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Composting.
It's a practice humans have been using probably as long as they have
been gardening. Volumes have been written about it, so it is conceivable
that this article could be quite lengthy. Instead of trying to touch
upon all facets of composting, this week's article will focus on what
composting is, why it is important, and what should be composted,
and the discussion will continue next week!
Composting is really the decomposition component of the food cycle.
Everything that was living will die, and when it does, other organisms,
like bacteria, fungi, and earthworms (to name a few) eat and/or work
upon the dead tissue. The end result is that the original animal or
plant is now back in its simplest state as nutrients. The surrounding
soil is built up by what was broken down, and the plants that are
growing in that soil will use the nutrients left behind by the dead
things to create more plant life. Decomposition is a very natural
process, but humans have discovered that if they encourage the decomposition,
the resulting organic matter - humus - is a wonderful amendment to
the garden.
Composting is a very important process. It is nature's way to recycle
nutrients. Gardeners who compost lawn, garden and food waste help
the environment in a variety of ways. Not only are they encouraging
the natural life cycle, but they are also cutting down on the waste
that might be bagged and put into landfills. Backyard composting for
a home garden is an easy way to contribute positively to the ecosystem.
Compost also builds soil structure and quality. When plant matter
decomposes, the resulting organic matter helps combine with the other
soil particles (clay, sand and silt) to become a soil that will hold
moisture yet provide air spaces that are vital to healthy soil. Compost,
which is rich in microbial organisms and nutrients, encourages plant
growth. Adding organic matter to clayey or sandy soils will help them
both become more fertile.
Knowing what to compost is relatively easy. Yard and kitchen scraps
that are plant related, such as bread, coffee grounds, fruit and peelings,
vegetables and peelings, garden wastes, grass clippings, leaves, paper,
straw, sod, tea leaves, wood ash, wood chips, and aquatic weeds can
all be put into a composting system. Even egg shells are good for
the compost pile. Items such as butter, bones, fat, meat, cheese,
milk, mayonnaise and peanut butter should not go into the compost
pile. These items can attract unwanted animal pests, and they can
cause odors. Cat and dog manure should not go into the compost pile
either as they may contain pathogens that may not be killed in the
compost pile.
Another consideration that must be remembered is the carbon to nitrogen
ratio. Both carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) are needed by the organisms
in the composting process. The ideal carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N)
is 25 to 1. Home gardeners usually do not have equipment to measure
this ratio but remembering brown and green will assist. Brown items
(dead leaves, straw, hay, wood chips, etc.) are higher in carbon,
while green items (grass clippings, food scraps, and fresh peelings)
have a higher nitrogen content. Mixing the brown and green will help
ensure the home gardener that the compost pile has a good ratio of
carbon and nitrogen!
There are many ways to set up a composting system at your home, and
these will be discussed next week. Even people who live in apartments
can compost their food wastes, as we will see next week. Until then,
happy gardening!
Last
updated: 6/7/01
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