Easy Composting 101

A friend recently reached out asking me about how to get started composting and I ended up texting back practically a novel. But it’s really not hard at all, anyone can do it.

Background

I’m no expert, I can only share what I’ve learned over the years. ..Growing up, my family sometimes threw food scraps around one of the trees in the yard, it helped build up the soil around the tree and sometimes plants would grow out of it. Later on in college when I took an organic farming class I would work turning the compost pile out at the farm. I then gave it the good-ole-college-try and kept a compost bucket at my apartment. I kept the 5-gallon bucket on the balcony of my second-floor apartment and threw in scraps and some dirt I dug up near the river. I didn’t tend to it much and by the middle of summer I had a very heavy bucket of black goo that I ended up dumping by the wetlands near my apartment. Years later when in grad school I gave the bucket method another try, this time taking it more often to empty at a campus garden compost pile or to contribute to a friend’s pile because I didn’t have a yard. Which leads me to now, where I have access to a yard to start my own pile.

reducing greenhouse gasses

You’re basically just saving food scraps from going in the trash and eventually to the landfill. Now you might think, my food scraps will just decompose in the landfill. And I thought that too, but once dumped at a landfill, more junk is dumped on top and then sealed, blocking airflow. And when organic matter decomposes anaerobically (without air) it releases methane, which is a greenhouse gas 25x more powerful than carbon dioxide. And I don’t need to tell you that in the age of anthropogenic climate change we need to reduce our emissions ASAP.

Easy Composting youtube video

logistics

I store scraps in an old thermos/water cooler type of container in the kitchen. The insulation of the cooler helps with containing smell, and I’ve never noticed a smell. An open bucket won’t work as it will attract fruit flies. I know of some people who keep their compost in a bag/container in their freezer to reduce counter clutter and smell. Then when the container gets full I take it outside into a designated area of the yard, where I have a pile of food scraps and yard litter. The key to a productive compost pile is balancing the ratio of carbon and nitrogen materials. So when I add food scraps I also add dried leaves, grass clippings, or shredded paper/cardboard. Then every so often I take a shovel and mix the pile allowing some air circulation. Ideal compost pile conditions are hot (above 100 degrees Fahrenheit) and moist. I personally don’t water my compost pile because I think it rains enough to keep it damp, but you might need to water it from time to time. I’ve even read of folks who cover their pile from getting too wet and to trap some heat (but still allow air flow). And that’s it. It’ll do it’s own thing. You’ll probably find worms in there which help the process. There’s even a whole other composting community of people using worm bins to compost-look it up!

I’ve been working on my pile for many months now and this Spring I was pleasantly surprised to find some plants growing out of it. Specifically, pumpkins. I had tossed a few pumpkins in the pile in the Fall and come Spring, voilà, baby pumpkin plants. So I transplated those to a different location. It seems as though each time I go turn the pile I find new surprises. I’ve found a partial red onion starting to regrow. And I’ve found two avocado pits that split open and started rooting out.

I also have been able to take out a couple buckets of soil from the pile to spread onto my garden rows and to mix in with potting soil for potted plants. That’s the end goal, for the compost pile to make rich soil to be used around the yard on fruit trees, the garden, and potted plants. So it’s a win-win. Saving landfill waste, reducing greenhouse gasses, and creating soil for your garden.

other options

I have seen compost piles contained with chicken wire or 3-sided pallet enclosure. I’ve seen cone-like contraptions you place in your yard. And the fanciest bins I’ve seen are barrels that spin and have a lever you can mix the insides with. And if you live in an apartment and/or in the city with no access to a yard don’t fret. Some cities offer compost-pick up like in Boulder, CO. There might be a local community garden/farm that welcomes compost. Network with folks at farmer’s markets, friends, or even on craigslist to find someone with a yard who is willing to start one. A 3x3 space is big enough.

Compost Recipe:

Remember to balance carbon/nitrogen ratio

+ Vegetable & fruit scraps, produce that has gone “bad”, eggshells, coffee grinds, tea, hair, pet fur, lint

- No meat products (scraps, bones, etc) [I actually don’t know for sure on this one, it’s just something that I must have been told in the past and since I eat a vegetarian diet I don’t have meat products anyway]

+ Green/brown matter such as dried leaves, grass clippings, shredded paper/cardboard, even compostable to-go containers

= rich, dark humus to be used in plant containers, on garden crops, or just as fill over tree roots