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Composting
can help make your town more beautiful.
According to a survey over 20% of what goes to the Albuquerque landfill is grass, leaves, tree and shrub clippings, and other yard waste. Your town probably has similar or higher figures.
Like aluminum, newspaper, plastic, and tin cans, these materials are valuable resources and should NOT go to the landfill!
Composting is a way you can recycle these materials, save space in the landfill, cut transportation costs and benefit your plants and garden all at the same time.
What is Composting?
Composting is recycling organic materials. It turns shrub clippings, grass, leaves and even paper into a dark brown, crumbly, sweet-smelling soil conditioner. Compost holds moisture and nutrients in garden soil so flowers and vegetables are more beautiful and abundant. Compost saves money by decreasing the need for fertilizers and water, while conserving natural resources
.Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio
Besides water, air and organisms who do the work, the composting process requires two elements, Carbon and Nitrogen. These are provided by the organic matter you are composting. The ratio of 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen gives the most efficient composting. For example, you can mix ingredients that have high carbon such as dry leaves with high nitrogen materials such
as fresh green grass clippings. Carbon to nitrogen ratios of some various materials are:
Kitchen
wastes: 15 to 1
Grass
clippings: 19 to 1
Cornstalks:
60 to 1
Leaves
and straw: 80 to 1
Paper:
170 to 1
Sawdust:
500 to 1
How can I Compost?
Composting is easy! It is nature's way of reusing the nutrients in organic materials. Composting happens if leaves, grass and shrub clippings build up and stay moist. But you can speed up the process, and if you do it in a convenient location, YOU reap the benefits while you reduce or eliminate your yard waste! Here are some ways to set up a compost operation in your own backyard!
STEP 1. FIND A SUITABLE PLACE
If possible
choose a convenient location that is shady and cool in summer and sunny in the winter that is near a water source, because you may need to add water from time to time.STEP 2. BUILD A COMPOST BIN
There are many types of bins you can buy, but if you want to build your own, here are a few ideas for simple bins using inexpensive materials.
| From wire fencing, make a round bin at least 3 feet in diameter. If any bin dries out too much, line it with plastic, cardboard or other solid material. A cover also helps. |
|
| · Build a square bin from 3 to 4 foot square wooden frames using 1x4 or 2x4 lumber or pallets. Pallets are usually obtainable for free. Hinges and hooks on one side will make it easy to open and close. |
|
| Build a bin from cement blocks or old bricks with spaces between the bricks or blocks. In a long bin with a sheet of plywood for the front you can move the compost from end to end when turning. |
 |
| You can also compost without a bin, just by piling up your organic materials. However, compost works faster and will be neater if you enclose it in a structure. |
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:
1. A large bin dries out more slowly, holds the heat better and needs less watering.
2. An opening allows you get inside to turn and add materials without having to lift them over the edge.
3. A light weight bin can be moved more easily and stored when it is empty.
STEP 3: START YOUR COMPOST PILE
Layering the materials helps keep proportions right for more efficient composting.
Start with:
· a 6 to 8 inch layer of coarse materials like weeds, clippings, or wood chips.Then add
· a 1 inch layer of farm animal manure or high nitrogen material such as fresh green grass clippings.Followed by:
· a 6 to 8 inch layer of mixed leaves, dry grass, shredded paper, kitchen scraps and other yard waste. Shredding all materials will produce compost the fastest and the resulting compost will be easier to work with.DO NOT COMPACT the pile because oxygen is needed for composting to occur.
Repeat the last two layers as many times as necessary, but for your own convenience do not make the heap more than 4 feet high.
STEP 4: AS YOU BUILD IT, WATER THE PILE ENOUGH TO MAKE IT AS DAMP AS A WRUNG-OUT SPONGE. TURN OR MIX THE PILE ONCE A WEEK IF POSSIBLE..
What can you Compost?
|
Do Compost: |
Do not Compost: |
| ·
Grass clippings · Leaves and twigs· Shrub prunings· Dead plants· Weeds and sod· Sawdust and lint· Hair and paper· Vegetable and fruit wastes ** Bury these in the middle of your compost pile and cover them up. |
·
Meat, fish or dairy products* · Grease or fat*· Oil or salad dressings*· Bones· Pet wastes*· Wood ashes, if you have alkaline soil.· Logs or woody branches· Diseased plants* All these items may be disposed of by burying them in a deep hole. |
The Patient Gardener Compost
The easiest method but very slow.
Ingredients;
Shredded yard wastes and water
Directions;
1. In a barrel, pile, pit or bin, layer materials as they accumulate.
2. Water as needed to keep mixture damp but not soggy.
3. Turn and/or mix as the spirit moves you. This method may take months for it to decompose and it usually will not reach temperatures that will kill pathogens or weed seeds. Sift through a coarse screen. Return screenings to the compost pile for the next batch.
Container Garden Compost
For the apartment dweller with house plants who wants to dispose of kitchen scraps.
Ingredients:
Fruit and vegetable trimmings
Sawdust.
Directions:
1. Chop or shred kitchen scraps.
2. In a large bucket with a tight fitting cover, mix scraps with an equal quantity of sawdust. If the mixture is soggy, allow to drain and dry out or add more dry material.
3. Stir thoroughly at least once a week.
4. Allow to compost for one to three months, stirring weekly.
Pronto Compost
The fastest method.
Ingredients;
Shredded yard wastes, fruit and vegetable trimmings, water, and manure or fertilizer.
Directions;
1. Layer and mix fresh green grass clippings or other nitrogenous materials with dry brown materials in a pile or bin until the pile is 3' by 3' by 3' (one cubic yard) or larger, in the ratio of 2 parts green to 1 part brown.
2. Keep the pile moist. If you are in a dry climate cover loosely with an old water bed mattress or shower curtain to retain moisture. In rainy climates a cover will keep the pile from getting too soggy in wet weather.
3. Turn pile once a week or oftener. Pile should warm up noticeably. A temperature of 135
° F or higher is necessary to pasteurize the mixture.4. If the pile does not heat up, add manure and/or a handful of fertilizer and mix again.
5. Compost will be ready in a few weeks. Screen and return larger materials to the pile.
6. Several piles can be working at once to give you a continuous supply of compost.
Tending the pile
Take the temperature of your pile using a thermometer probe to track how it is progressing. A daily chart also will help determine when to turn the pile or whether you need to add more materials. To determine the temperature at the center of the pile you can estimate the temperature by putting your hand in the pile. A temperature of 120
° F will be uncomfortably warm. When you turn the pile, steam will rise even on a hot summer day if the pile is working. When decomposition is complete the pile will cool down noticeably.A properly constructed compost pile that is heating up will not be infested with pests or have a bad odor. If you have trouble with either pests or odors turn the pile more frequently. See the chart for help. Insects may inhabit the pile because it provides them with warmth and food but most do no harm. Worms or pillbugs may move into the pile after it has cooled down and continue to break down the organic matter. They are only inconvenient.
Trouble Shooting
Composting doesn't happen overnight. The heap will need regular tending to keep it working. Here are a few common troubles that composters may have, with simple solutions.
|
SYMPTOM |
PROBLEM |
SOLUTION |
|
The pile smells bad. |
Not enough oxygen. |
Turn it. Add dry material if the pile is too wet. |
|
The center is dry. |
Not enough water. |
Water and turn the pile. |
|
The pile is damp and warm only in the middle. |
Pile is too small. |
Collect more materials and mix the old with the new for a new pile. |
|
The heap is damp and sweet smelling but doesn't heat up. |
Lack of nitrogen. |
Add fresh green grass clippings, manure or nitrogen fertilizer. |
|
The heap smells like ammonia. |
Too much grass or other high nitrogen material. |
Turn it to aerate, add dry leaves, sawdust or wood chips. |
|
Pests in the pile. |
Rotting food wastes attract pests. |
Turn often, and remove any meat or food wastes. |
|
Pile shrinks and turns dark brown. |
This is normal. |
You have compost!! |
Using Compost
Compost is ready to use when it is reduced to a sweet-smelling, crumbly, dark-brown humus. It has many uses, and can make gardening easier and more successful.
Soil amending is
the natural thing to do with compost. Dig an inch or two of compost into
flowerbeds and vegetable gardens each year to renew the soil.
Mulching helps
keep soil cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Spread several inches of
compost on top of the soil around plants, trees and shrubs to deter weeds and
conserve water.
To make
Potting soil for houseplants mix equal parts
of compost and sand or soil. Pasteurizing the compost will insure that there
are no insects or other pests in it. To do so place the compost in a clear
plastic bag, close the bag securely and put it in direct sun. It will heat up
enough to destroy any pests.
Compost can be
added to soil at any time. Besides improving soil structure, it suppresses
plant pathogens, and adds many needed nutrients, minerals, and beneficial soil
organisms to help plants grow.
An additional method of disposing of kitchen wastes that will benefit your house plants or garden is this final
Fisherman's Special
Let worms eat your garbage.
Worms bins should not heat up or the worms will leave or die.
Ingredients:
Fruit and vegetable waste, coffee grounds, newspapers, and red worms.
Directions:
1. Shred and moisten newspaper and layer 6" deep in a box or old cooler which has holes in the sides to allow oxygen to reach the worms.
2. Add red worms and put kitchen scraps on top of the bedding. Cover the box with damp newspaper to exclude light. Add additional food scraps when available. If you do not have enough food scraps, feed the worms cornmeal or other food to keep them alive.
3. Harvesting the worm castings for use in houseplants or garden is simple. Empty the worm bin into a heap and the worms will hide from the light. Remove the castings until you come to worms then they will plunge deeper so you can remove the castings again. You can put the surplus worms in the compost bin or the garden and they will continue to multiply and work on the organic matter reducing it to wonderful compost.
For additional help with composting problems call the Albuquerque Area Extension Master Gardeners Hotline at 292-7144 or the Bernalillo County Extension Office at 243-1386. Or your local County Extension Office.
This document prepared by Ruth Bronson, Lifetime Master Gardener and Master Composter.
03/19/2006