Composting Made Easy

Now that we are going into fall, a lot of people will start to wonder what if?? What if I use all those leaves for composting, which leads into other questions of what else can I compost and how do I do it?

There are a bunch of different ways but they all end up at the same spot so lets make it easy. I am a lazy gardener and choose to let Mother Nature do it for me. Mother Nature has been around longer than we have and has been doing it for about a million years. I think she has it down by now. So how do I help mother nature?

First let’s find a perfect location…pick a year round sunny area away from everything (nobody wants to look at a compost pile) but close enough to a water source. Let’s make it big enough so that it works. Pick a 4’x4’ area and let’s dig down about 12”. Let’s then put sides (untreated wood, pallets, or wire mesh works well) on 3 sides with the 4th side open with the option to add a 4th side as it fills. Remember that that 4th side is our way in and the way to take out.

The 12” deep hole allows worms and other microbes better access to the compost pile to do their work plus the pile will heat better. I would like to see 2 or maybe even 3 bins. After filling one and it is composting you can start filling the 2nd and hopefully the 3rd is the one you are pulling finished product from for your yard.

The terminology for composting is called greens and browns. Dry materials, such as leaves, pine needles and dead plants, are usually considered browns,” whereas wetter materials, such as grass clippings and kitchen waste, are considered “greens.” It’s not that balancing browns and greens is wrong but it confuses a lot of people.

I like to keep a bag of some sort of finished compost, topsoil, or potting soil on hand to help the process. Whenever you add product you want to compost to the pile add the equal amount of finished product at the same time. You can layer it or mix because as it composts down, you will need to add some water and mix or turn a bit with a fork or some sort of digger. This makes sure that the bacteria can help with the composting evenly and you don’t have hidden clumps in the middle of the pile stinking.

When you add water, dampen do not soak.

The smaller the pieces the easier it will compost, so if you add leaves it is better to chop them instead of whole. The smaller the pieces the quicker your compost pile will develop. Other things people use to speed up the process is a compost charger or a little bit of nitrogen. Some people can turn a pile into compost quickly, but the first time allow a year to finish. That way you won’t be disappointed, Know mistakes are always made and can be corrected.

What To Compost

• Fruits and vegetables

• Crushed eggshells

• Coffee grounds and filters

• Tea bags

• Nut shells

• Shredded newspaper

• Shredded cardboard

• Shredded paper

• Yard trimmings

• Grass clippings

• Houseplants

• Hay and straw

• Leaves

• Sawdust

• Wood chips

• 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.