Spring 2013

Welcome to Spring 2013!

What a mild winter we had, and now it's being followed by some AMAZING spring weather too!

I chose not to Winterize my compost bin in the fall. I made this decision based on where my bin is located and what our typical winters are like. I knew even with the Winterizing techniques I'd read about, our winters get cold enough that the compost would likely freeze anyway. Also, my bin is located across the lawn, and I was not about to trudge through the snow every week!

So instead it sat, and froze. I did throw out probably about 1/3 of our foodscraps, but the rest went into empty cat litter containers and sat outside to freeze. Only once did I come home to find rotten food strewn about the yard from the dogs! Did I go too far? Maybe, but for that 2/3's of winter I could simply not bring myself to throw the food out!

Also, we'd moved the bin in the fall to the side of the shed instead of up against the fence because one of the dogs was using it to get over the fence! I like the new place it sits better anyway, and I turned the original spot into an all-browns compost. We tend to have more yard scraps than kitchen scraps, so having a spot for the yard scraps to sit and wait for their time in the bin means more will be composted naturally! Yard scraps will compost on their own, without the added kitchen scraps, but it takes a LOT longer and it tends to turn into this white, powdery stuff (I'm assuming due to the high carbon).

Jarokko had to check out what I was doing

 My bin was sitting about half full from some of the yard scraps I'd raked as well as the food scraps I'd saved over winter. It was still partially frozen on the bottom and it didn't seem to be composting at any sort of rate so I'd decided it would benefit from another large turn over.

My bin has two removable front panels. This makes it really easy to turn only half the pile, or should it need it, the entire pile all at once.

I removed both panels and began pulling all the compost out.







I did find that the bottom/middle had a lot of rich, dark compost compared to the high grass/leaf compost on the top! I debated creating a 3rd pile for the compost which is further along but decided I'd wait to do that. My compost has a ways to go yet before I think I can get enough dark soil out of it to be added to my plants!

Since a portion of the compost was still frozen solid I left what you can see below pulled out of the bin. My whole composting area has a small fence to keep the dogs out (otherwise I would not leave it exposed!). We have such beautiful weather right now that I'm sure it will thaw in now time at all!

 

 Last summer I'd also ordered a "kitchen compost" counter bin. It comes with a charcoal filter that supposedly you don't have to ever change. However, mine went moldy and while the bin still contains the smell pretty good my main concern would be flies (particularly fruit flies!). So shortly after the filter began to mold the container moved outside! It now hangs on a hook just outside the back door.

When the container is full, I bring it to the compost bin and empty it in! (Remember; every time you add your kitchen scraps cover them with a layer of lawn scraps too! This will help the decomposition and keep the smell down too!

 

A COMPLETE Turn Over

Since my compost has sat for so long and no one tending it, I decided that I would do a COMPLETE turn. Up until this point I have been turning the top; about 1/4 of the way down the bin... Doing a complete turn meant pulling the entire bin out and flipping it over (bottom portion on top and vice versa). It turns out this was a much bigger task than I'd originally anticipated.

When you work and volunteer with two different organizations plus dog training on the weekends, you discover this doesn't leave a lot of time left over. Due to this, and the fact I am apparently extremely out of shape, it's been taking me a few days.

I threw a large piece of plywood on the ground in front of the box, in an attempt to contain the compost. I soon learned this was quite pointless.

I filled two garbage cans with the top half of the contents (which will now be the bottom) and began chipping away at the bottom half (which will now be the top). Because the box has sat for so long with no turning of the bottom, it started to become almost petrified. A lot of very compact pieces of dirt, grass, and twigs, including many very acidic pine branches that turned almost to a white ash and left a skeleton of the branches untouched.



I also found a lot of garbage in the compost... odds are these pieces were accidental, but let me state something clearly. The compost heap is NOT a garbage can! Plastics will NOT decompose in your compost heap!

This is still a work in progress... I set up a little fence to keep the dog out of compost, and there it sits until it is finished!

Carbon and Nitrogen

One of the most important factors to composting is knowing about the Carbon-to-Nitrogen Ratio (C:N). All organic matter is made up of substantial amounts of Carbon (C) and Nitrogen (N). Carbon is needed in your compost pile for the composting organisms for energy and Nitrogen is required for protein production.

Scientists have determined that the C:N should be roughly 25-30:1 for an effective and quick compost. A compost with this ratio will be sweet-smelling, fertile, and fast-acting. Generally speaking, Browns are high in Carbon and Greens are high in Nitrogen.

When adding kitchen waste greens, it is a good idea to also add the correct ratio of browns as well, if you are working with a well established compost heap. Because my compost had consisted mostly of Carbon-rich Browns for so long and had basically "died", I can focus a bit more on adding Nitrogen-rich Greens without adding extra Browns.

You can keep a pile of lawn rakings (leaves and cut grass) in a pile or contained in a fence/bin etc. next to your compost bin, to always have an easy supply of browns when you need it!

Estimated Carbon-to-Nitrogen Ratios
Browns = High Carbon	C:N
Ashes, wood	25:1
Cardboard, shredded	350:1
Corn stalks	75:1
Fruit waste	35:1
Leaves	60:1
Newspaper, shredded	175:1
Peanut shells	35:1
Pine needles	80:1
Sawdust	325:1
Straw	75:1
Wood chips	400:1
Greens = High Nitrogen	C:N
Alfalfa	12:1
Clover	23:1
Coffee grounds	20:1
Food waste	20:1
Garden waste	30:1
Grass clippings	20:1
Hay	25:1
Manures	15:1
Seaweed	19:1
Vegetable scraps	25:1
Weeds	30:1

source: http://www.composting101.com/c-n-ratio.html

What's That Smell?

It's been 17 days since I've been working on my compost. I add kitchen waste daily (in the very least, the previous days coffee filter with coffee grounds), and turn and water about every other day. After 17 days I can now turn the pile less often as it is starting to turn into a real, active compost heap. How can I tell? It is radiating a small amount of heat from the middle of the pile and is starting to get a smell.

What does the smell mean?

While it is normal for a compost heap to have some smell, it should not be a terribly awful smell. It should be a somewhat earthy smell, not a rotten one. One of the things many people warned me of when I first started up my compost bin was "it's going to smell". In actuality, a healthy compost should not have an awful odor!

If your compost smells rotten it means it is not getting enough air. Giving the pile a good turn will help circulate the air into the pile, and you should find that funky smell dissipate.

If your compost is too dry, it will often have very little to no odor, and may just smell like old grass. Moisten it while turning the pile to ensure it is being wet evenly throughout.

If your compost is too wet you will find it going moldy instead of decomposing like it should. Too much moisture is bad for your compost! Remember; it should have the consistency of a rung out sponge, not a sopping wet one! Turning the pile WITHOUT wetting will help dry it out. Having a lid on the bin can help keep extra moisture out, if you find you are getting more rain than your compost needs. The lid on my bin has plenty of slats with openings to let air in but keep some unwanted moisture out.

If your compost is damp, warm in the middle, but not warm anywhere else, the pile is too small. Try adding more browns to the mix to bulk it up. Mix the old ingredients with the new ingredients well so that the pile is evenly composting.

If the heap is sweet-smelling and damp but will not heat up, it means it is lacking nitrogen. Some nitrogen rich ingredients are fresh manure, bloodmeal or ammonium sulfate.

Cut Up Your Kitchen Waste

I spent about 6 days watering and turning my compost pile (which was slowly looking more like compost and less like dry grass) before I decided it was time to start adding some kitchen waste.

My boyfriend is one of those people who won't eat/drink food that is the day BEFORE the turning date. We had a bag of little white potatoes that were starting to get soft and starting to grow arms and legs... A lot of them would probably have been salvageable, but he insisted he wouldn't eat them. So i decided they would be a good addition to my compost.

Even though they were small potatoes, I cut them up into chunks about the size of a bottle cap. Cutting up your kitchen greens can help speed up the decomposition process. You CAN throw in a whole potato and still have the same end result, but cutting them up is a way to help the microbes break down the food and thus speed it up.

When you add your kitchen waste to your pile, cover it with some browns (dried leaves or grass cuttings) or even just bury it within the pile itself. This will keep it from rotting on top, smelling, and attracting insects and wildlife.

Getting Started

The first thing you need when you begin composting is a place to PUT your compost heap. Depending on where you live (within city limits, apartment complex, country side etc.) you may choose a different type of compost box, or to maybe even simply throw your compost into one big pile on the ground.

I was lucky and when we moved into our house I found a well constructed compost bin already started in the back yard! Our compost bin is much like the "Pallet" style one in the video to the left. It has a removable top as well as two removable pieces to the side; for easier access to the whole pile.

I discovered that most of my compost bin was filled with simply very dry old grass clippings. The general appearance of a compost heap should be damp (about the consistency of a rung out wet sponge), dark, and warm. This pile was dry, somewhat green, and cold. I would have some work ahead of me...

What can be added to a compost heap?
You want your compost heap to contain both browns and greens.

Browns:
Grass clippings
Leaves
Small twigs
Flowers
Non-spreading weeds
Old plants
potting soil
Wood chips
sawdust/sawdust pellets

Greens/Kitchen Waste:
Fruit & vegetable scraps
Coffee grounds (including filter)
Tea leaves
Tea bags
Egg shells


Some things, however, do NOT belong in your compost. It is not a garbage can, after all, and some things cannot break down or will disturb the natural nitrogen and carbon within the heap, causing it to cease decomposition or turn it into a nasty smelling, rotten pile of gunk!

Do NOT Include:

Meat, fish, or dairy products (excluding egg shells)
Diseased or insect infested plants
Weeds gone to seed
Weeds that spread by runners (morning glory, quack grass, buttercup...)
Dog and cat wastes
Large branches
pressure treated, painted or preserved lumber


It takes more than just a pile of browns and greens to create a compost heap. There are a couple of other factors to include, especially if you want rich and quick compost. If you have the time to throw it in a pile and let nature take it's course, or do not have the time to dedicate to speeding up the process, then your compost pile WILL eventually decompose, it will just take a much, much longer time!


Other Factors to Include:
Water
Air

All life needs air and water, and so do the microbes in your compost heap. Turning the pile will help get air to the middle or underneath parts of the pile, and watering it while you turn will make sure the water is evenly distributed and you are not just soaking some parts while others remain dry.

Tools You Need:

a compost bin, guard or place to store your compost
a pitch fork to turn the compost
a shovel to remove compost dirt once it is finished
a hose to water your compost


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I started reactivating my compost by first buying a pitch fork, and giving the pile a good turning while I added some water. Unfortunately I do not yet have a hose and had to fill the dogs large, outdoor water dish and use that!

Mother Nature has been helping me out the past few weeks with lots of April Showers, so I have been able to put off buying a hose for the time being, but it is definitely something I will need to acquire.