Composting and Worm Bins
“Give back to the soil as much as you have taken - and a little bit more - and Nature will provide for you abundantly!” - Alan Chadwick
Composting is one of the most important aspects to gardening. A method of composting should be created before you start on any gardening adventure. Compost provides nutients and improves the structure of your soil. This makes the soil easier to work and leads to soil that is able to support healthy, high-yielding plants that are more resistant to disease and insect attacks.
Compost is created from the decomposition of either food scraps or yard waste and provides a way to recycle waste into a nutrient rich reusable material. Leaves, grass, wood, natural fiber (clothes, hair) are organic materials that can be turned into compost. Composting will reduce the amount of waste your household generates each week and therefore, reduces your impact on landfills.
Getting Started
Selecting a location for a compost pile is the first step. A place that is easily accessible is best because a place that’s too hidden will only discourage its use. Planning enough room for expansion is also something to keep in mind. In colder climates, a minimum size of 4 cubic feet is recommended to properly insulate the heat of the composting process through the winter months.
There should be enough space provided to water the compost and to turn it as well. It is important to maintain a constant moisture level, so a compost pile should be located in a partly to mostly shady area so it is protected from excessive rains. Some sun is good, but compost should not be exposed to mid-day heat and this is again, to maintain a more constant level of moisture.
There are many types of compost piles and plans can be found for building or purchasing your own may be found online. There are pallet, modular box, wire-fabric, or open pile types. The open-pile method is the least expensive, but a section of chicken wire or fencing is also an inexpensive option if some level of containment is needed.
Composting Ingredients
Compost should consist of 3 different things. The Grow Biointensive Method (from How To Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons) recommends a mix of 45% mature dry material (dry leaves), 45% immature green vegetation (yard and kitchen waste) and 10% soil. This mix will provide the compost pile with a variety of microorganisms that are key to the composting process and will create the optimal carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. This means the production of high quality carbon rich compost and will result in a hotter compost pile and a faster releasing cured compost. Why do I care about this? This type of high-quality compost will release the carbon and nutrients over a much shorter time span which means it is perfect for our summer growing season. A slower release of nutrients would not be as beneficial for our gardens, since we have a fairly short growing season.
One way to put your yard waste to good use is to compost it. This will save many trips to the county compost site! Grass clippings, leaves, and veggie and flower garden waste are perfect additions to your compost pile. Grass clippings may also be used to mulch the garden directly and help in controlling weeds.
Kitchen waste is another component to a compost pile. Veggies, fruits, coffee grounds and egg shells are some things to add to the pile. Meats and other fatty or oily foods are not appropriate for a compost pile of this type (meats must be added to anaerobic compost situation only, not discussed here).
Maintaining the Pile
As each layer of compost material is added, it is important to water the pile so it is evenly moist. Water is necessary for the pile to heat and decompose properly. Too little water will decrease the biological activity of the microbes in the pile and too much water will waterlog the process and create suboptimal anaerobic decomposition.
The pile will need to be turned routinely too. Turning the pile will help maintain proper moisture content and create a more homogeneous mixture to ensure complete breakdown of the compost materials. For a newly established pile, the turning should take place around 3 weeks. For an established pile, turning may be done periodically as moisture conditions dictate. For example, dryer weather calls for additional watering and turning to maintain even moisture throughout the pile.
Composting Worm Bins
Worm bins are an easy way to continue composting inside during the winter months. The compost pile that was established during the summer months may not be as easily accessible during the winter, so a worm bin is a good choice.
Several plans for worm bins may be found online. The easiest is to reuse a plastic storage container. All that is needed is a drill for making small holes in the plastic bin for adequate ventilation, some newspaper cut into one inch strips, a couple of handfuls of fallen leaves and organic matter, a spray bottle of water, and a tub of leaf worms or red wriggler worms from the local bait shop.
Add the strips of newspaper to the bin and mist with water. The newspaper should be damp, but not dripping. Add the leaves and worms. Kitchen waste may be added to the bin and covered with several inches of the newspaper strips. It is very important to “bury” the food scraps under enough paper. One common problem is food not buried deep enough. If this is the case, fruit flys will appear.
Different worms like different foods (yes, this really is true!), so you may have to experiment with your worms and decide what they like best. Coffee grounds, egg shells, strawberries, banana peel, lettuce, mushrooms are some favorites to try first.
Composting is a way to give back to nature what it has so bountifully given to your family. Composting can involve the whole family in the gardening process and to learn valuable skills by cultivating your own food, start to finish. Become involved in reducing your footprint by composting and gardening this year!