30 1
GARDENING . .
Fl"om Garbage
ToGarden ron-2
50 me maner th.lt has bttn \...derom .rod rdlme<! as fenillur and sorl amen mem.. Composl isa kry in~e(hmt In or8'lnk fanmng.At Its most tsSC:nnaC the proem of composting mjuJ~slmply plhng upl\'a.neouldoorsana\\~rtin$o1yoearormo!l'
ad.\'ancn:~r traditional methods which t.akn:a few months towork. For rhls ~.uon and othn'l, many modem scl~ltim ..... ho de.1I with carbon tr.lIlsfonnations art saopocal thai a · su~r<h.uged· waylO get nature to makto compost "'pkllyisawlilable
~
Modem mt'thodlcal romposirmg Is a mulu.nl'p. Compostmg organisms ~ulrC' fourrquaUy clCMJy monito~ proem \Vllh mC'as~~ Imponant things loworkeITectlVl'ly; Inpuu()( walt'r, air and cilrbo~ ~nd mlrogen· • Carbon. (orenl'rgy, lhe mltrobi.ilr oxfd.nfon ne h rnamiJIs. Thro dec:omposltlon procl!SS is of carbon produces he'lI. aidffi byshrafding rhe plant maller, adding • High arbon malerials lend 10 be brown and Wol ler and cnsurtng proper aera!lon by regular- dry: IYlurnlng the mixture. \\!onns and fungi fur• Nitrogen - 10 grow and reprOOu(l~ morc ther break up Ihe m.nerla!'Aeroblc b.cterlol organ isms manage themem\cal proem bycom~nlng the High nit:rogen l11aterlal5 lend 10 be greoen or Inputs Into he,n,carbOn dioAide<lndilmmoni_ colOurful soch ill fruits <lnd veger.blts) and um.11le ammonium is funhcrconyened by wt:L b.Kterb InIO pranHlOUrtshlng nl.tn.tl'Silnd • Ox}-gen - foroxidlzfng the carbon. the nitr..1Il'S through the process of mtnficallon deromposltion procm Compon C,lO be rich In nutr1ena. lt Is used in • \V,ner- In the righl amounts 10 maintain gardens. landsaplng horticult ure and aXTIcui- actMty wirhout uusing anaerobic conditions ture. Thecom~t Itself is benefidal for tIJe land ManUIfo1.nd bedding In manywaJ'S,lnc!uding ill a soil condltioner,a On many ranns,rne b.lslccomposting In~ fcrtilizer, addition of vllal humusor hum ic dients.ne molllure generaled on the rann and adds, and as a nanna l pestlcldc for sol!. In bedding.Slrawanasawdusl are common bedK05yStems,co rnposr Is useful foreroslon con- ding materials. Non-traditional bedding matetrol.land and meam TKlamalion. wetland con· riaLsilfe also used, Including newspaper a nd strunion and lami fill cO\"l'r. Compost can also chopped cardboard. The ;mountof manure be used togener.ne blogas through anaerobic composted on a livestock {ann Isoft~ deter. mined bycleanlngSChedules. L1nd iI\'iJilability and I\~arhercond"itions. Each t)'pf' of manure Composting asa re<:ognised priICuce (bto ha5 lts phYSlcal.chemlca1.lind tilological char. back to alll".ul the farry Roman Empire siner actertnics.. (.a rtIe .lind horse manures, wh~ PUny the Elder(AD2J-79). TradJt10~all}:commixed with beddl"&- possrugood 9 !itits uaISl'ery poslingw.u to pUeorganic ~al~nals unul lhe I'orcomponing.SlVl11e manure, wh ich next plilnlingseason. at whIC h time Ihe maleri- wet and usua ltynot milled \Yith bedding trareoils would h.:ivedl'Q)'l'd enough to. be ready {or ria ls,needs 10 De mixed with straw or simila r use In Ihe soil. The ad~'antage oftlus method Is raw materials.l'oulny manure dlso needs to that hnle we rk or effort is Tftjulad from thl' be blended with carbona«ous material\;, componer and it fits naturally with agricultural preferabtyt hose low in nit rogen. such as saw. practlco in l~mpcr.l.1e cllmales. DJull\'olma!le dun orSl.r.!.Vo\ (From Ihl' modem perspetllve)are th at 5pi1ce is raken up for a whole year, some nutrients might Common itrnu sui table (orcompostln...l be le-ac hed due 10 exposure 10 rain fall. and dis- Th~commoo Items can likely beoldded to ease-produdngorganlsms and In~ may not: compon With 110 negatl\'l' etrect..Cardboard or be adequ.1 fetyconnolled.Composung was oon paper,dried.out eggshells. leaves (yard somewhat modemized beginning in Ihe 19205 trimmings). fru its and \'l'getiJ bles.coffee and as a 1001for fanning. The first Indusnlal Stalk:ln tea. for the ~nsfonnadon of urban organic materi- ...l.!KI .lis into com/IOSI WaslCt upin Web,Austria In Compost isg~erallyrecomr~endedillan. 1911. The ear y personage mondle<! for proaddit!'o'l' tosoil, orother matnces such as cOlr pounding com posting I-\;thln filnnlng was and peat. as a liJlh ImpTO\~,supplyl'.lg hum us from theGt-nnan speitldng world, Rudolf and nutr1l'nu It pTO\ido a rich grOWIng medlSleiner, the founder or-.. farming method ailed urn, or a porous,absorl~nt material that holds biodynamics. moisrure-soluble minerals providing the supThereare many modem proponcnts of rapid pon and nutrients In whicn plants can nouroomposll ng whic h attempt t~ correct some of Ish, alrhough It Is ra n:ly used alone, being. prt. lhe percei\'t'rl problems aSSOCIated wilh tr.Idl· marily mixed with soll,sand, grlt. barkchlp5, tional com posting. Many ad~te 1hat comvermiculite, perlite, or clay gTilnults to propost un be made in (wo or three weeks. Many d~ loam. ~nerali): direct seeding Into a compost is not re<:ommended dueto the such shon p~ IJ\\uh~a few changes to speed \\1th which II maydry upolnd t~ passllraditional methods, includ ingsrnaller, mo~ homogenized pieco in Ihe compost, control· ble p~ncr of phytotoxins which milyinhiblt lingC<lrbon to nlnogen (CN)Tiltloat JO 10 1or germination and possible tJe.upof nitrogen Iess.and mon itoring the mois lure leve:l more by mcomplcletydt'Composed hgnln.lt is very carefuJl)!: H~'l'T, none of these parameters common to Sl"l' blernb of 2o-1oi compost differslgnJrK.mtiy,ruggestlng that In fact, mod- used for tra nsplanting seedling at colyledon em compostlng has not made slgnific.m stagl' or laler.
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nfEGUARDIAN, Saturda>tJulY9,20U