Last week, we talked about composting and its many benefits to the environment and plant health. We also shared the basic items that you’ll need to start your compost, which include your kitchen and yard waste and a turning device such as a shovel or a pitchfork. This week, we’ll go into detail about making and harvesting your compost, and share a few tips on how to fix common issues with your pile/heap.
How to compost
1. Start your compost pile on bare earth. This allows worms and other beneficial organisms to aerate the compost and transport same to your garden beds.
2. Lay twigs or straw first, a few inches deep. This aids drainage, and helps aerate the pile.
3. Add compost materials in layers, alternating moist and dry. Moist ingredients are food scraps, tea bags, seaweed, etc. Dry materials are straw, leaves, sawdust pellets and wood ashes. If you have wood ashes, sprinkle same in thin layers, or the ashes would clump together and be slow to break down.
4. Add manure, green manure (clover, buckwheat, wheatgrass, grass clippings) or any nitrogen source. This activates the compost pile, and speeds the process along.
5. Keep compost moist. Water occasionally, or let rain do the job.
6. Cover with anything you have – wood, plastic sheeting, carpet scraps. Covering helps retain moisture and heat, two essentials for compost. Covering also prevents the compost from being over-watered by rain. The compost should be moist, but not soaked and sodden.
7. Turn. Every few weeks, give the pile a quick turn with a pitchfork or shovel. This aerates the pile. Oxygen is required for the process to work, and turning “adds” oxygen. You can skip this step if you have a ready supply of coarse material like straw. Once you’ve established your compost pile, add new materials by mixing them in, rather than by adding them in layers. Mixing, or turning, the compost pile is key to aerating the composting materials and speeding the process to completion. If you want to buy a composter rather than build your own compost pile, you may consider buying a rotating compost tumbler, which makes it easy to mix the compost regularly.
Managing your compost
Air – Air is necessary for organic matter to decompose in an aerobic environment. This will result in fast, odour-free decomposition. If there is a lack of oxygen in the compost pile, it will begin to smell like rotten eggs. Aerating would eliminate odours and speed up the decomposition process.
Air can be incorporated into your pile in a couple of simple ways: Turn your pile with a pitchfork or shovel, or use a special aerating tool. Turning the pile would also help the composting by mixing in new material.
Heat – If a compost pile has enough water and oxygen, a good balance of material, and enough volume, temperatures in the pile may reach above 55 degrees Celsius. The optimum range is between 30 and 60°C. This heat is the result of the work of the micro-organisms that are decomposing the organic material. Higher temperatures mean more work is being done. The compost pile should feel warm or hot to the touch when you dig into it. Temperatures of 55C are desirable because they kill weed seeds and speed up the composting process. The temperature will rise to its highest at the beginning of the decomposing-process, and then eventually drop to approximately 30°C.
Moisture – Moisture is needed to maintain composting activity in your pile. The micro-organisms that decompose the organic matter need moisture to move around and break down the material. A good rule of thumb is to keep your pile about as moist as a well-wrung sponge. A good way to test the moisture level is to take some compost and squeeze it in your fist, you should get a couple of drops of water coming through your fingers.
If the pile becomes too dry, composting activity will slow down and eventually stop. Adding moisture to the pile is easy: use a hose or watering can. Turn the pile as you add water to allow for even distribution of moisture.
Troubleshooting your compost
Are unpleasant odours emanating from your compost pile?
This can be a concern in urban and suburban areas, with small lots and neighbours living close by. Reduce or eliminate odours by following two practices: first, remember to not put bones or meat scraps into the compost; second, cover new additions to the compost pile with dry grass clippings or similar mulch. Adding lime or calcium would also neutralise odours. If the compost smells like ammonia, add carbon-rich elements such as straw, peat moss, or dried leaves.
Are flying insects attracted to your compost?
Small fruit flies are naturally attracted to the compost pile. Discourage them by covering any exposed fruit or vegetable matter. Keep a small pile of grass clippings next to your compost bin, and when you add new kitchen waste to the pile, cover it with one or two inches of clippings.
When is the compost ready?
Even though material is constantly added and the pile is often turned, a layer of finished compost will be formed towards the bottom. This finished layer can be harvested by removing the unfinished layer from the top and setting it aside. The finished layer can then be taken out, and the unfinished layer placed in the bottom of the bin.
In order to remove materials that have not completely decomposed from the finished layer, sift the compost through a framed piece of metal screening. The screen may be 7mm-21mm (1¾ inches) depending on the desired coarseness of the compost. All of the incompletely decomposed materials can then be thrown back into the composter.
Using compost before it is ready can damage plants. Undecayed “brown” materials in the soil can temporarily reduce plant available nitrogen. Undecayed “green” materials can harbour pests and diseases. Immature compost can also introduce weed seeds and root-damaging organic acids.
Compost is ready when:
* it smells earthy, not sour, putrid, or like ammonia;
* it no longer heats up after it is turned or wetted; and
* it looks like dark soil, being crumbly and not identifiable as food items, grass, leaves, etc.
Give composting a try and do your part to save the environment. We guarantee that you’ll also enjoy seeing your plants bloom.
For more information, visit https://www.epaguyana.org/epa/resources/booklets/download/12-booklets/135-composting-booklet-updated.
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Sources
https://learn.eartheasy.com/guides/composting/#howtocompost
