Did you know … that composting is easy? All’s you need is a place to make a pile and patience.
Your kitchen waste is begging to be recycled and reused! Put it to good use by throwing it in a composting bin, garden bed or free range pile and let it turn into a rich soil amendment for your garden. Kitchen waste mixed together with yard waste makes great compost over time. Not only does it help give your plants a healthy boost, it improves drainage and keeps waste out of the landfill.
What is compost? It is a rich mixture of decomposing materials that enrich your garden soil. It doesn’t need a lot of space. It just needs a combination of yard waste, food waste, and patience. You can make your own compost bin or you can simply create a pile on the ground. Make sure you choose an area in a convenient location, so you’ll use it. A countertop storage bin with lid helps collect your kitchen waste while cooking.
You’ll need both WET and DRY materials to be successful, and you don’t need microbes to activate the process. Let nature take that course.
What to compost… all fruit and veggie scraps, eggshells, grass clippings, coffee and tea grounds/leaves/non coated bags (make sure to pull any staples), dead leaves, wood chips, ashes, chopped up shrubs/twigs, dryer lint, paper napkins/paper towels.
What not to compost… feces of any kind, meat, whole eggs, bones, milk products, animal fat, oils, refrigerator rejects, diseased plant material or weeds. Weed seeds and rhizome root systems will flourish if your compost doesn’t get hot enough to kill them, and you don’t want to attract unwelcome guests like raccoons or rodents to your compost pile. In cooler conditions, diseased plant material can survive to infect new plants.
Make sure to chop materials small before adding it. Smaller pieces decompose quicker. Water is needed for moisture so the microorganisms can grow and do their work. Swampy wet is a no-go. Anaerobic conditions slows decomposition and the pile will smell! Use a pitch fork or similar tool to mix compost pile at least 1 to 2 times per month, and if your pile gets too wet, add dry/brown materials. You want your pile to breathe. Composting can take 4 times longer in its process if it is deprived of oxygen.
Keep compost “cooking” between 110 to 145 F, which is ideal. Not too hot, but hot enough to kill any disease producing organisms. Temps above 160 F can kill to good bacteria and slow down decomposition. A compost thermometer can help you keep track. Turning your compost pile is the key to turning down the temp. Add nitrogen if you need to turn the heat up.
When is compost ready? Use your nose. If it smells earthy and crumbles like good dirt, it is ready. Gardner’s tip: compost is not a replacement for fertilizer. Compost is a soil amendment to improve drainage and soil compaction. You’ll still need fertilizer and feed to keep your garden flourishing.
Happy composting!