will ultimately save you tax money. I think the reason most of us compost is for a more selfish reason. You see finished compost has the advantage of being a useful natural fertilizer that is more environmentally friendly than the synthetic fertilizer's AND it costs next to nothing to produce. Finished compost can do the following:
Improves insect and disease resistance in your garden, trees and plants.
Enhance the nutrients of your soil.
Increase the activity of soil microbes
Improve the soil structure in your yard or garden
Improve the chemistry of your soil, particularly the degrees of acidity (PH).
Insulate the changes in soil temperature around your trees and plants.
How does it work?
Composting creates the ideal conditions for the natural decay (rotting is such an ugly word) processes that occur in nature. Here is what is required.
Water - Get the mixture wet but not soaking wet
Soil - Should provide enough microorganisms for the process.
Air - Mixture should be turned daily or every other day.
Organic Waste - Leaves, grass, newspaper, woody materials, kitchen waste. This is where you can eliminate the amount of kitchen waste that you run through the garbage disposal and even reduce the amount of waste that you stick in your recycle bin. Big pieces should be broken down. The smaller the pieces are the faster they will break down.
Let's take a look at what happens with these ingredients from a biological viewpoint. During composting, microorganisms from the soil eat the organic (carbon containing) waste and break it down into its simplest parts. This produces a fiber-rich, carbon-containing humus with inorganic nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The microorganisms break the material down through aerobic respiration, and require oxygen that they get from the air you introduce when you turn the material in the compost bin. The microorganisms also require water to live and multiply. Through the respiration process, the microorganisms give off carbon dioxide and heat -- temperatures within compost piles can rise as high as 100 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit (38 to 66 C). If the compost pile or bin is actively managed by turning and watering it regularly, the process of decomposing into finished compost can happen in as little as two to three weeks (otherwise, it may take months). Take a look at howstuffworks.com for more information.
There really is no right or wrong way. Different methods will produce compost faster or slower than other methods. Basic rule of thumb is to put in equal parts by weight, of brown and green. Turn often, and keep moist (not wet). Put in anything other than meat and dairy because that attracts rodents. You may want to bury your kitchen scraps in the center of the pile to deter pests and rodents as well. I've listed some kitchen wastes that are good and not so good below.
Kitchen waste good for composing:
* Vegetable scraps
* Grains and pasta
* Fruit rinds and peels
* Breads and cereals
* Coffee grounds and filters
* Tea bags
* Egg shells
* Paper napkins
Kitchen waste not so good for composting:
* Meat
* Fish and poultry
* Cheese
* Oily foods
* Butter
* Other animal products
Meat and dairy products are high in fat and will stink to high heaven if added to a passive or poorly managed active compost pile. You don't want the neighbors knocking on your door asking to take a head count of your pets and family members to make sure someone or some thing is not buried under the rotting mound of debris. If you have a hot, well-turned compost pile, meat and dairy wastes are not a problem. You may want to run those types of wastes through a blender or food processor to reduce their size, which will in turn speed up decomposition.
These are the basic how's and why's of composting. The beauty of it is, you don't have to have a green thumb nor do you have to be a tree hugger to get into composting. If your heap starts to stink, add more green and turn baby, turn.
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