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With garbage disposal being such a large issue in the news today,
it's important to know that homeowners can do their part by recycling
most yard and kitchen waste. By a simple process called "composting",
this material can be turned into a nutrient-rich soil conditioner
often referred to as black gold. The addition of compost to any
garden soil encourages plants to develop a deeper, more fibrous
system that makes it more vigorous, productive, and drought resistant.
Compost also conditions the soil so it's more moisture- and nutrient-retentive.
At the same time, it allows more air into the soil system. Healthy
roots depend on air, water, and readily available nutrients.
What To Compost:
Household waste such as fruit and vegetable peelings, crushed eggshells,
coffee grounds and paper filters, flowers, tea leaves and tea bags,
hair (animal and human), and newspapers can all be composted. Outside,
grass clippings, leaves, deadheaded flowers, and chopped up twigs
and branches are ideal components.
What Not To Compost:
Be aware that certain things should never be added to compost. They
either take too long to break down, add unwanted resins, or attract
undesirable pests like rats and raccoons. They are fish, meat, bones,
dairy products, fatty foods like cooking oil, cheese, or salad dressing,
diseased or insect-infested plants, charcoal from a BBQ, pet waste,
anything from a Walnut tree, Spruce and Pine needles, and plants
with ripe seeds.
Where To Compost:
For suburban and urban residential properties where space is at
a premium, you can purchase a strong, plastic composter at Sheridan
Nurseries Garden Centres. It doesn't take up much room and can be
set on concrete patio stones to keep it level. Your compost bin
should be 20 cm - 30 cm. (8" -12") away from walls, fences,
and plants and placed in partial shade. It needs to be accessible
so you can keep adding material even in winter but out of major
view. Along the side of your house is one possibility where you
might consider setting up more than one bin.
On a larger property the homeowner has the luxury of setting up
a larger composting area to handle the increased volume of yard
waste. In a partially shaded, out-of-sight location, set up 4-6
sturdy wooden garden stakes and staple chicken wire to them to a
height of 1 m - 1.5 m (3' - 5'). Or construct three walls with unmortared
concrete blocks laid horizontally and staggered with about 10 cm
(4") between each to increase airflow.
How To Compost:
Start with a 15 cm (6") layer of Parkwood™ Garden Soil,
manure, or compost from a previous batch. The micro-organisms and
friendly bacteria in these materials are crucial to hastening the
breakdown of all organic material. Then add a layer of "greens".
This green layer is high in Nitrogen which helps the micro-organisms
reproduce and, therefore, make the decomposition process quicker.
The key is not to use too much, especially fresh grass clippings
that can turn to green slime. You'll know you've used too much Nitrogen
material if you catch a scent of Ammonia.
So, you balance 50/50 your green, Nitrogen layer with a "brown,"
carbon layer that could be dried grass clippings, dry leaves (chopped
and saved from the previous fall in clear garbage bags), strips
of newspaper, straw, or a very thin layer of sawdust or hardwood
ash from a fireplace. Carbon provides the micro-organisms with energy
and this too results in faster decomposition. After each layer of
green, add 2.5 cm (1") of soil or a commercial Compost Accelerator
and a layer of brown Carbon. Continue this layering to the top of
your composter. Always bury your food scraps in the centre of the
pile, under the layer of soil.
Water:
Decomposing organic material needs to be moist but not wet. Too
much water results in an unpleasant odour of rotten eggs. Open compost
piles need to be covered if rain is forecasted to prevent this condition
and the leaching away of nutrients.
Air:
Turn your compost regularly. The more often you do this and the
compost is kept consistently moist, the quicker the material breaks
down.
Heat:
Your compost pile will start to heat up to an ideal interior
temperature of 35°C - 55°C (95°F - 131°F.) Higher
temperatures will slow composting but most weed seeds, insects,
and diseases will be killed. If the interior falls below the optimum
temperature, turn the pile over and it will heat up again.
During winter you can keep adding your green Nitrogen layers, the
2.5 cm (1") of soil or Accelerator, and brown carbon layers
and wait until spring for the heat to build up inside again.
Finished Compost:
Compost should be ready in approximately 2-3 months especially if
you've chopped up larger material into smaller pieces, you've turned
the pile regularly to add air, kept it moist but not wet, and layered
green and brown material with soil or Compost Accelerator that's
full of beneficial micro-organisms. When the pile no longer shows
traces of greens and browns and is a dark, crumbly brown with an
earthy fragrance it's ready to be worked into garden beds. You can
use a screen to filter out larger chunks that can be returned to
the ongoing pile for further decomposition.
Troubleshooting:
| PROBLEM |
LIKELY
CAUSE |
SOLUTION |
| Bad odour |
Too many greens |
Add browns and mix. Turn pile and top with soil |
| Rotten egg smell |
Not enough air |
Turn pile for several days until odour is gone.
Top with soil. |
| Pile isn't composting |
Too dry |
Add water until damp. |
| Flies around pile |
Exposed food |
Bury food or cover with a layer of soil. |
| Unwelcome animal visitors (racoons, dogs, rodents,
etc.) |
Exposed foods or wrong items added |
Remove any meats, fats, dairy products. Bury food
scraps and cover with soil. |
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