Compost Happens! What is Composting?
Where Do I Begin?
Composting is nature’s process of recycling decomposed organic materials into a rich soil known as compost. Basically, backyard composting is the acceleration of the same process that nature uses.
Composting is easy—no special tools are needed.
By composting your organic waste, you are returning nutrients to the soil to be reused by your plants, continuing the cycle of life. Plants are healthier because the nutrients are readily available and are released slowly as the plants require them.
For best results a compost pile should be about 1 cubic metre (1 metre wide by 1 metre tall and no higher than 1 metre). These dimensions prove the best for access to the compost and for best pile temperatures.
Nearly a third of household waste can be composted. A family of four can produce more than half a tonne of organic waste every year. Composting keeps that waste out of the landfill site and puts it into productive use, naturally.
Whether your compost bin is homemade or a commercial composter it should hold approximately the same volume.
Compost can happen just about anywhere but it is best to plan for the space of a compost pile or bin.
Why Compost? Composting… • Reduces your personal volume of garbage • Conserves water by increasing the water holding capacity of soils • Helps break down heavy clay soils • Increases plant growth by returning nutrients to the soil • Replaces the need for harsh chemical fertilizers and pesticides • Reduces Greenhouse Gas emissions • Takes only 3 minutes a day • Is fun and rewarding!
What Do I Need to Know? There is a basic “recipe” for composting. Ingredients include: Plant Material Air
Moisture Micro-Organisms
Plant material is divided into two categories: Green (nitrogen rich such as fruit and vegetable peelings) and Brown (carbon rich dry leaves and straw). See chart on page 3. For our climate it is best to mix these ingredients in the ratio of 2 parts green to 1 part brown. Air is added by stirring or mixing the pile. Moisture comes from watering the pile as well as the plant material itself. A spade of soil will supply the microorganisms required.
How Do I Compost?
Begin by placing composter on broken or tilled soil with exposure to sunlight and where it is easily accessed from the house. Add ingredients in the ratio of 2 parts green (nitrogen) to 1 part brown (carbon). Stir or aerate the pile once or twice a month. Be sure the pile is moist, but not too wet (about as moist as a wrung-out sponge) Adding soil occasionally will supply more micro-organisms and keep down surface insects such as flies. Your compost is ready when the pile is no longer heating up and it looks and smells “earthy�.
Troubleshooting Your Compost Symptom Bad odour: rotten egg smell Bad odour: ammonia smell Nothing is happening: Dry pile
Problem Not enough air; pile is too wet Too much nitrogen Not enough moisture; too much carbon; weather may be too cold; pile may be finished
Damp & warm in the middle, but nowhere else Damp & sweet smelling but will not heat up Pest infestation (dogs, rodents, bears) Flies
Pile is too small
Food scraps not covered
Ants, wasps
Pile is too dry, not hot enough
Not enough nitrogen Improper food scraps
Solution Turn pile; add coarse brown material Mix in brown material Turn & moisten; cover pile to slow evaporation; add fresh green material; be patient; harvest compost & start new pile Add more material & mix well: 2 parts green to 1 part brown Mix in green material Avoid using fats, meat, bones & animal waste. Cover scraps with soil, compost or other brown material Keep pile moist with good mix of materials
What Can I Compost? The rule of thumb is that you can compost almost anything that was once growing in the ground. There are exceptions to this rule, including eggshells, dryer lint, hair and noxious weeds.
Nitrogen or Carbon?
Type of Material
Compost?
Algae or seaweed Ashes: coal, charcoal, BBQ Ashes: untreated, unpainted wood Cardboard Cat litter/Dog feces Coffee grounds & filter Compost activator Cornstalks/corn cobs Diseased plants
Y N Carefully
N
Good nutrient source. Rinse if salty Contains sulphur oxides & other chemicals Can make pile to alkaline, use only small amounts
Y N Y Y Y Carefully
C
Shred before adding. Recycle if you have a lot May contain disease organisms; Health risk Can be acidic Not usually necessary Mix well with rich nitrogen materials Compost pile may not get hot enough to kill disease organisms Likely contains grease, sodium & perfume Avoid perfumes & fabric softeners in laundry detergents Rinse & crush well; provides calcium Attracts animals & smells Not if they are treated with herbicides and pesticides; best to grasscycle; fluff as you add it to the compost pile Low in nutrients; attracts animals; slows composting
Dish water Dryer lint Eggshells Fish scraps Grass clippings
N Y Y N Y
Grease, cooked food scraps Grains/Breads
N
Hair Leaves, dry Lime Kitchen scraps, peelings etc. Manure: vegetarian animal Meat, fat, oil Milk, cheese, yogurt Newspaper Pine needles & cones Plant trimmings Sawdust/wood shavings untreated Sunflower hulls Straw/hay Weeds
N N C N
C
N
Carefully
Comments
Y Y N Y
N
Slow to breakdown, especially store bought. Homemade is better. Spread it well so it does not clump Keep balance in pile (2:1) Can stop composting process Plant material only
Y
N
Mix well with carbon material; compost thoroughly
N C
N N Y Y
C C
Y Carefully
N C
Attracts animals, health risk Smells while decomposing; can attract animals Shred & wet first; no glossy pages; best if recycled Acidic, decompose slowly, mix well with nitrogen material Avoid noxious weeds, poisonous & diseased plants Use sparingly, mix well
Y Y Carefully
C C N
Pile should be hot enough to kill weed seeds Avoid noxious weeds; dry in sun before adding to pile
What Do I Do With Finished Compost? Add to The Garden! By adding compost to your garden, you help build good soil texture and structure. These qualities enable soil to retain nutrients, moisture and air that support healthy plants. Mix 3 inches of compost into the top 6 inches of soil in flower beds and vegetable gardens, being careful not to disturb the roots of perennials and shrubs.
Simply spread the finished compost on the ground around plants and shrubs as a topdressing. Make compost tea! Fill a burlap sack or old pillow case with compost and submerge in water. After a few hours, water plants, vegetables or lawn trouble spots with the nutrientrich water.
Composting in the North In the north, we must find ways to speed up the composting process if we are to achieve finished compost in our short summer season. These tips will accelerate the process. Activators Organic activators are high in nitrogen. They start and maintain the heating process. While they include commercial activators, there are many activators close at hand: fresh grass clippings, fresh manure, green vegetation, urine, coffee grounds, hair, feathers, and fertilizers such as fish meal, bone meal, etc. Mix activators in with carbon materials, not exceeding a 1:1 ratio. Preparing Compost Materials Most kitchen scraps are small enough to throw directly into the compost pile without any further work—about thumb size. Larger and tougher food items like broccoli, cabbage and pumpkin shells should be chopped before adding to the composter. Smaller pieces increase the surface area for faster decomposition.
Winter Composting Begin a new pile in the late fall that you will add to over the winter. Start with a base of fall leaves about 12� deep. Add kitchen scraps over the winter, as you normally would. The freezing process breaks down the cellular walls of the materials, making decomposition faster when the warmer weather returns. In the spring, when the pile is thawed, more brown material may be needed to keep the pile in balance. Use leaves bagged and saved from the fall. Weeds Weeds can be especially useful in compost because of their high mineral content. Weeds that should be used in compost include horsetail, sweet clover, seaweed and thistle. Yarrow leaves are good compost activators too. Be careful to avoid aggressive weeds (quackgrass and dandelions) and weed seeds—for these materials use the plastic bag method described below.
Composting Alternatives: Grasscycling Grasscycling Grass clippings make up a surprisingly large portion of our waste stream during the growing season. Grasscycling is one way to reduce the amount of waste we send to areal landfills. What is Grasscycling? Grasscycling is the natural recycling of grass by leaving the clippings on the lawn when mowing. Grass clippings decompose quickly releasing nutrients back into the soil, ready to be used over and over and over again. Grasscycling is simple, easy and it works! The simplest way to dispose of grass clippings is to leave them on the lawn. Cutting only an inch off your grass when it is dry will allow clippings to filter down between the blades of grass. When fresh clippings are allowed to remain on the lawn they provide shade for roots and as they decompose they release nitrogen, naturally feeding the lawn. It is a common myth that grasscycling promotes thatch build up. Thatch refers to dead grass roots and stems that accumulate on the lawn surface. (For more information, order your free copy of Send Your Grass Back to its Roots) How do I Grasscycle? Let it Grow! Keep your lawn at least 6cm, or about 2.5 inches long. Longer grass protects against heat and water loss. Mow as needed to keep lawn at this height. Let it Lie! Mow late in the day and give the clippings a chance to settle overnight. On average, the grass clippings should be gone in two to three days. Mow in different directions each time. Mow it Dry! Mow when the grass is dry. If grass is wet, it may clump. If this happens, simply mow over it again or place it in your composter. Keep it Sharp! Keep your blade sharp for best results. Some mowers
have a mulching blade or one can be installed. These blades will chop the clippings up even finer for faster decomposition. Cut it Often! During the growing season, you may need to vary the cutting frequency. Cut it approximately once per week during the slow season. During peak season, you may need to cut it every for or five days. Frequent cuttings will produce smaller clippings that break down faster. Myth #1: Grasscycling Causes Thatch Thatch is made up of fibrous roots and stems which take longer to break down. Grass clippings are made up of 70-80% water and break down quickly. Myth #2: Clippings Will Be Unsightly Cut properly, clippings are virtually unnoticeable. Clippings will usually disappear in two to three days. Longer clippings or dry clippings may take a bit longer. Myth #3: Special Equipment is Required All mowers can be used to grasscycle. Some manufacturers make special mulching mowers which produce a finer, less noticeable clipping. Retrofit attachments designed to improve grasscycling are also available, but not necessary.
Benefits of Grasscycling Saves Time (No more bagging)
Saves Money (Less fertilizer and no more bags) Encourages a healthier Lawn (Clippings contain valuable nitrogen) Saves Water (Clippings reduce the amount of water lost) Saves landfill space Saves Energy (Hauling to the landfill)
Composting Alternatives: Vermicompost Worm Composting Compost indoors?! Yes, with worms. Start with a bin, some red wriggler worms, damp paper and organic material and you can create an odourless indoor composting system. Red-wiggler worms consume the “food” and produce nutrient-rich worm castings that can be used in the same ways as backyard compost. WHAT IS WORM COMPOSTING? Worms recycle food waste into rich fertilizer for your houseplants, garden or lawn with the help of red wiggler worms. Vermicomposting (composting with worms) can be done year round, indoors and outdoors, by apartment dwellers and householders. WHAT YOU NEED • A Container (made of wood or plastic) • Worms (2000 or so red wiggler worms) • Bedding ( shredded newspaper will do) • Fruit and vegetable waste (organic waste) HOW YOU DO IT Fill the container three quarters full with damp bedding. Add the worms. Pull aside some of the bedding and bury the waste, covering it up with the bedding. WHAT HAPPENS? Over a period of two to three months the worms and Micro-organisms eat the organic material and bedding, producing rich compost.
1 THE CONTAINER should be between eight and
twelve inches deep and provide one square foot of surface area for every pound of food waste per week (i.e. Six pounds of waste requires a bin two feet by three feet). Depending on the size of the container, drill 8 to 12 holes (1/4 - 1/2 inch) in the sides and top for aeration. If contents get too wet you may need to drill more holes. The bin should be covered to conserve moisture and provide darkness for the worms. Worm bins need to be kept out of hot sun, heavy rain, and cold. When temperatures drop below 4 degrees C. Bins should be moved indoors or be well insulated.
2 THE WORMS Red worms are best for composting
because they thrive on organic materials, such as food scraps. Officially known as Eisenia foetida and Lumbricus rubellus, they are commonly known as red wiggler, brandling or manure worms. For one pound per day of food waste (an average amount), you’ll need two pounds of worms (roughly 2000). If you are unable to get this many worms to start with, reduce the amount of food waste accordingly while the population steadily increases.
3 THE BEDDING MATERIALS can include shredded
newspaper and cardboard, shredded fall leaves, chopped up straw and other dead plants, seaweed, sawdust, dried grass clippings, peat moss, compost and aged manure. Vary the bedding in the bin to provide more nutrients for the worms and to create a richer compost. Two handfuls of sand and soil will provide necessary grit for worm’s digestion. Fill the bin three quarters full with a mixture of damp bedding so that the overall moisture level is like a
“wrung out sponge“. Lift the bedding gently to create air spaces. This helps control odors and gives freer movements to the worms.
If you want to use all of the compost at once, dump the entire contents of the bin onto a large plastic sheet and separate the worms manually. Most children love to help! Watch out for the tiny, lemon shaped worm cocoons which can contain up to twenty baby worms. Mix a little of the finished compost in with the new bedding of the next bin.
4 THE FOOD WASTES your worms will eat include
fruit and vegetable peels, pulverized egg shells, tea bags and coffee grounds. Do not compost meats, dairy products, oily foods or grains. Bury the food waste by pulling aside some of the bedding, dumping the waste and then covering it up with the bedding again. Bury successive loads in
different locations in the bin. HARVESTING YOUR COMPOST After two and a half months have passed there should be little or no original bedding visible in the bin and the contents will be brown and earthy looking worm castings. It is time to remove some of the finished compost. The quickest method is to simply move the finished compost over to one side of the bin, place new bedding in the space created, and put food waste in the new bedding. The worms will gradually move over and the finished compost can be skimmed off as needed.
Use your finished compost as soil conditioner for houseplants, gardens or lawns. COMMON PROBLEMS Unpleasant Odors may waft from your bin when it is overloaded with food waste. If this occurs, gently stir up the entire contents to allow more air in. Stop adding food waste until the worms and microorganisms have broken down what food is in the bin. Check the ventilation holes to make sure they are not blocked and drill more holes if needed. If the moisture level seems right, the bedding may be too acidic due to a lot of citrus peels and other acidic foods. Adjust by adding a little lime or finely crushed eggshells and cutting down on acidic wastes. Fruit Flies can be discouraged by burying the food wastes and not overloading the bin. Keep a plastic sheet, piece of old newspaper or sacking on the surface of the compost in the bin. If flies persist, move the bin to a location where flies will not be bothersome. Microwaving banana peels and other fruit often helps. A FINAL WORD…Taking worms out of their natural environment and placing them in containers creates a human responsibility. They are living creatures with their own unique needs, so it is important to create and maintain a healthy habitat for them to do their work. If you supply the right ingredients and care, your worms will thrive and make compost for you.
Composting Alternatives: Weed Control Plastic Bag Composting This method of composting is ideal for those materials that are hard to compost or invasive weeds or weeds gone to seed. To begin you will need a dark, preferably black, plastic bag with no holes. Add the leaves and weeds to the bag with a small amount of water. Tie the bag tightly and leave in the sun for a couple of weeks. This allows the plant material to decompose in high heat without exposure to air. CAUTION: This also produces a nutrient-rich but very smelly compost. If done correctly, the results will also be quite wet. It is recommended that you pour the contents into a hole dug into topsoil. Leave it for a few days before spreading it through the garden. The high heat from this process will destroy weed seeds. Even if you don’t follow every tip in this brochure, starting a compost pile will bring results. As long as you have the basic ingredients‌ COMPOST HAPPENS!
For more information, please feel free to call the Northern Environmental Action Team at 1-888-689-6328 or 250-785-6328