Home composting can divert an average of 700 lbs of material per household per year from going into the landfill. The materials for making compost are cheap; just food and yard scraps. Compost improves soil structure and fertility, and loosens clay soil and increases the water-holding capacity for sandy soil. It also provides food for all the soil microorganisms, which keep the soil in a healthy balanced condition.
By home composting we are merely replicating Mother Nature’s system of breaking down all the decaying material falling on the forest floor by the little organisms living in the soil.
The Vespro Backyard Composter
This is a terrific composter for any urban garden. Available at Sloat this summer!
Directions: Choose a level, well-drained site in sun or shade, near a water source with some space around it (you will need space around it so you can turn the pile and for air circulation).
Add layers of chopped up browns and greens (see below explanation) at a ratio of 60% browns to 40% greens (the smaller the particles the more quickly it will break down). Add Compost Activator or a little chicken manure to speed up the process. Larger piles break down faster.
Add water with each layer --this will evenly distribute moisture throughout the pile. Microbes need moisture to live and move within the pile. The pile should feel damp like a squeezed-out sponge.
Turn the pile. This not only reduces odor problems, but adds oxygen, breaks up compacted material and speeds up the decomposing process.
To avoid flies and rodent visitors, wrap fruit and veg scraps in newspaper and bury in the center of the pile. Avoid adding plants sprayed with pesticides or those with disease, weeds with seeds, dog/cat feces, charcoal briquettes, fats, oil, grease, meat, bones and dairy products.
If you are an active composter you will produce compost faster (4-6 weeks possibly) but it requires a larger pile, more turning, and more watering. This will be a hotter pile and worms won’t be present. Passive composting takes longer (6 months to a year), with less turning and occasional watering, but with lots more worms and other soil-munchers.
Browns and Greens
Browns can be leaves, sawdust from untreated wood, newspaper torn in strips (not the shiny ads), yard waste chipped small, paperboard (cereal boxes, egg cartons, paper plates and napkins), dried grasses, small amounts of wood ash from untreated wood. Bulky items like twigs over 4” will break down more slowly but they keep the pile from compacting and help with air flow.
Greens can be grass clippings (thin layers), coffee grounds with filter paper, crushed egg shells, tea bags, grains, feathers, manures from healthy herbivores like cows, rabbits, horses, fruit/vegetable scraps. Wrap fruit/veg scraps in newspaper and bury in the center of the pile to avoid rodent problems.
For the Tumbleweed Compost Maker:
Choose a sunny position on the soil or concrete with room to turn the composter. The ground does not need to be perfectly flat. Fill the bin with small particles of greens and browns, which is great for lawn clippings. If contents are too wet, add more dry leaves or newspaper scraps. Turn every two to three days.
This is good for gardeners who are concerned with rodent visitors, like things very tidy and want something easier to turn instead of forking a whole pile. It's also good for those who may not generate a lot of yard clippings.
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