Composting for Beginners
Composting is a way to take organic matter, such as leftover leaves and food scraps, and allow them to decompose into soil. You can recycle kitchen and yard scraps to improve your garden soil, retain water, protect against erosion, and replace the need for synthetic fertilizers. Composting is actually very simple. You can compost if you don’t have a garden, or even if you don’t have a yard. Composting reduces waste because, instead of filling up a landfill, you are making more usable soil for yourself and others. Read on to learn how to start composting.
Methods of Composting
There are several methods of composting. Anaerobic composting is composting without the presence of oxygen. The composting process is completed in an airtight pit. Bacteria that don’t need oxygen complete the process. Aerobic composting refers to the typical, backyard process which uses oxygen. This type of composting often generates heat. Vermicomposting is the use of earthworms to speed the decomposition process. The worms eat the organic matter and produce casings. Bokashi composting seals food waste with a bokashi inoculant inside a bucket. There are many other ways to compost. Check them out online!
how to begin
The simplest way to start composting is to start your own compost pile. The compost pile should have its own drainage and shade. The area should be removed from wildlife, who may get into the pile. The pile should be three feet in width and height to aid the process by which heat and bacteria break down the organic material. You may find it useful to invest in a compost “tumbler,” which is a barrel designed to hold the compost.
how to maintain
Compost piles work best if different layers are put down. “Green” layers are made up of food and yard scraps. “Brown” layers are made of wood and paper products. Alternating the green and brown layers will maximize the decomposition process.
The compost pile should be turned regularly. A pitchfork or shovel will do the job. The pile should be turned every four to seven days. If the pile doesn’t receive rain, it should be watered, but not too much. Brown material can be added to a compost pile that is too soggy.
The material will decay. It may turn into a soil-like substance in as soon as a few weeks or as long as a year. The finished material will have an earthy smell and should be free of chunks. It can be mixed with potting soil and used as soil. It can also be used to make compost tea. Mix the compost with water, steep for 24 hours, strain the liquid, and apply to plants as a nutrient mix.
Materials to compost and not compost
The things that you can compost are fruit and vegetable scraps, rotten fruits and vegetables, houseplant trimmings, coffee grounds, tea leaves, eggshells, most nutshells (not walnuts), hair, fur, paper, cardboard, shredded newspaper, napkins, paper towels, unused toilet paper, grass, leaves, flowers, sawdust, and wood chips.
Things to not compost are feces, litter, bones, meat scraps, dairy products, walnuts, black walnut trimmings, ash, charcoal, large pieces of wood, fat, cooking oil, grease, pesticide-laden plant debris, K-cups, baked goods, diseased plants, or plants infected with insects.
Even if you don’t have a yard, you can still compost. You can purchase composting bins online that work even in small apartments, perhaps under the sink, or in the fridge. Local farms or community gardens may accept compost. Some cities have composting centers, where you can take the compost. Some cities even offer curbside compost recycling. Examples of cities that offer compost recycling are Milwaukee, Boston, Raleigh, Sacramento, and San Francisco.
Happy composting!