Part 2 of a two-part series. Read part 1 here.
OK, I’ve persuaded you that you should compost, but how do you start? Well, if you’re anything like me, the more convenient something is to do, the more likely you’ll do it consistently. So spend a few minutes strategizing the simplest way to fit it into your routines.
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Tomato seedling plants purchased on May 6 from Moonstone Gardens at Earth Care Farm and planted with compost. |
You don’t want your composter to be too far from where you cook and eat, making it inconvenient to bring your food scraps to it. I keep a covered container by my kitchen sink to gather food scraps until I’m ready to bring them out to the composter, but you can also purchase aerated containers that attach under the sink where you can toss your food scraps and they start composting there on the spot. However, these are industrially produced petroleum products and therefore are not exactly “green.” If you really want to live by the “three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle), reuse a food or other container rather than buying something new.
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| Eggplant seedling plant purchased on May 6 from Moonstone Gardens at Earth Care Farm and planted with compost. |
You will also want the compost to be easy to transport to where you plan to use it. So maybe a portable composter will best suit your needs. There are ones that are basically a big ball that you can roll to where the compost is needed. Then again, these are industrially produced petroleum products and therefore are not exactly “green.” You don’t even need a composter to compost; as long as you have a piece of ground that wild animals can’t get to, you can pile organic matter and let it decompose on its own. Or you can build your own.
How much material will you be composting? If you have a big yard and want to compost all your grass clippings and yard waste, you’ll need a large composter, or maybe more than one. And how much compost do you plan to use? If you want to produce a lot of compost quickly, you’ll probably be better off with the type of composter that either rolls or spins: Turning the contents regularly speeds decomposition.
Of course if you need more compost than you’re able to produce, you can always buy more at Earth Care Farm. If you have a stationary composter, you will need to periodically stir the contents. I keep a long-handled tine cultivator by the composter so I can turn the contents when I’m adding to it, though you can also purchase specialized tools for the job. But again, buying something new means increased use of raw materials. Reduce, reuse, recycle!
So just what goes in the composter? Anything organic, really, including paper products that can’t be recycled, like used paper towels (as long as they don’t have cleaning products on them), coffee filters, and napkins. Shredding large items will make them decompose faster, but anything organic will break down eventually.
To get the proper carbon/nitrogen ratio for efficient composting, you need to alternate layers of food waste and layers of yard waste; ideally, a maximum of 6 inches per layer. But in reality, in the summer you’ll have more yard waste than in the winter, and unless you have a really big family that throws away a lot of food, you’re never going to have as much food waste in the summer as yard waste.
The correct amount of moisture is also key. The compost should be about as damp as a squeezed-out kitchen sponge. If it seems too dry, add some water. If it’s too wet, you’ll need to stir it more frequently to air it out.
Worms are another key ingredient. As I mentioned in my previous piece, I had the advantage of an already-established composter, but if you’re starting from scratch, it won’t hurt to add some earthworms to get the process going.
Really, there’s no wrong way to do it. Any tips I’ve missed? Please let me know in the comments.
Author: Linda Felaco
