Good Practice Guide: Composting for SME s

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1 Good Practice Guide: Composting for SME s

2 Introduction to Composting Composting is nature's process of recycling decomposed organic materials into a rich soil known as compost. Anything that was once living will decompose. Basically, composting is an acceleration of the same process nature uses. By composting your organic waste you are returning nutrients back into the soil in order for the cycle of life to continue. Finished compost looks like soil dark brown, crumbly and smells like a forest floor. Onsite Composting Businesses that produce small amounts of wasted food can compost onsite. Composting can significantly reduce the amount of wasted food that is thrown away. This can be done by either Traditional Composting - Garden waste trimmings and small quantities of food scraps can be composted onsite to produce a nutrient rich organic compost that can be used to grow vegetables. Producing compost keeps these organic wasted materials out of landfills, where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas Vermicomposting. - Using worms in your composting method (vermiculture) tends to speed up the process of turning organic waste into useable material for your growing medium, and generally makes for a more nutrient-rich compost. The castings can be used as a soil or growth medium for vegetable and plants but you can also add value by producing Compost Tea which can be used as a high-quality liquid fertiliser. This is made from steeping (or brewing) compost. The nutrients and beneficial microbes in the compost diffuse into the water making liquid fertiliser for your plants.

3 Traditional Composting Step by step Select a dry, shady spot near a source of water Add brown and green materials as they are collected, making sure larger pieces are chopped or shredded., Moisten dry materials as added Once your compost pile is established, mix grass clippings and green waste into the pile and bury fruit and vegetable waste under the compost Optional: Cover top of compost with a tarp to keep it moist. When the material at the bottom is dark and rich in colour, your compost is ready to use. This usually takes anywhere between two months to two years. If you do not have space for an outdoor compost pile, you can compost materials indoors using a composting bin. A properly managed compost bin will not attract pests and will not smell bad. Your compost should be ready in two to five weeks. What can be composted - Fruits and vegetables, Eggshells, Coffee grounds and filters, Tea bags, Nut shells, Shredded newspaper, Cardboard, Paper, Garden trimmings, Grass clippings, Hay and straw, Leaves, Wood chips What can t be composted Black walnut tree leaves and twigs, coal or charcoal ash, dairy, diseased or insect ridden plants, fats, grease, lard or oils, meat or fish bones and scrap and garden waste treated with pesticides Five main areas that must be controlled during composting Feedstock and Nutrient Balance - balance of green organic materials (grass clippings, food scraps, manure) which contain Nitrogen and brown organic materials (dry leaves, wood chips, and branches), which contain carbon is essential to creating good compost Particle Size - Grinding, chipping, and shredding materials increases the surface area on which microorganisms can feed and improve pile insulation to help maintain the optimal temperatures. Moisture Content - Microorganisms living in a compost pile need enough moisture to survive. Water is the key element that helps transports substances within the compost pile Oxygen Flow - Turning the pile, placing the pile on a series of pipes, or including bulking agents help aerate the pile. Aerating the pile allows decomposition to occur at a faster rate than anaerobic conditions. Temperature - Microorganisms require a certain temperature range for optimal activity. Microbial activity can raise the temperature of the pile s core to at least 140 F. If the temperature does not increase, anaerobic conditions (i.e., rotting) occur.

4 Vermicomposting Using worms in your composting method (vermiculture) tends to speed up the process of turning organic waste into useable material for your growing medium, and generally makes for a more nutrient-rich compost. Red worms in bins feed on food scraps, garden waste, and other organic matter to create compost. The worms break down this material into high quality compost called castings. One pound of mature worms (approximately 800-1,000 worms) can eat up to half a pound of organic material per day. Worms can eat there own body weight in waste per day. The bins can be sized to match the volume of food scraps that will be turned into castings. It typically takes three to four months to produce usable castings. What can be composted in Vermiculture - Anything green, especially the leafy stuff, Fruits (not citrus), Vegetables (not onion or garlic), Coffee grounds and filters, Teabags, Brown paper, Eggshells Step 1 - First task is to create a wormery. These can be bought from numerous suppliers or can be made using a bin or wheelie bin. Ideally the bin should include closable port holes at the bottom to let the compost out. In the bottom, place a 8cm (3¼in) layer of moist bedding material such as old compost and coir (coconut wire) This creates a humid layer in which the worms can burrow and begin to digest their food Add the red wriggler worms (These can be purchased from a number of online suppliers including and Cover with no more than 8-10cm (3¼-4in) layer of kitchen waste (see step 3) Leave for about one week to allow the worms time to settle into their new environment Step 2 - Separate food waste at source. Salty, greasy and acidic foods go into the food waste bin while vegetables, tea bags, egg shells etc. go in the wormery. Step 3 - Cardboard is added to regulate the moisture levels and to balance the nitrogen and carbon content of the compost. Food is added in layers so that the worms process the food Harvest the compost from the port holes at the bottom of the wormery. The harvested compost can then be used as a growing medium for growing vegetables or can be used to make compost teas.

5 Compost Teas Compost Tea is a Liquid Gold fertiliser for vegetables and plants. Compost Tea is a liquid, nutritionally rich, wellbalanced, organic supplement made by steeping aged compost in water. Step by Step Guide Step 1 - Make compost teas, Purchase a tea brewer and porous bags to hold the compost. The tea brewer is basically a plastic container with an aeration pump. Firstly you fill the porous bags with compost and then add water and tea activator to the tea brewer. a. If the water is chlorinated fill up the day before use or aerate the water for at least 60 minutes until all odour of chlorine has gone. b. The tea activator acts as a suitable food source for the microbiology contained in the compost. Step 2 - Place the porous bag containing the compost into the tea brewer and activate the aeration pump. Make sure the porous bag is fully suspended in the tea brewer Step 3 - The tea is brewed for a period of 24 to 48 hours which gives the microbiology time to multiply before being applied. If it is a warm day, 24hrs, and cold day 48 hrs. Step 4 - Apply the tea as soon as possible ideally within 4 hours of completing the brewing process. (Compost tea is full of living organisms and has a very short shelf-life.) If you cannot apply the compost tea within four 4 hours, leave it in the brewer and aerate for 5-10 minutes every hour

6 Benefits of Compost teas and Applications Vegetables, like most annual plants, love bacterial-dominated soils. By using a mixture of compost and compost teas you will increase the bacteria in your vegetable garden soils. This will naturally decrease the compaction, increase organic matter (your soils will hold more moisture, thus less watering t); and increase nutrient-availability to your vegetables (more microbes means more nutrient cycling e.g. more calcium and nitrate availability). Increases plant growth It is full of nutrients and minerals that give greener leaves, bigger and brighter blooms, and increased size and yield of vegetables. Provides nutrients to plants and soil. The fast-acting nutrients are quickly absorbed by plants through their leaves or the soil.. The plant will suffer little or no blight, mould, fungus or wilt. Provides beneficial organisms The live microbes enhance the soil and the immune system of plants.. The tea's chelated micronutrients are easy for plants to absorb. Helps to suppress diseases. A healthy balance is created between soil and plant, increasing the ability to ward off pests, diseases, fungus and the like. Its microbial functions include: competes with disease causing microbes; degrades toxic pesticides and other chemicals; produces plant growth hormones; mineralizes a plant's available nutrients; fixes nitrogen in the plant for optimal use. Replaces toxic garden chemicals Compost tea rids your garden of poisons that harm insects, wildlife, plants, soil and humans. It replaces chemical-based fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides and save money. Applications - Horticulture and Landscape For plants grown in pots or containers - compost tea may be applied via sprayer or the irrigation. Compost teas may be applied via most drip feed irrigation systems the widest nozzle or aperture is recommended. For vines, fruit trees, - Drench the root zone with at least 200 litres of good aerated compost tea per hectare. Dilute in enough water to thoroughly wet the root zone out to the drip line on larger trees For root vegetables, potatoes, bulbs, alliums. - Apply litres per hectare. Drench the soil along the rows. Apply at planting, first growth then if possible monthly during the growing season. Compost teas may be applied via the irrigation system at night or in low light conditions.

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