Transcript Backyard Composting

MECKLENBURG COUNTY SOLID
WASTE AUTHORITY
Backyard Composting
Producing your own “Black Gold”
The Natural Cycle
Leaves Decomposing
The breakdown releases nutrients
Backyard Composting
Where to place your compost pile
• Within reach of a garden hose
• Convenient to your house
• If possible, away from trees or
bushes (roots will find compost)
• At least 30’ from streams, wells or
lakes (nitrogen runoff)
• Be considerate of your neighbor’s
view
• Think: Two Piles
Materials for making a bin
Measure out 12 ½ feet of wire
Cut one end flush, one w/prongs
Set upright forming a cylinder
Fasten ends w/prongs facing out
Completed bin
Start with a layer of leaves
Easy measuring: 3 sections = 1’
Break up any clumps
50 lbs provides organic nitrogen
Sprinkle some on top of first layer
Use pellets instead of meal
Mix pellets into the leaves
As damp as a wrung out sponge
Add another layer of leaves
Each layer approximately 1’
More pellets
Mix together
Add water to each layer
Cap with final layer of leaves
Completed batch
Adding kitchen scraps
Place scraps into the hole
Push down into the pile
Cover scraps with leaves
Mark the spot for reference
Pile heats up, volume decreases
Turning the pile
• Turn one week after assembling
• Turn at least every three to four
weeks
• The more you turn the pile, the
faster it will decompose
• If you have more than one pile,
you can combine piles as they
decrease in volume
Unfasten the prongs
Unwrap the pile
Set up near first pile
Toss the pile back into the bin
Add water, if necessary
Pile starting to breakdown
Worms love compost
Compost in action
Less fertilizer needed
Compost loosens our clay soils
What can go into a compost pile?
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Leaves
Fruit/vegetable peels, stems
Spoiled fruit and vegetables
Egg shells
Coffee grounds and filters
Tea leaves and bags
Hard-shelled nuts (crushed)
What can go into a compost pile?
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Peanut Shells
Clam and oyster shells (ground)
Canning/preserving wastes
Stale bread
Used napkins/paper towels
Manure from horses, cows and
chickens
• Recycled compost
What should not be included:
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Dog droppings
Cat litter and droppings
Charcoal Ashes
Chemically treated plant material
Invasive weeds and plants
Diseased or infested plants
Glossy slick paper
Poisonous or thorny plants
Where to use your compost
• New garden beds and plantings
– Dig in 2-3” of compost in top 6”
• Vegetable gardens/transplants
– 2-3” on beds and some in each hole
• Existing garden beds
– 1” layer around plants
Where to use your compost
• Natural areas
– ½” under mulch
• Side dressings trees/shrubs
– Scratch ½” from 1” out from the
stem or trunk of plant out to drip line
• Lawns
– After aeration, spread ½” of compost
and rake in
• Houseplants
– 2/3 potting soil, 1/3 compost
Other uses:
• Compost Tea
• Unfinished Compost
Vermicomposting
Worms:
• Can be bred easily at home or school
• Can be used to recycle organic waste from
your kitchen into valuable fertilizer
• Produce castings which have a neutral pH
(around 7)
• Castings increase the amount of nutrient
available to your plants by up to 10 times.
• Castings increase crop and pasture yields
• Increase the level of essential microbial
activity in the soil
• Consume their own body weight in food
every day
• Double in population every 2-3 months, in
ideal conditions
• What do I need?
– An aerated container
– Bedding such as shredded
newspaper
– Moisture and proper temperature
– Small amount of soil
– Redworms (Eisenia fetida)
• Q&A
CAROL BUIE-JACKSON
704 814 0877
[email protected]
www.smelllikedirt.com
Mecklenburg County Solid Waste Authority
www.wipeoutwaste.com
Compost Central
704 588 5898
Steve Elliot