Ghost Gardener: Composting Demystified

September 12, 2013 

I really don’t know what all the fuss is about.  Yes, I can understand the ick factor of seeing veggie and fruit scraps hours or even days after they’ve started turn a stinky, slimy brown.  Sure, I can hear that weary sigh at the thought of separating out more items from the trashbag headed for your roll-cart dumpster.  I can even see you shaking your head at the suggestion that you need to spend money on a plastic tumbler-cage thingy to become more EC, or environmentally correct.

Fortunately for you, the act of composting doesn’t have to involve putrid aromas, excessive effort, or much money—perhaps none.  All you have to do is follow a few simple procedures.

Step 1:  Consider the Landfill
Have you ever REALLY thought about where stuff goes that you throw away?  Where is this away ?  Yes, it’s so wonderful to be able to collect all of our life’s weekly detritus in a big ole’ bag and tidily toss it into that convenient green dumpster, roll it to the curb, and kiss it goodbye.  I don’t even know exactly where Columbia’s landfill exists, but it’s a mountain of trash that stays intact for decades or more.  Yes, there is organic matter mixed in with the Styrofoam to-go boxes and disposable diapers, but its breakdown is severely hindered by the crush of plastic and other non-perishable items.

Step 2:  Define Waste
To those of us uninitiated into the Compost Club, waste refers to anything that no longer serves its original purpose, like a cantaloupe rind, ripped-open envelope, used tea bag, soiled paper towel, grass clippings, or all those dead leaves fixing to fall soon.  But these items are all able to decompose naturally given the right conditions, and can serve as the biologically active catalyst that enables soil to support life. 

The best definition I’ve heard is found in Matt Kip’s Permaculture class handbook:  Waste can be defined as materials that can’t be broken down in a time frame meaningful to us, as opposed to that which can decompose in days, weeks, or months.   Obviously, foodstuffs are biodegradable, but so are items made from paper and natural fabrics.

Step 3:  Separate Your Stuff!
Adopt a mindful attitude and a discerning eye that will override your trashcan habits.  Begin today by choosing an old plastic storage container to receive all of your veggie and fruit scraps, coffee grounds and filters, egg shells, and tea bags.  Add all the foodstuffs in your fridge that you know you won’t eat, like that strange pickle relish or odd pasta dish leftovers.   For your home compost, avoid animal fats as their odor attracts rodents, and they need much more sustained heat to break down than most home efforts produce.

Designate one of your trashcans for non-glossy paper products only. Collect yard debris– twigs, leaves, grass clippings, weeds, dead annuals—in a trashcan or simply make a pile in a sunny corner of your back yard.  Your compost pile can begin right next to this debris pile.

Step 4: Know the Basics:  Moisture + Air + Browns + Greens
In order to decompose organic matter, the above 4 elements must be present.  The items you are composting need consistent moisture—whether from a hose or from rainclouds—to keep them as wet as a damp sponge.    Oxygen is necessary to create a habitat for the micro-organisms the digest organic matter, so the browns and greens that you mix need to be turned for maximum air flow.  And of course the items you are breaking down:  Browns– leaves, straw, and paper products– plus Greens– food and garden waste.

Step 5:  Choose Your Strategy
Where and how you live determines what kind of composting gear you need.  If you have a yard on which the sun shines, a simple compost pile will do. Find an easily accessible, partly sunny spot out of the traffic flow that will accommodate a 3′ x 3′ pile.  Dig out this square about a foot deep and keep excavated dirt next to use as a layering agent. Position your yard debris pile or container next to this site as well.  Fashion a screen frame cover to discourage possums and such.

Do you cringe at this idea?  Is your yard too manicured? Are you afraid your dog will root around in the pile?  Then purchase a discrete composting tumbler, but keep it within easy reach of the yard debris.
And here I will warn about the difficulty I have experienced with compost cages and other such 4-sided containers open only from above with perhaps a side opening at the bottom.  I find it almost impossible to turn this type of pile from the top only, and that little sliding door on the bottom becomes useless under the weight of the pile.   Much easier in an elevated tumbler.   Be sure to add worms that you dig up from your yard or purchase Red Wrigglers from a bait shop or on-line.

 No yard?  You can still compost!  A couple of 5-gallon food-grade plastic buckets can become a compost factory with the addition of some worms and a few holes drilled into the bottom and lid of one bucket. Situate the hole-bottomed bucket into the sound one to catch all the juices that will be produced (this becomes incredibly rich compost tea!), and layer your browns and greens in the holey bucket along with a starter supply of worms.  Eisenia Fetida, aka Red Wrigglers, are best.  Keep holey lid on top and turn often.  

Step 6:  Let the Composting Begin!

It’s sooo simple!  Take your saved kitchen and home waste and just dump it in the compost pile, tumbler, or bucket.   Cover it up with a layer of dirt, leaves, straw, or other organic brown matter and make the top layer damp.   About once a week turn the pile with a pitchfork or shovel to aerate it and add moisture if necessary; you can turn the tumbler or mix the bucket load more often, and make sure that these small batches aren’t wetter than a wrung-out sponge.  

 That’s it!  When your compost has no easily recognizable food or paper particles in it, it’s ready to use as nutrient-rich soil.   Not only have you recycled  your waste into energy for your plants, you’ve also lessened the amount of inefficient detritus at the landfill.   

Want more info?   How-To photos?  There are hundreds of websites and blogs about composting.  Here are a few links:
http://idreamofeden.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/composting-for-dummies-myself-included/
http://eartheasy.com/grow_compost.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Your-Own-Worm-Compost-System
http://www.cityfarmer.org/wormcomp61.html

Ghost Gardener is co-owner of Viva Verde Customized Gardening, and you may be able to spot her in clients’ yards from Shandon to  Forest Hills to Blythewood.  You can reach her for questions or comments via email:  [email protected]