Composting

Composting is a great use for fall leaves and mimics and intensifies nature’s recycling plan.

A compost pile starts out as a diverse pile of kitchen and garden “waste.” Left alone, any of these materials would eventually decompose. But when a variety of materials are mixed together and kept moist and aerated, the process accelerates. Compost matures into what soil scientists call active organic matter: a dark, crumbly soil amendment that’s rich with beneficial fungi, bacteria and earthworms, as well as the enzymes and acids these life-forms release as they multiply. Adding compost to garden soil increases its water-holding capacity,

Start a Compost Pile

1. Set a commercial or homemade composter on the ground in an easily accessible place. For a simple and inexpensive open bin, make a circle about 3 or 4 feet in diameter out of 3-to-4-foot-high welded wire or plastic garden fencing.

2. Add ingredients. Place a 4 inch layer of stemmy plants, sticks, or other coarse material in the bottom of the bin. As they become available, add kitchen wastes, dead plants, grass clippings and chopped leaves to the bin. Add water as often as needed to keep the material moist but not soggy (like a wrung-out sponge).

Turning the pile is helpful but optional. If you choose to turn, lift off the composter or bin and set it next to the pile. Then use a pitchfork to move the pile back into the composter.
The compost is ready to use when you can no longer recognize the original ingredients. Until you use it in your garden, keep your finished compost covered to prevent rain from leaching out nutrients.

Good Compost Ingredients:
Leaves, hay and other dead plant material
Fruit and vegetable trimmings
Herbicide-free grass clippings
Manure from horses, cattle, goats, poultry and rabbits
Paper or cardboard, torn into strips or hand-sized pieces

Do NOT Add:
Meat scraps
Very fatty, sugary or salty foods
Chips or sawdust from treated wood
Clippings from herbicide-treated lawns
Manure from omnivorous animals (dogs, cats, humans, etc.)

Click link below to put your name on the sign up sheet:

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Eight (8) Composting Facts

Composting has been something some people have done for years, though lately it has become more mainstream, as people are becoming more aware of their effect on the environment and are trying to live a more sustainable life. Not only does composting lessen the environmental impact of those who do it, but it also provides them with a healthy soil for growing beautiful flowers and healthy vegetables. There are a few different ways to compost, and each method has it's own rules and guidelines to follow, though some composting facts are relevant no matter what method is being utilized.

Temperature

The misconception that the compost pile needs to be hot is not one of the composting facts that are true. Though hotter compost piles do tend to decompose faster, it is not one of the valid composting facts that the pile must be hot. Actually, compost piles can thrive at a temperature at or above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, as long as certain other factors are met, like proper aeration and the proper combination of ingredients.

2. Things Not to Compost

Things that should never be added to compost are meat, bones, and fatty food wastes, anything that was chemically treated, diseased plants, weeds that could potentially spread to the area where the compost is used, or human and pet feces.

3. Best Things to Compost

Straw and wood chips are excellent in a compost pile, as they help it to aerate and add necessary "browns." Kitchen wastes like egg shells, coffee grounds, and tea bags are high in nitrogen, which the compost needs in order to function properly.

4. Finances

It is well known among composting facts that composting saves money. It reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers and other forms of store bought soil.

5. Environmental Advantages

Composting keeps some products out of landfills. When a household composts, they are eliminating waste by creating a product that they will be able to reuse.

6. Worms

Worms are not a necessary part of composting, though they can be beneficial to the process. Vermicomposting is a form of composting that uses redworms in a specialized composting bin. It is a good way to compost food scraps, paper, and yard waste.

7. Compost actually cleans contaminated soil!

Composting absorbs odors and treats both volatile and semi volatile organic compounds. It also stops heavy metals from entering waterways or being absorbed into plants by binding them.

8. Chicken Manure

Chicken manure is not only a great fertilizer for gardens, but it is also a great activator for compost. Activators help to get the process started and help speed it up.

Composting is a simple and effective way to reduce waste and provide healthy soil for a garden. Whether it's a small composting bin created specifically for home use or a large compost pile designed for use on an orchard, making the decision to compost waste is a smart one. It's one of the simplest ways for people to recreate Earth's natural cycle.

Resources:

http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/composting/benefits.htm
http://vegweb.com/composting/

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Compost Gardening Myths & Facts

by Kristen Fisher, Demand Media

Making your own compost recycles waste and provides nourishment to your garden in an environmentally friendly way. Nevertheless, many gardeners who have never composted hesitate to try because of the prevailing myths about the process. Learn the facts about composting to determine if this gardening activity will work for you.

Compost Piles Stink

While logic suggests that a pile of decomposing food and yard waste should smell terrible, properly made compost smells like soil. Foul odors can arise if your materials mat together, you add the wrong types of foods, or if the pile has too little oxygen, caused by poor drainage or insufficient aeration (see References 1 and 2). Chop up your yard waste and food scraps so they will break down quickly. Keep your pile turned, especially in wet weather.

Compost Attracts Animals

The most effective way to deter rodents and other pests from raiding your compost bin is to avoid adding foods that animals seek out; these include meats, dairy, oils or fried foods, as well as sweets (see References 2). Bury the foods you do add, or turn the pile to cover new materials. If animals remain a problem despite these measures, avoid adding food scraps altogether; compost made from only yard waste still benefits your plants.

Composting is Complicated

Many gardening books and compost enthusiasts offer extensive advice on creating the perfect compost by paying careful attention to the ratios of added ingredients. Be sure your compost pile contains both dry, carbon-rich brown materials, such as dead leaves, cardboard scraps; and moist nitrogen-rich green materials, such as grass clippings, vegetable scraps and coffee grounds (see References 3). These materials, with water and oxygen, will decompose into a rich and nourishing soil amendment.

Composting Costs Money

When done correctly, composting actually saves you money, because it reduces or eliminates the need to buy fertilizers. You can make a monetary investment in a compost bin, which you can buy prefab or make yourself. Some gardeners choose to skip the bin and simply start a free-form compost pile instead. You can spend a little or a lot to create a space for your compost; ongoing maintenance costs nothing but a little of your time. Similarly, additives such as activators, fertilizer or lime, aren't necessary, either. Mix in a little soil or finished compost if you want to, but don't waste money on other additions.