24 Jan One Man’s Trash is Another’s “Black Gold” Composting
THE WHAT, THE HOW AND THE BENEFITS
If you’re living off-grid, you might already be composting. Even if you’re not off-grid, composting is a great way to help reduce waste and support sustainability. 50% of typical municipal garbage of what we put out at the curb is compostable. 50 Percent is a lot. Composting is not hard to do and it helps the environment and your yard, too. In this blog, I’ll talk about: What is Composting, How to compost, along with a list of “What to Compost and What not to Compost and Why”. I’ll review the benefits and some easy ways to get started, too.
What is Composting?
Composting is a process by which organic matter, such as leaves and food scraps, decomposes into soil. It’s a great way to recycle scraps from your yard and kitchen while also enriching the soil in your garden, improving water retention, and protecting against erosion. Although it may sound complicated, composting is very simple and makes for a fun, rewarding hobby. If you’re a home gardener, a compost pile is a huge asset. When it comes to making great compost, a few simple tips can go a long way towards creating a perfect pile that decomposes quickly, and is rich with nutrients. The resulting decomposed matter, which often ends up looking like fertile garden soil, is called compost. Fondly referred to by farmers as “black gold,” compost is rich in nutrients and can be used for gardening, horticulture, and agriculture.
How to Compost
1. Select your food scraps – Start with fruits and veggies — the skin of a sweet potato, the top of your strawberry. Also tea bags, coffee grounds, eggshells, old flowers — even human hair! Meat and Dairy products, not so much. Meat can attract unwanted critters.
2. Store those food scraps – When you’re composting, your kitchen scraps should be part of a deliberate layering process to speed up decomposition. There’s a method for adding them to the pile (see step 4!), so you’ll need to store them in a container so you can add them bit by bit. Also, you can store the food scraps in a bag in your freezer or the back of the fridge. That’s an easy way to avoid odors and insects in your kitchen.
3. Choose a Place for your Composting Pile – With a back yard, that’s probably not too difficult. The ideal compost location is a dry and shady spot. If you live in a rainy climate, avoid placing your pile or bin under eaves or places with poor drainage, or else the compost may get too soggy. If you live in a sunny environment, find a shady spot so it doesn’t dry up too quickly and you don’t have to keep adding water.
4. Now the Good Stuff: Compost Ingredients – In the compost world, you’re gonna hear a lot about “greens” and “browns”. And a compost pile works best when it’s made up of the right mixture of both. Organisms that decompose organic waste need four key elements to thrive: nitrogen, carbon, air, and water. “Greens” for Nitrogen, “Browns” for Carbon, Oxygen and Water.
- Browns – This includes materials such as dead leaves, branches, and twigs. Paper is an excellent source for the Browns
- Greens – This includes materials such as grass clippings, vegetable waste, fruit scraps, and coffee grounds.
-To achieve the best carbon-to-nitrogen ratio in your home compost, a rule of thumb is to put in two to four parts brown materials for every one part green materials. - Water – Having the right amount of water, greens, and browns is important for compost development.
Achieving the best carbon to nitrogen ratio – So what is the right mix of browns and greens? As a good rule of thumb, a compost pile breaks down best when there is a ratio close to 2 parts of brown material (carbon), to 1 part green (nitrogen). A good thing to remember is that green materials are typically wet, and brown materials are typically dry. When you’re layering, you want the dry browns on the bottom with the wet greens on the top.
Helpful tools include pitchforks, square-point shovels or machetes, and water hoses with a spray head. Regular mixing or turning of the compost and some water will help maintain the compost. One of the keys to successful composting is aeration. One way to aerate your compost is with a pitchfork or a compost turning tool. Some compost bins actually tumble for you which is less work, like this one pictured below:
Benefits of Composting
- Enriches soil, helping retain moisture and suppress plant diseases and pests.
- Reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
- Encourages the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter to create humus, a rich nutrient-filled material.
- Reduces methane emissions from landfills and lowers your carbon footprint.
What To Compost
- Fruits and vegetables
- Eggshells
- Coffee grounds and
- filters
- Tea bags
- Nut shells
- Shredded newspaper
- Cardboard
- Paper
- Yard trimmings
- Grass clippings
- Houseplants
- Hay and straw
- Leaves
- Sawdust
- Wood chips
- Cotton and Wool Rags
- Hair and fur
- Fireplace ashes
What Not To Compost and Why
• Black walnut tree leaves or twigs
– Releases substances that might be harmful to plants
• Coal or charcoal ash
– Might contain substances harmful to plants
• Dairy products (e.g., butter, milk, sour cream, yogurt) and eggs*
– Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
• Diseased or insect-ridden plants
– Diseases or insects might survive and be transferred back to other plants
• Fats, grease, lard, or oils*
– Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
• Meat or fish bones and scraps*
– Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
• Pet wastes (e.g., dog or cat feces, soiled cat litter)*
– Might contain parasites, bacteria, germs, pathogens, and viruses harmful to humans
• Yard trimmings treated with chemical pesticides
– Might kill beneficial composting organisms
* Check with your local composting or recycling coordinator to see if these organics are accepted by your community curbside or drop-off composting program.
More Resources:
Oregon State has a comprehensive guide for composting and “vermicomposting” — using a worm composter to break down organic materials.
Cornell University’s Waste Management Institute has a more detailed guide to composting and “greens” and “browns,” plus a lot more resources on their website.
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