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Show 4 - CHILLY TIMES - APRIL 15, 1997 GARDEN GRAB BAG This is going to be a dirty story. No, not THAT kind, but the kind that discusses the dirt we live with and how to improve it. The magic words are organic addition or, more commonly, composting. This is one of those things that benefit us in several ways. We are recycling kitchen and yard wastes and at the same time improving our soil structure and nutrients because the outcome is guaranteed to provide richer soil which will be able to support bigger and better plants under more stressful conditions. This humus which we create can act like a sponge and actually absorb and then slowly release more water than good topsoil. Organic decomposition releases elements which may suppress some plant diseases, aid nutrient release, and encourage earthworms (the gardener’s best friend and cheapest laborer). Unfortunately, it’s also one of those things that many of us dabble at or consider as not worth the effort. For those of you who are old hands at composting, we need your input. The first thing to consider is what we should be composting. There are many recipes but all of them include the green stuff and the brown stuff. Green stuff includes stuff such as grass clippings, apple cores, stuff you trimmed off your house plants, potato peelings, that yucky lettuce from the fridge that got sort of wimpy since the last time you looked at it, etc. There are, however, many things which are also considered as green such as fresh manure (well, sometimes that’s pretty green!), coffee grounds, and eggshells. Then there are the browns which are the obvious things like the leaves in the fall, that cardboard egg carton, sawdust, shredded newspaper and chipped wood products. And did you know that human hair contains 30 times as much organic nitrogen as manure and is a wonderful addition to your compost pile? I also have recently seen a reference to “black” which they described as mature compost and soil. You can tell they don’t live around here! Compost should making compost can range from a pile out back, single or multiple bins constructed of everything from lumber and old pallets to wire baskets, tumbling tubs of various types, sheet (or trench) composting, and even worm containers. Obviously the pile is about as easy as you can get but has some disadvantages in not being contained in any way. The only trick is the initial layering of browns and greens (usually about 2”-6” of each) plus a little black alternating through the pile. In our summers you’ll probably have to keep it moist by watering it since our rain storms aren’t that dependable. It is often recommended to cover it with plastic, but in our very hot summers you would have to be ’ careful that the temperatures reached under the plastic don’t become so hot that they kill all the microorganisms and even worms that are doing the work! The pile may then be turned occasionally to provide good aeration and for faster production of compost, or you can just ignore it and check back in a year. Not fast enough for you? Try a single or multiple bin system. The ingredients are arranged as before but people who use bins usually like to get out there and play with their pitchforks in the decomposing matter every few days or weeks. This method can produce compost in as little as 4—6 weeks if worked regularly and if the starting materials were chopped up fairly small. The tumblers work in a similar manner without needing the pitchfork. These are either rolled arormd the yard or, if they’re on a stationary base, they’ re turned over every few days. These are fun and fast but usually for smaller amounts of wastes. The tumblers are generally no bigger than a 40 gal. garbage can, and, in fact, that’s what mine’s actually made of. Sheet or trench composting refers to wastes which are buried directly in the ground and allowed to breakdown there. This is especially great for veggie gardens and such because you can cover large areas and just work it in using either a tiller or that good old hand-powered shovel. There was a great article on this a few years ago where the author referred to this as “lasagna gardening” because of the layers that were used and then eventually tilled in. But it also works very well for small amounts and is a great starting point for those people who haven’t tried composting yet. Last, but not least, is the use of worms for producing compost or NOT include meat or meat products, cheese products, or any “vermicomposting”. This is usually done in small bins or 5 gallon tubs with red worms (these are NOT the same as greases and fats for reasons which include flies, greasy coating of your good green material, smell, and exciting neighborhood animals who think you’re leaving out treats nightcrawlers). This is supposedly very effective if the majority of what you’ re composting is kitchen wastes, not in very large volumes, and you have a basement or for them. The greens, browns, and blacks make up the basic protected area to keep the tub in. They also have the added recipe and from this point on it gets as variable as the person putting together the concoction. There is the formula which requires brown stuff to be in a 30:1 proportion to green stuff, the folks who think 515:2 (brown, green, and black proportions) is fine, and the people who say it doesn’t matter as long as you use what advantage of working through those winter months when your other compost methods come to a screeching halt. There are some special requirements for working with you’ ve got. The big point seems to be not what the worms so if you’re interested I can get you some additional information about this method. There just isn’t room to do justice to all of these methods in detail here. By using a few of these basic methods, you' re now on proportions are but the methods which are used to decompose this refuse and whether you’re having any little or no smell as the decomposition takes place but, if problems with it. In order for wastes to produce compost rather than a gooey, smelly mess, several things are needed. These are a your way to having some great compost. There should be you do notice any, check for proper aeration and moisture content first. One way to speed things along is to let it get carbon source (the browns), air (decomposing with a good air supply prevents that horrid, rotting smell), water (damp is good, soggy or dried out isn’ t), and beneficial micro- 50% done in the tumbler or bin and then sheet compost it for finishing while at the same time allowing the use of the bin or tumbler for new materials. As it cures the pile will shrink in size and eventually be humus-like and crumbly, dark brown in color, and have an earthy, fragrant smell. It organisms (don’t buy ‘em, just sprinkle on some good can be worked into your garden soil, used as a side dressing nitrogen source (this usually comes from those greens), a garden soil or finished compost). Physical arrangements for —MORE COMPOST, p. 5 |