Natural Perspectives: Composting: Key Learnings

Back in 2005 we did a major exterior remodel on our house and a large portion of decking was removed. We saved all the planks (good quality cedar) and later on I had a chance to do my first real woodworking project and built some compost bins.

Umpteen long wood screws hold them together, making them really sturdy, and I have them sitting on concrete stepping stones to keep them off the ground. I have them situated about 200ft away from the house, up behind our potting shed.

I built four in all - one 3ft x 6ft, two 3ft x 3ft and had enough scraps left over for a 2ft x 2ft. Here they are, all lined up....

The large one with the cover on it is the one doing most of the work, with the two on the right holding various green / brown supplies, and the one on the left is where I put the finished product - black gold!

I remember when I first started composting, the bins would be a bit stinky and once in a while I'd have a big mess to clean up - some critters had passed through during the night and torn the pile apart to get at the kitchen scraps. Well, it's a few years on now and I'm happy to say I'm getting pretty good at composting......totally odor free, lots of green and brown materials avoiding the landfill, all kitchen scraps getting dug DEEP into the pile so no visitors come a-calling, and I'm getting regular, abundant supplies of black gold!

So, just like what goes into compost, here are some scraps to help you make your own black gold.... some green (for beginners) and others brown (for competent composters). Happy composting, and thanks for doing your part to keep things out of our landfills!

Compost Recipe
50% brown (carbon)
50% green (nitrogen)
Air
Water
--------------------------
- Mix the brown and green stuff together like a tossed salad.
- Add water until mixture is consistency of a wrung out sponge.
- Dump into a pile, or put into a composter bin / container - minimum 1 cubic yard.
- Toss/turn weekly for first 4-6 weeks and add more water to keep the wetness levels right.
- After 4-6 weeks.... stop turning and let cure (cool down and stabilize) for another 6 weeks or so.
- Ready to use.

Good sources of brown materials: fallen leaves, wood ash, newspapers, plain cardboard, peat moss, hair/pet fur (that's a new one I didn't know), natural fiber laundry lint, shredded paper, dried out grass clippings, stale bread, straw, peanut shells, sawdust.
Good sources of green materials: fresh grass clippings, coffee grounds (yup, they're considered green, not brown), farm manure, garden trimmings, hay, alfalfa, clover, hedge clippings, veggie scraps, tea bags, egg shells, banana skins.
Stuff for the trash, not your compost pile: pet waste (anything that came out of a carnivorous animal), glossy paper/cardboard containers, coal ash (contains sulfur and iron in concentrations that can harm plants), BBQ ash, diseased plants, weeds, anything that's been synthetically fertilized/treated, invasive plants.
The smaller the size of your source materials, the faster your pile will turn into usable compost. Ideally, nothing should be bigger than the size of your thumb.
Cold composting - larger material size, pile stays cool, lower maintenance, slow results (6 months - 1 year).
Hot composting - small material size, pile heats up to 120-160F, higher maintenance, fast results (3 months or so).
Hot composting cycle: a) pile heats up, b) pile reduces in size a little as things decompose, c) pile cools down, d) time to turn everything and check moisture levels. Repeat steps a - d as many times as necessary until you have compost. Let cure for about 6 weeks before using.
Mixing all ingredients together and then forming the pile works, and so does building by the lasagna / layering method. The key is small particle size, thin layers and a finished pile at least 1 cubic yard in size so the decomposition processes can really get cranking.
Turn, turn, turn.
Make sure the pile stays moist (wrung out sponge).
Up here in the PNW we really need to cover our compost piles during the rainy season. Too much rain will drench it, slowing the decomposition process down and leaching out all the good stuff.
Raked up leaves act like little barriers inside the pile and make it hard for the worms and such to move around and do their thing. If you don't have a mulching mower, a great way to get your fall leaves ground up is to put them in a large trash can and go at them with a weed wacker.
Containers: 1/3 compost + 2/3 potting soil, mix together, add plants of your choosing - enjoy! : )
Lawns: broadcast light layer of compost over lawn, use leaf rake to get particles down to soil layer - healthier lawn may mean less need to fertilize/treat with pesticides, saving you time and $$ - : )
Garden beds: spread 2" compost annually - healthier, happier plants = more time and $$ saved - smile! : )
Never composted before? Check with your municipality first to make sure you can compost in your area, and confirm what methods are approved. For example, if you live in an urban area you may have to use a specific type of composter for your food scraps (green cone or equivalent).
Love this stuff? Want to learn more? Try the following.....