I was first introduced to the idea of composting about 10 years ago when I bought the house I currently live in. As the previous owner handed me the keys, he said, “Oh yeah, there’s a big compost bin behind the garage.” Not knowing what that really was, I said, “Great, thanks!” When I looked in my new compost bin, all I saw was dirt, and I didn’t really understand what it was for.
Fast forward 10 years and multiple attempts at successful composting, I think I know what I’m doing now. My last try last summer just resulted in dry dirt- nothing really composted, and all my kitchen scraps went to waste. Over the past winter, I started a worm farm with my son, and through my research, I finally figured out the secret to a good compost bin: the right mixture of stuff, and worms to help with the process.
Compost is the result of organic matter (plant parts and food scraps) decomposing with the aid of water, oxygen, invertebrate organisms (i.e. worms), and beneficial bacteria. The dark brown finished product is not soil, but a soil amendment that can added to garden soil to help it retain moisture and nutrients. It improves problem soils and encourages the growth of microorganisms that maintain plant and soil health.
This past weekend, I started my outdoor compost bin over from scratch. As I dug everything out, I realized another problem- the tree in my neighbor’s yard had spread its roots in my compost bin! It took me about two hours to get everything out, and I still have a big piece of root stuck to the bottom of the bin. I moved the bin from the tree’s way, and put landscape cloth at the bottom to ward off more roots and weeds. I then added some dry leaves that were behind my garage, some fresh grass clippings from my lawn mower, shredded newspaper, good soil, a couple of handfuls of manure, coffee grounds and some of the worms from my worm farm. I sprayed some water in the bin (it’s good to keep it moist). Then, I added some the kitchen scraps I had saved from the past few days- apple skin and cores, sweet potato peels, banana peels, eggshells, watermelon rinds, etc.
A couple of days later, I added some more food scraps and coffee grinds, and turned the bin a little with a tree branch. My helper wanted to make sure the worms were still in there.
My goal is to use the compost to help fertilize my vegetable and flower garden. It’s also a great way to use the food we don’t eat in a way that will benefit us. This reduces trash and landfill waste, which is a great reason to compost!
Some general rules for composting:
- You have to consistently mix the stuff in the bin. Turning the compost pile aerates the materials in the bin and speeds up the composting process.
- Do NOT add meat, fish, dairy, oil, bones, human or animal waste, diseased or chemically-treated plants or paper with colored ink
- Keep it moist. That means in warm weather, you may have to check it every day to make sure it doesn’t dry out.
- Mix it up! A combination of different textures and nutrients will make a good fertilize that helps plants grown hardy and prevent disease and pests.
Do you compost? Please share how and where!