Composting!

Discover Composting

What is Composting?

• Composting is a method of treating solid waste by using microorganisms ability to break material down.

• The broken down material can be reapplied to the environment – “brown gold” is like natural fertilizer that your plants will LOVE!

Why Compost?

• Americans generate about 210 million tons of trash each year!

• Most of that (about 57%) is dumped in landfills.

• Another 27% is recycled – think paper, plastic, glass and metals

• What about the rest?

How do you set up a Compost bin?

• Good composting creates an ideal environment for microorganisms to break down or cause decay in organic matter– Air– Water– soil (or another source of microorganisms)– Organic waste – newspaper, leaves, grass, kitchen

waste, woody shrubs, etc.

How do the Microorganisms work?

• Microorganisms consume the organic waste and break it down into simple parts

• This creates humus• No, not the stuff you eat.• Humus is the dark brown or black layer that

contains the broken down organic matter PLUS inorganic nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

You mean there’s a food-web in there???

• A compost pile is actually a complex organization of living things.

• Bacteria and fungi break down the organic matter – single celled protozoa, small worms and mites feed on the bacteria and fungi – predatory invertebrates (millipedes, beetles, etc.) feed on the protozoa, mites and worms.

Choose a Site

• Make sure your compost pile is discretely away from your house, but not so far that you don’t use it or help to maintain it!

• Other things to consider:– Can your neighbors see your compost pile?– Downwind – even good piles smell at times– Sunlight – too much dries it out, but some will help to warm

the pile– Drainage – good drainage is key to keeping the pile from

becoming water logged– Base – bare earth is better than concrete

Choose a Structure

• Depends on your yard and how active you’re going to be in your composting process

• Make sure the structure is ventilated to allow more oxygen to reach your microorganisms

Add Ingredients

Kitchen Waste– Fruit and vegetable wastes -

peels, skins, seeds, leaves – Egg shells – Coffee grounds (including

paper filters), tea bags, used paper napkins

– Corncobs - should be shredded to make them break down quickly

Yard Waste– Grass clippings - Some grass is okay,

but too much will add excess nitrogen to the compost pile and make it smell bad. It may be best to use a mulching lawn mower for your grass.

– Leaves – Pine needles – Weeds – Woody materials (branches, twigs) – Straw or hay

Other stuff:Newspapers, sawdust & sea weed (just in case you have some around the house)

DO NOT ADD THESE:• Human waste or pet litter - They carry diseases and parasites, as

well as cause an unpleasant odor. • Diseased garden plants - They can infect the compost pile and

influence the finished product. • Invasive weeds - Spores and seeds of invasive weeds (buttercups,

morning glory, quack grass) can survive the decomposition process and spread to your desired plants when you use the finished compost.

• Charcoal ashes - They are toxic to the soil microorganisms. • Glossy paper - The inks are toxic to the soil microorganisms. • Pesticide-treated plant material - These are harmful to the compost

food-web organisms, and pesticides may survive into the finished compost.

Care and Feeding

• Turning the compost frequently allows the microorganisms to get adequate oxygen

• Finished compost settles to the bottom because of it’s small size– When is it done?• Finished compost does not smell bad – it smells like

earth or peat moss• It is warm – the microorganisms release heat as they

break down the organic matter• Gas bubbles are ok – it’s just CO2 being released from

the microorganisms

Benefits:

• 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 • Decrease the amount of waste you send off to a landfill!!!