Composting in Style to Make Garden Gold!
Composting - simple ways to get started!
Aside from the basic requirements for decomposition and preventing odors and other nuisances, there is no set method for building a compost pile. One technique may be faster than another, but a variety of methods work well. First you need to decide what you’ll use to compost – build a bin (3 holder style works best), Single Bin will work, get a tumbler, or just dig a hole in the ground. Whatever way you decide, should fit into your garden and lifestyle. Once you’ve determined what works best in your yard – now get ready to COMPOST! Microorganisms, carbons are the basic building block of existence and a basis of energy, nitrogen is also essential for such things as proteins, genetic materials and cell structure.
Bins: Compost bins are enclosed on the sides and top, and open on the bottom so they sit directly on the ground. This allows worms and other beneficial organisms to aerate the compost and be transported to your garden beds. Lay twigs or straw first, a few inches deep. This aids drainage and helps aerate the pile. Add compost materials in layers, alternating moist and dry or they will clump together and be slow to break down. By adding greens like grass clippings or any nitrogen source you will help activate the compost pile and speed up the process. Make sure to keep your pile moist but not wet. Turn every few weeks to give oxygen that is required for the process to work. A 3 holder style works best because you move compost over time from one bin to the next until you have complete compost.
Tumbler: Which is mainly made of dark plastic which helps maintain relatively high temperatures in drum/tumbler systems, both because the container acts as insulation and because the turning keeps the microbes aerated and active. This activation speeds up the composting process. A healthy compost pile should have much more carbon than nitrogen. A simple rule of thumb is to use one-third green and two-thirds brown materials. The bulkiness of the brown materials allows oxygen to penetrate and nourish the organisms that reside there. Too much nitrogen makes for a dense, smelly, slowly decomposing anaerobic mass. Good composting cleanliness means covering fresh nitrogen-rich material, which can release odors if open to the elements, with carbon-rich material, which often exudes a fresh, pleasant smell. If you’re not sure , add more carbon!
Here are some tips:
Carbon-rich brown materials, such a leaves, shrub pruning’s, straw or hay, dead flowers from your garden, wood ash, wood chips, dryer lint, corn cobs, wood chips, toilet paper & paper towel rolls and shredded newspaper. These materials can be important for maintaining air pockets in the compost.
Nitrogen rich green materials, such as bone meal, blood meal, fish wastes, grass clippings, seaweed, kelp, tea leaves, coffee grounds, chicken manure, vegetable or fruit table or garden scraps but NO MEAT! Nitrogen and phosphorous in compost are generally found in both plant-available forms (NO3,NH4, and P2O5) and organic forms. Much of the nutrients bound in organic forms will be made "plant-available" as the organic matter decomposes. These can also be used as a compost accelerator or activator. Nitrogen tends to heat the compost up and moves bacterial growth, it’s the microbes protein.
Eggshells are a NEUTRAL component for you compost – Best when crushed. Adding eggshells to compost will help add calcium, this important nutrient helps plants build cell walls.
Avoid materials contaminated with one or several herbicides.
Once again – NO MEAT or MEAT BY products.
A good location is important and should be located in a warm area that’s protected from overexposure to wind or too much direct sunlight. While heat and air facilitate composting, overexposure dries the materials. The location should not offend neighbors.
A pile that is decomposing accurately should generate temperatures of 140°-160°F at its center. The heat kills most weed seeds, insect eggs and diseases. The mass should be turned when the center begins to cool. Turning the pile maintains the temperature and ensures that all material is exposed to the center heat. When the compost is finished, the pile will no longer heat up.
Finished compost is dark brown, crumbly, and has an earthy odor. Depending upon seasonal temperatures, a well-built, well-tended pile usually yields complete compost in 2 weeks to 4 months. An unattended pile made with un-shredded matter may take longer than a year to decompose.
If you have too many leaves to incorporate into the compost storage bin, you can simply compost the pile of leaves by itself. Position the pile where drainage is adequate; a shaded area will help keep the pile from drying out.
Microscopic organisms in compost help aerate the soil, break down organic material for plant use and ward off plant disease. Plus, composting is good for the environment it offers a natural alternative to chemical fertilizers.
For more information contact your local Extension Office or call Moore County Extension Office starting in March 2nd between 10 am and noon for more details.
Within the next few months we’ll cover the idea of Worm Composting and how to use Eggshells in the Garden to fight off pests like slugs, snails, and cutworms.
Keep watching for our BLOGS.
Website: http://moore.ces.ncsu.edu or call 910-947-3188
Blog Author: Gloria Polakof enjoys helping people learn as much as possible about gardening and believes in supporting our local Farmers as a Locavore.
