By Pat Dray
The Garden Spot
Pat Dray.
There is so much focus these days on “going green,” and composting is one easy, cost effective way to reduce your environmental footprint. Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed in a process called composting. This process recycles various organic materials otherwise regarded as waste and produces a soil conditioner. Compost is rich in nutrients that your lawn and garden need.
One of the first decisions to make is how to make your compost. You can buy a compost bin at most home and garden or big box stores. You can make your own or you can just make a compost pile.
The commercial bins are quick and easy but can $100 or more. The least expensive method is simply to keep a pile in an unobtrusive part of your yard. The compost will be quite heavy, so if you can locate it close to the garden it will save you a lot of work. Try to use a spot that gets some sun, since the warmth of the sun will help speed up the decomposition process. A properly maintained compost pile won’t have an offensive odor, so no worries there.
There are four key ingredients to successful composting: carbon, nitrogen, moisture and air. These ingredients are what keep the composting workers – insects and organisms such as worms, nematodes, fungi and bacteria – happy.
Carbon, the first, can be thought of as brown – fall leaves, cardboard, newspapers, straw and wood chips. The carbon from these ingredients provides energy for your composting workers. The layer of carbon product you use as your first layer will also help to prevent weeds from growing up through the compost from the ground below.
Ingredient two, nitrogen, can be thought of as green. It’s what the composting workers need to help break down the carbon. Nitrogen is also used by them to build the proteins they need to live. Nitrogen can come from lawn clippings, vegetable peels and other kitchen scraps – even manure from vegetarian animals such as cows.
Ingredient three, moisture, is needed to keep the composting workers alive. Think of it as blue. Every time you add a layer to the compost pile, you should sprinkle in a little water. Try not to drench the material, since that will smother the workers.
Ingredient four, clear air, is also needed by the composting workers. It can easily be added by “turning” the pile with a metal rake or pitchfork every time you add a layer of one of the other ingredients.
Once you have your four ingredients, you need to get the workers to come. You can purchase compost starter or worms, but I find that I can just take a few shovels full of garden soil and add it to my compost pile. The garden soil has already had compost added to it, so has all the workers you’ll need to get the process going.
It can take from three months to a year for the decomposition process to finish, so be patient and you’ll have a better garden and smaller environmental footprint.
Pat Dray is a past president of the Orange Garden Club.