Composting is a family affair.Compost educator displaying finished compost to student group.
Reducing the kitchen and yardwaste in our landfills is something we can all do with very little effort.There are three basic types of composting, Hot compost,Cold compost and Buried Compost. Hot compost is what everyone talks about,bins,tempeture,turning,layering basically working with nature to biodegrade your kitchen and yardwaste into a rich humus to replenish your garden. This method is very rewarding. Next is the cold method of composting,find a spot in your yard and start piling your yardwaste and kitchen scraps(no bones). As time goes bye these natural biodegradable materials will break down and make compost. It will take longer than the HOT COMPOST METHOD, BUT IT WILL WORK. Next is what I call the Buried Composting, dig various holes and bury your kitchen scraps and yard waste. This will make nutrients available to the soil as time goes bye. Any combination of these methods will reduce waste in our landfuls and recyle nutrients back to nature. There are other methods of composting that I have not mentioned, but the above are simple ways the whole family can get started reducing the waste in our landfills and grow greener gardens.
Along with fuel efficiency, water conservation, and reduction in meat consumption, home composting is one of the most environmentally beneficial activities you can participate in. Yard and food waste make up approximately thirty percent of the waste stream in the U.S. If every household participated in composting, it would divert a significant portion of the waste stream from our landfills and water treatment facilities. If you combined composting with recycling cans, newspapers, and plastic, you could reduce your waste flow by almost fifty percent! By composting, you are preventing our crowded landfills from overflowing and giving something back to nature.wikipedia...
Composting is the purposeful biodegradation of organic matter, such as yard and food waste. The decomposition is performed by micro-organisms, mostly bacteria, but also yeasts and fungi. In low temperature phases a number of macro-organisms, such as springtails, ants, nematodes, isopods and earthworms also contribute to the process, as well as soldier fly, fruit flies and fungus gnats. There are a wide range of organisms in the decomposer community.A biodegradable material is capable of being completely broken down under the action of microorganisms into carbon dioxide, water and biomass. It may take a very long time for some material to biodegrade depending on its environment (e.g. wood in an arid area versus paper in water), but it ultimately breaks down completely. Many contaminating materials not dealt with in common composting are in fact "biodegradeable", and may be dealt with via bioremediation, or other special composting approaches.A compostable material biodegrades substantially under specific composting conditions. It is metabolized by the microorganisms, being incorporated into the organisms or converted into humus. The size of the material is a factor in determining compostability, and mechanical particle size reduction can speed the process. Large pieces of hardwood may not be compostable under a specific set of composting conditions, whereas sawdust of the same type of wood may be. Some biodegradeable materials are only compostable under very specific conditions, usually with an industrial process. Wikipedia click here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compost
A Lazy Approach to Composting
Now is a great time to get out in the yard
and build a simple compost bin. Believe it or not
composting can be addicting!
Once you see what beautiful compost you can create with
very little effort, and how well your plants do in a bed that is enriched with homemade compost, you'll be all excited
about making more and more compost.
Most people want to complicate a really simple thing like
compost by telling you that you must have the exact ratio
of greens, browns, carbon and nitrogen. Then they want
you to get out there and throw your back out digging around
in the bins trying to turn the compost every so many days.
Hogwash!
Here . . . I'll give you my composting recipe:
If it's yard waste, put it in the bin.
Really, that's about how I do it. Just be careful not to fill the bin with all grass clippings. They will start to stink and if you disturb the pile they'll stink even more. If you are
putting a lot of grass clippings in your compost bin you
should put a layer of brown material, even if it's just straw over every few inches of grass clippings. Then you'll be fine.
I just put all of my yard waste in the bin, then when the bin is so full that it won't hold anymore, I mix it up with my rototiller as I remove it from the bin. That's the only time my compost gets turned. On it's way out of the bin!
I add my compost to a flower bed and the plants love it!
leaf mold
Leaf mold is one of the most valued sources of organic matter a gardener can use. It makes an excellent soil conditioner, improve drainage and water retention, but it also has low levels of nutrients and is usually slightly acidic.
Although leaves can be included on the compost heap, they are best composted separately, as they are slow to break down, which is likely to take a year or more. Mid autumn is the best time to start making a leaf mold because of the quantity of the fallen leaves.
For large gardens, the traditional method of making leaf mold is to have wire-sided composters that hold the leaves as they decompose. Staple chicken wire to 2 wooden stakes of equal length. Then hammer the stakes 30 cm into the ground. Insert 2 more stakes into the ground and staple the wire to them, securing the 2 cut ends of wire to one of the stakes.
A leaf mold bin should be broad and reasonably low to allow for easy access to the middle. You will need to compact the leaves after putting them in by treading on them, or firming with a rake. Except for watering in dry weather, they need little further attention while decompose.
But if we take into consideration that the average garden is small, it may be difficult to find room to make leaf mold, but this does not mean it is impossible.
Plastic bags, such old potting compost bag, trash bags or fertilizer bags make good alternative containers for bins and they ca be stored in any extra space around the garden. Make few holes with a fork in the bag for drainage. Collect the leaves and place them in the bag, to every layer of leaves add a small amount of organic fertilizer, this will help the leaves to decompose a bit faster.
When the bag is almost full, place it in the position where it is to be left while its content decompose and water it thoroughly so that the contents are soaking wet. Check it from time to time to see when is ready.
Vermicompost; Let worms eat your organic waste! They will happily turn it into some of the best fertilizer on earth - worm compost, otherwise known as “worm castings” or “vermicompost.” A fascinating, fun and easy way to recycle your organic kitchen wastes, vermiculture:http://earth911.com/blog/2007/04/02/composting-with-worms/
Composting is a family affair.Compost educator displaying finished compost to student group.
