Making Compost is Like Cooking a Stew for Your Family
Making compost is like cooking a stew for your family. You need a recipe, the correct ingredients in the right amounts, the correct temperatures and time to let it all simmer. The entrée will be a load of sweet smelling, dark brown rich loam that you can feed to your plants with pride.
Composting is the controlled decomposition of organic matter. If left to Mother Nature this process can be extremely slow, but by following the recipe you can considerably speed up the process. The following ingredients are necessary:
Carbon
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Water
However some materials are not appropriate for backyard composting. Most backyard systems will not reach high enough temperatures necessary to kill the pathogens and vermin present, so certain items such as meat scraps, dairy products and pet droppings are not advisable.
High carbon sources are necessary to generate heat. High nitrogen sources are necessary to allow the decomposing bacteria to thrive.
Browns are high carbon materials and may include;
Dry straw, hay and grass clippings
Fallen leaves
Newspaper - shredded is best for rapid decomposition
Greens are high nitrogen materials and may include:
Green plant material such as garden residue, fresh hay, grass clippings, and weeds
Manure; such as horse, cow, chicken, or mushroom
Fruit and vegetable waste
Seaweed (rinse well to remove any salt)
Coffee grounds and filters
A few leaf species such as live oak, the southern magnolia and holly trees are too tough and leathery for decomposition, also avoid all parts of the black walnut tree as they contain a plant poison that will survive composting. Common sense tells us to avoid using poison oak, poison ivy, and poison sumac in your compost.
The proportions of these materials will make a difference in the rate of decomposition. Remember that achieving the best mix is not an exact science. A good ratio of about 2 or 3 parts of browns to one part of the greens will work. Too much carbon will slow down the decomposing process and adding too much nitrogen will cause odors.
Another ingredient which is often overlooked is moisture. Water the pile just enough to keep the contents moist but not saturated. In a week or two, the pile should heat up to approximately to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature many of the weed seeds and harmful organisms will be killed.
Home composting uses a variety of techniques, from extreme passive (cold) composting (throw everything into a pile and leave it alone) to active (hot) which consists of monitoring the temperature and turning or rotating the pile on a regular basis.
A compost bin or tumbler is ideal for backyard gardeners. A tumbler will give you the quickest results due to the ease of aerating the compost, so figure at least 8 to 10 weeks for decent compost to be ready to use. Rotate the compost tumbler at least once a week. This will keep the compost aerated, in as much as it is necessary to provide oxygen to the mixture to achieve good results.
If at this point the temperature has dropped, turn the heat up by adding more nitrogen in the form of greens such as grass clippings or leaves from your produce trimmings, if manure is available it will get things cooking again. New material can always be added to the mix, although it will slow the process down.
About the Author:
Dick Murray is a retired urbanite who is keeping his interest in gardening by researching and publishing articles on his web site http://www.backyardcompostumbler.com