In the Garden with Shobha Vanchiswar
March 28, 2008
Compost: the black gold in your garden
When my husband and I first started gardening in Chappaqua almost fifteen years ago, our first tasks were to set up a composting system and to find ourselves a push reel mower.
To get started on composting was fairly easy. Bins were available for the task from a few catalogs. Finding the mower was hard. No local place sold them and what could be ordered was priced outrageously. We eventually found one virtually in our own backyard at the local exchange room at the recycling center! Old as it was then, it is still doing well.
Everyone thought we were weird. Throwbacks from the ‘60s. Why could we not buy our compost like normal people? Why on earth were we rejecting a powerful mower or better yet, a lawn maintenance service? We stopped explaining or trying to justify our choices a long time ago. It makes us smile these days to see how in fashion we are. Now, we are good, green-minded people. Composting helps the garden, the environment and the pocket book. And the hidden but powerful benefit is that it is a way to reconnect children to nature.
A good, basic science experiment as well
To establish a composting system can appear daunting and messy. But once you understand the process, it is really very easy and efficient. It is Nature, that Queen of Recycling, who does all the real work.
First, you must understand what exactly is happening when you compost. Basically, dead organic matter is decomposing and being returned to the earth. Composting helps this decomposition along. When the process is allowed to take place in the presence of air, it is called aerobic decomposition. Regular stirring of the compost introduces fresh air that re-energizes the hard-working bacteria. The naturally occurring bacteria use the oxygen from the air and work to break down the organic matter. The result is a compost rich in nitrogen. As an added bonus, the aerobic process generates heat, which kills off most of the harmful bacteria and weed seeds.
When air is not provided, anaerobic decomposition occurs. The bacteria use the nitrogen already present in the material and the resulting compost is nitrogen-poor but still usable. Leaf mold is made this way. No heat is produced, so the resulting compost will be full of undesirable seeds.
The right balance
Good compost is all about proportion, the right balance of carbon and nitrogen matter. It is best to have this in a 50-50 mix. Nitrogenous matter is newspaper, spent potting compost, straw and leaves. The carbon is supplied by kitchen waste. Vegetable and fruit peels, egg shells, etc. Of course, no meat or bones. Although we like to feed our lawn by leaving our grass clippings to decompose there, lawn clippings and annual weeds can be added to your compost as well. .
Often people ask if citrus peels are allowed. They are, but in small quantities. They take a long while to decompose and the resulting compost will be too acidic if too much is added.
Open bays, closed bins
In its simplest form, just piling on the ingredients and stirring it all up once a week will get the process going. This can be unsightly, and so one uses open bays or covered bins, both of which can be hidden behind attractive screens of wood or metal with climbers growing on them. Traditional bays are better for bigger gardens. Bins, I find, are best for kitchen waste and that’s what I use my bin for.
Allow garden matter to compost in the woods
A simple heap will work for garden matter, but a bay can be constructed quite easily, and sets up your compost pile to take in air more readily. Bays can be made by fashioning a simple four-sided structure from wooden planks, pallets or straw bales and a circle of strong wire or plastic mesh, or a stand-up sheet of curved plastic.
Bins to keep vermin from kitchen waste
For convenience, you might want your compost receptacle for kitchen waste to be fairly near the house. Bins are available ready-made (easy assembly) through garden catalogs and nurseries. Compost bins for kitchen waste need to be vermin-proofed and may have a lid that can be locked if one is wary of prowling critters. This has not been a big issue for us. We position the bin so it cannot be knocked over by clever raccoons.
“Wormeries” are an option, mainly familiar to apartment dwellers. This type of composting uses worms in tubs. Specifically, the worms are Eisenia andrei and E. hortensis. Good really only for kitchen waste. The worms are not deep diggers and are happy in the shallow system. They need to be fed adequately and sheltered from rain, extreme heat and pH. Personally, I’m not a fan as I think it is inadequate for a household worth of kitchen scraps. Makes me feel the whole thing is more like keeping the worms as pets, which is exactly why children could find this very interesting. Wormeries can be purchased from many catalogs or on-line sources.
Add water from time to time, and stir
Cool the water from boiled vegetables, pasta or eggs and add it to your compost when you feel it needs moisture. If in a drought season, then add water more often. Be sure to stir the compost regularly. To toss the compost with a pitchfork once a week is ideal. If you’d rather not toss it yourself, tumbler bins are available. These, however, have their limitations. The tumbler isn’t able to deliver finished compost little-by-little, since you’re mixing up everything frequently.
Following all the guidelines will yield the first batch of compost in about three months. The end product should smell earthy and be dark and crumbly like rich chocolate cake. Pure, unadulterated black gold!
My enclosed compost bin for kitchen waste
Cover off, a view from top
The door at bottom front of the bin, out of which comes the finished rich black soil
The 10 people I had over for lunch last Sunday formed a bucket brigade and layed out the river rocks for me. The entire ton and a half! It was like a barn raising. They did this without being asked! My back is intact and my friends are worth every minute of the two days I spent cooking….. see below
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