Compost for Rest of Us
We all know compost is a good thing, maybe even the best thing both for our gardens and for the environment. We've also seen the multitude of articles about composting that include large amounts of space, materials measured in cubic yards, backbreaking labor, or expensive equipment to save you on the labor. Cautions about mixes of nitrogenous and carbonaceous ingredients, smell, temperature- its a maze many of us don't want to attempt to navigate, or we've failed to navigate when we tried. So much work. The 'experts' tell us their way is the only way.
I disagree.
I make compost in plastic lidded garbage cans, and don't work at it very hard. Its a little slow, but every spring I have four close-to-thirty gallon garbage cans of aged compost to start the year off with, and I've kept hundreds of pounds of stuff out of the landfill.
All my yard waste (and some of my neighbors) goes into my cans, along with any uncooked non meat kitchen waste. I keep a plastic coffee can on the counter next to the sink, into that goes eggshells, coffee grounds, carrot potato onion peels, mushroom stems- anything raw that we produce in the course of the day.
Wait a minute, you say- what about the carbon/nitrogen ratio?
I figure all the weeds, grasses, spent veggie plants- garlic & carrot greens, zucchini leaves & stems, etc- count as nitrogen. For the carbon content, I ad carbon. pretty simple. We like to sit out at the fire pit in the spring evenings, when we all quit to go inside I put the fire out with a watering can, In the morning, I take the charcoals and add them to my cans. I also add the paper I've shredded- bills, non glossy circulars, etc. Paper has a high carbon content, and inks today are non toxic. Viola.
There is one problem with my system- seeds don't die, so your compost will be loaded with junk plants. My solution for that is to spread compost on the beds early in the spring, cover with plastic and let them sprout. Pull them out, throw them in the cans. Burn them off with a torch. Turn them under. Leave the plastic on as mulch and cut through it to plant tomatoes, or zucchini, or peppers. Lay down newspaper as mulch, maybe with a little dirt to hold it down.
DO THIS:
Cut drill or punch some drainage holes in your cans, right at the bottom so excess water can drain out.
What doesn't go in the cans? Nothing cooked, salted, buttered, oiled. No meats, cheeses, milk products of any kind. Stick to the veggies and rodents (rats) wont be interested. Lets face it if they like the dandelions we'd stop calling them vermin. any kind of peel, including banana peels, apple or pepper cores, asparagus stems, etc. Throw in lettuce hearts, outer leaves, spoiled bananas, potatoes or any other fruit or veggie.
Use the lid to regulate the amount of water that goes into your can. I turn the lids upside down and let them catch rainwater- since I keep my cans right up against the garage the roof drippings fill the lids with even a little rain. If the contents are damp, dump the water on the garden or lawn. If things look a little dry, dump the lid into the compost. If it hasn't rained in a while I add water to the coffee can of fresh scraps on the way out to dump it. We eat a lot of fresh produce in season, and the coffee can fills up every day or two.
So now it's mid-summer and you find little fruit flies have invaded your compost garbage can. Yuck. Not really harmful, not even a nuisance most of the time, but personally I want them gone. I'm concerned they might be consuming nutrients I want in my garden next year. Throw a couple shovels full of dirt on the top of the can, maybe half in inch thick spread out evenly. Not only does the dirt eliminate the bugs, it gives a shot of beneficial microbes, and maybe an earthworm or two to your can. Win-Win. (Try a layer of charcoal, or shredded paper- they might work too. haven't tried them yet...)
Improvements: chopping grinding or otherwise reducing the size of the material on the way into the can would speed the process. There are all kinds of ideas out there to accomplish this (the lawnmower with the hole in the deck is terrifying!) But I have yet to try any of them. Scissors would do it. Hatchet and a log-cutting block would work. Twigs and branches get burned to charcoal, long grasses and stems I just struggle with until they begin to break down. Some day I'll find something that I want to try, and you'll be the first to know. Send me a link if you find something that looks good.
Lets Grow Something
Buffalo Bif
We all know compost is a good thing, maybe even the best thing both for our gardens and for the environment. We've also seen the multitude of articles about composting that include large amounts of space, materials measured in cubic yards, backbreaking labor, or expensive equipment to save you on the labor. Cautions about mixes of nitrogenous and carbonaceous ingredients, smell, temperature- its a maze many of us don't want to attempt to navigate, or we've failed to navigate when we tried. So much work. The 'experts' tell us their way is the only way.
I disagree.
I make compost in plastic lidded garbage cans, and don't work at it very hard. Its a little slow, but every spring I have four close-to-thirty gallon garbage cans of aged compost to start the year off with, and I've kept hundreds of pounds of stuff out of the landfill.
I like the locking lid, it has less tendency to blow away.
All my yard waste (and some of my neighbors) goes into my cans, along with any uncooked non meat kitchen waste. I keep a plastic coffee can on the counter next to the sink, into that goes eggshells, coffee grounds, carrot potato onion peels, mushroom stems- anything raw that we produce in the course of the day.
Wait a minute, you say- what about the carbon/nitrogen ratio?
I figure all the weeds, grasses, spent veggie plants- garlic & carrot greens, zucchini leaves & stems, etc- count as nitrogen. For the carbon content, I ad carbon. pretty simple. We like to sit out at the fire pit in the spring evenings, when we all quit to go inside I put the fire out with a watering can, In the morning, I take the charcoals and add them to my cans. I also add the paper I've shredded- bills, non glossy circulars, etc. Paper has a high carbon content, and inks today are non toxic. Viola.
There is one problem with my system- seeds don't die, so your compost will be loaded with junk plants. My solution for that is to spread compost on the beds early in the spring, cover with plastic and let them sprout. Pull them out, throw them in the cans. Burn them off with a torch. Turn them under. Leave the plastic on as mulch and cut through it to plant tomatoes, or zucchini, or peppers. Lay down newspaper as mulch, maybe with a little dirt to hold it down.
DO THIS:
Cut drill or punch some drainage holes in your cans, right at the bottom so excess water can drain out.
What doesn't go in the cans? Nothing cooked, salted, buttered, oiled. No meats, cheeses, milk products of any kind. Stick to the veggies and rodents (rats) wont be interested. Lets face it if they like the dandelions we'd stop calling them vermin. any kind of peel, including banana peels, apple or pepper cores, asparagus stems, etc. Throw in lettuce hearts, outer leaves, spoiled bananas, potatoes or any other fruit or veggie.
Use the lid to regulate the amount of water that goes into your can. I turn the lids upside down and let them catch rainwater- since I keep my cans right up against the garage the roof drippings fill the lids with even a little rain. If the contents are damp, dump the water on the garden or lawn. If things look a little dry, dump the lid into the compost. If it hasn't rained in a while I add water to the coffee can of fresh scraps on the way out to dump it. We eat a lot of fresh produce in season, and the coffee can fills up every day or two.
So now it's mid-summer and you find little fruit flies have invaded your compost garbage can. Yuck. Not really harmful, not even a nuisance most of the time, but personally I want them gone. I'm concerned they might be consuming nutrients I want in my garden next year. Throw a couple shovels full of dirt on the top of the can, maybe half in inch thick spread out evenly. Not only does the dirt eliminate the bugs, it gives a shot of beneficial microbes, and maybe an earthworm or two to your can. Win-Win. (Try a layer of charcoal, or shredded paper- they might work too. haven't tried them yet...)
Improvements: chopping grinding or otherwise reducing the size of the material on the way into the can would speed the process. There are all kinds of ideas out there to accomplish this (the lawnmower with the hole in the deck is terrifying!) But I have yet to try any of them. Scissors would do it. Hatchet and a log-cutting block would work. Twigs and branches get burned to charcoal, long grasses and stems I just struggle with until they begin to break down. Some day I'll find something that I want to try, and you'll be the first to know. Send me a link if you find something that looks good.
Lets Grow Something
Buffalo Bif
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