An Introduction to COMPOST "Don t throw out your trash; it can become your treasure" "Compost is a metaphor for healthy living "Composting helps us establish a relationship with the environment"
COMPOST A Gardener s GOLD
10 good reasons why you should compost: 1. Composting your kitchen and yard trimmings helps divert that waste from the landfill, waterways and water treatment facilities. 2. Healthy plants from healthy soil look better, produce better and have a much greater ability to fight off pests and diseases. 3. You will significantly reduce pest problems and your use of pesticides. 4. Adding organic materials to the soil improves moisture retention. 5. Helps prevent soil erosion by reducing water runoff.
6. Amends both sandy and clay soils. 7. Provides a balanced, slow release source of nutrients that helps the soil hold nutrients long enough for plants to use them. 8. Saves money you you avoid the cost of buying soil conditioners, bagged manure etc. 9. Adding decomposed organic material to the soil feeds beneficial organisms. It feels good! 10.
Botanic Gardens Compost Bin
No Bin required just piled on the ground
Botanic Gardens 3-Bin 3
Compost Tumbler Storey Blvd, Farm House
Samples of Compost tumblers If selecting a commercial bin, look for one that s easy to load and unload, easy to turn, is made at least in part from recycled materials and has replacement parts available.
Brittany Drive, Cheyenne Cage Compost Bin
Carpenter, WY
David s 1 st Attempt 5 Bins (3 X3 X3 )
David s 2 nd attempt 5 Bins (4 x4 x4 ) Front Easy access
SLOT GUIDES: Cheap ½ copper pipe
Backside under construction
Keep one bin on an end empty South
Vine cage made from rebar
OK for Compost Just about anything organic that doesn t contain fat or bones: Cloth, rope Dryer Lint Coffee Grounds/Tea bags Egg Shells & paper containers Fall Leaves Garden trimmings Grass clippings Paper towel rolls Peanut hulls Pet or Human hair Shredded paper Vacuum Cleaner Sweepings Vegetable Cooking Oil (used) Vegetable and fruit scraps Sawdust (not from treated timber) NOT OK for Compost Barbecue ashes Bread/cake (attracts mice) Branches (Large) Dairy products Diseased Plants Grease from meats Meats/ Bones/ Fats Kitty Litter Magazines (No glossy pictures) Metals, plastic & glass Pet waste (dogs/cats) Weeds that have seeds or underground stems
Moisture, Air & optimum mass (at least 3 X3 X3 ) Materials in a 30:1 carbon to nitrogen mix It is called a hot pile as the temperatures will reach 140 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit To kill weed seeds these temperatures must be reach 130 degrees F Attracts the most efficient microbes called thermophilic bacteria
Plastic vent pipe in 3 X3 X3
Moisture, Air & optimum mass (at least 3 X3 X3 ) Materials in a 30:1 carbon to nitrogen mix It is called a hot pile as the temperatures will reach 140 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit To kill weed seeds these temperatures must be reach 130 degrees F Attracts the most efficient microbes called thermophilic bacteria
Layering Browns & Greens
Moisture, Air & optimum mass (at least 3 X3 X3 ) Materials in a 30:1 carbon to nitrogen mix It is called a hot pile as the temperatures will reach 140 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit To kill weed seeds these temperatures must be reach 130 degrees F Attracts the most efficient microbes called thermophilic bacteria
Browns High in Carbon autumn leaves, cardboard cores from toilet paper and paper towels, coffee filters, corn cobs, cotton or wool rags, cotton string, rope, dryer lint, eggshells, grain hulls, dried grass clippings, shredded paper, paper towels, tissues, peanut hulls, sawdust, rope, vacuum cleaner sweepings Greens High in Nitrogen fruits and peels, green leaves, human or pet hair, moldy food, weeds without mature seeds, nonmeat food scraps, coffee grounds Browns include some materials that appear green-- broccoli and sunflower stalks, for example--but fall into the brown category because of their rough texture.
Favorites on the Internet List of Nitrogen and Carbons http://www.mastercomposter.com/ref/orgmat1.html Denver Urban Gardens (DUG) http:/dug.org/home.html Florida s Online Composting Center www.compostinfo.com/tutorial/greensandbrowns.htm Front Range Living Colorado www.frontrangeliving.com/garden/compost.htm Gardenguides.com www.gardenguides.com/tipsandtechniques/compost.htm Garden Organic www.organicgardening.org.uk/organicgardening/gh_comp.php Mastercomposter.com www.mastercomposter.com
Chipper, document shredder & mulching lawn mower
Mulching with a lawn mower
Surprises! Ant eggs in compost
Seedlings growing on top
Shredded: soda/beer/cereal boxes, eggs shells & containers, junk mail (Bills?), coffee grounds & filters, vegetables, French fry oil, vacuum material, tooth picks, labels from recycled cans
Tortillas, banana peels, paper towel rolls, string, garden plants, dead headed flowers, house plants, paper grocery bags
When to turn the compost Turn the pile every time its temperature starts to decrease. If you add moisture as needed when you turn it, it should heat up again. This method allows for the quickest time to finished compost. Guide to turning a pile: 3 days heated to 160 degrees F 10 days heated to 140 degrees F 30 days 122 degrees F Clearly this is a factor in increasing the decomposition rate.
110 degree Compost in December Outside temps were 14 degrees
Lessons Learned Build the pile at least 3 X3 X3 Have easy full access to the front (saves your back) Do not used treated lumber (Arsenic poisoning) Do not build up against a fence or building Place in the sun. Grow a vine over it for summer shade Cover during the summer rains (Nutrients won t leech)
Lessons Learned continued Pitch fork for turning your compost Whole leaves are difficult to turn from bin to bin Mulch your material. 14 to 1 ratio Water the ground well before adding material: invites worms, centipedes, beetles etc Tree roots will invade your pile if not turned Citrus (oranges, lemons, grapefruits) kills the red wiggler worm Let egg shells dry for 24 hours before crushing by hand Screen your finished compost
Finished composts can do the following: Improve the soil structure in your garden or yard Increase the activity of soil microbes Enhance the nutrients of your soil Improve the chemistry of your soil, particularly the degree of acidity (ph) Insulate the changes in soil temperature around plants and trees Improve insect/disease resistance in your garden plants and trees
Collect the Finished Compost There is no strict definition of when the compost is done. Basically, if you think it's done, it's done. Here are some parameters that you can use to judge this:
Size - Has the volume of the compost reduced by 50 to 75 percent? Appearance - Can you recognize anything in it as the trash you put in? Color - Is it dark brown or black? Temperature - After you turn the pile, measure the temperature. If it is below 100 F (38 C), then it is probably done. Stain When holding the compost in your hands it should NOT stain your hands? Smell - Does it smell earthy like soil? Texture - Is it smooth or crumbly? Friable?
Easily crumbled. Healthy soil is friable,, so if you hold up a handful of soil and wiggle your fingers the particles of soil should fall out of your hand... Friable defined
Compost will HELP achieve healthy Plants