Making Compost

Making compost is the breaking down of organic materials using microorganisms and air. It is the finished product which is good for mixing with garden soil. Alone, this brown manure cannot help the garden. It has to be mixed with dirt.

Humus is used as a soil conditioner and an organic fertilizer. If used directly on plants it would “burn” them to death. The humus produced in making compost is a porous material that holds moisture and other minerals that help provide nutrients to our plants.

Composting also benefits the environment by limiting the amount of products going into landfills. Anything that can be re-used should be recycled to save our plant’s resources.

This organic matter has come from what was once living organisms that are capable of decomposition. For instance, a cucumber was once living. It was growing and making seeds to continue in the reproduction of its species.

But then it was picked, peeled and eaten. The peelings are the matter good for compost since they are no longer living but are in a decaying state.

There are two classes of organic matter that go into making compost. They are Green which are high in nitrogen and Brown which are high in carbon.

Making compost with green waste is basically anything that has moisture in it. Some examples are coffee grounds and the filters, certain food waste, garden waste, grass clippings, certain manures, egg shells, hay and seaweed.

Brown waste are wood ash, sawdust, bark, cardboard that has been shredded, dried corn stalks, dried leaves, and the black/white print pages of a newspaper. Do not use the colored pages.

These green and brown materials are taken and mixed into a bin of some sort; however there is a ratio that they have to be mixed in order to get the rich, humus. The bulk of the material should be carbon with portions of nitrogen added to help produce the humus.

In our vegetable garden, we will have vegetables that are for some reason ruined. You can use this garden waste in your pile. however, if the vegetable is diseased, it is best to throw it away. For instance, birds and insects will get some of our produce. They will eat a part of it and leave the rest behind. These ruined vegetables are OK to put on the pile.

Human manure can also be used, but I suggest not using it. In South Korea, the farmers use human feces on their rice patties. My tank once broke down on a rice paddy while I was stationed there. I felt really dirty having to work on it knowing what I was on.

Cow/sheep/goat/rabbit/horse manures are OK to use. If you live out in the country, you may have an abundance of these. Do not use pet manures for good growth. These could have diseases in them. However, they can be used for flowers and trees.

We had an abundance of cow paddies so we used those. We also had some rabbits and used their manure. However, we stayed away from using the chicken manure. One drawback was weeds. We had to make sure our recipe had a high heat to kill any weed seeds.

Vegetables and fruit scrapes are also good for the Green matter. However, stay away from fats, bone, meat and anything that is from an animal. These tend to slow down the decomposing process as well as attract pests.

Grass clippings could be used in making compost. However, I think you should be using a mulching lawn mower which chops the grass up small and lays down a nice layer of thatch that will help keep our grass looking great.

Even though hay is suggested, I would stay away from it. My days as a young boy hauling hay tells me there is a lot of stuff in hay besides hay. Insects and weeds would be my concern.

Never use any hay and manure you may get from a stable when making compost. This will have fleas.

Do not use any inorganic materials like plastic, foil or metal. Do not use any dairy products since these contain the fat we do not want in our pile.

These items are mixed in some sort of bin, a pile or even in the ground. Probably the best way, especially, if you have limited space is using some sort of bin. There are many types of bins to use. You will have to pick out one that you think will work best for you.

You will also have to decide on a location for making compost. An area that is abundant with air and sunshine works best. Also, you may want to keep your bin up wind. There will be some smell, but there should not be a bad, persistent smell of trash. If so, then something is not right with your compost.

Depending on air, sunshine, placement, and type of bin you use will determine how long it will take to produce the compost. It could take from three months to a year.

I have not had a compost pile per say. What I have done is dug holes and planted the kitchen scrapes in these holes. After only a few weeks, they have absorbed themselves into the soil. My soil is in the best condition it has ever been in.

I have been using vegetable peelings, coffee grinds, tea grinds and egg shells for my compost. I also noticed some worms eating on this as I was tilling the soil in the strawberry patch.

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