Transcript Home Composting 101

Home Composting 101
Dana Ecelberger, Jefferson County Conservation District Manager
Roger Short, owner of Short’s Farm and Magical Soil
March 1, 2014
The Magic of Composting
What is compost?
It is a kind of miracle that we can take:
manure, rotten food, leaves, dead plants, soil, newspaper, branches and just
about any organic material to create a sweet smelling substance that:
 conditions the soil
 adds nutrients
 kicks off chemical reactions that make available even more nutrients

increases water holding capacity
 fights off disease and pests…
but that is what compost is and does.
The Cycle of Life
Compost is:
 Organic matter that has been decomposed to become a fertilizer and
soil amendment.
 By mixing browns (carboniferous material such as leaves, branches,
newspaper, straw) and greens (nitrogenous material such as manure,
grass clippings, food waste, plants from the garden) with water and
air, we encourage aerobic bacteria, worms, and fungi to convert
everything into heat, carbon dioxide and ammonium through
biological & metabolic activity activity.
 (Compost can also be made through anaerobic digestion but it is a
smelly process and not recommended for the home gardener.)
 Most home piles will take several months to “cook”.
All roads lead to compost
The Recipe
 3:1: 3 Carbon to 1 Nitrogen.
This is where the energy comes from. High carbon materials tend to
be brown and dry like leaves, straw, shredded newspaper and
branches.
 1:3: 1 Nitrogen to 3 Carbon.
This is where the organisms come from that “cook” the carbon. High
nitrogen materials tend to be green or colorful, like food waste, grass
clippings and plant trimmings.
 Oxygen: This aids the decomposition process. Turning the pile
helps to keep it aerated.
 Water: The pile should have as much water as a wrung out
sponge. The water keeps the biological activity alive and well.
How to build a compost
pile
1. Clear a piece of ground the size you want your pile to be, or the size of your compost
bin (I recommend just laying down unwaxed cardboard, several layers thick.)
2. An optimal size for a home compost pile is 3 feet wide, 3 feet across and 3 feet tall.
You can go bigger but don’t go smaller and don’t go much over 8 feet. It is hard to get
water and air into the center of a really large pile, without large equipment.
3. If you have ready materials, separate them into piles of browns and greens
4. Start the pile with a layer of slightly woody materials to make sure you have air flow
from the bottom.
5. Use your piles to create alternating layers of brown and green. Remember 3 browns to
1 green so if you have 3 inches of leaves, use only 1 inch of grass clippings.
6. Use some larger woody material in the center of the pile to keep air circulating.
7. Add some llama, goat, rabbit, sheep, gerbil or chicken manure to help heat the pile.
8. Add some native soil to each layer and lightly water each layer.
9. Keep building until your reach your desired height. Cover with a layer of browns.
Cross section of a home
compost pile
Do’s & Don’ts
Do Compost:
 Fallen leaves (B)
 Finely chopped, woody
prunings (B)
 Pine needles (B)
 Untreated wood sawdust (B)
 Shredded newspaper &
non glossy cardboard with
tape removed (B)
Do Compost:
 Breads and grains (G)
 Tea bags & coffee grounds(G)
 Egg shells (in moderation)(G)
 Lawn clippings (G)
 Young weeds WITHOUT
flowers or seed heads (G)
 Vegetable & fruit scraps (G)
 Manure from non-meat
eating animals (G)
Some Don’ts
 Don’t compost:
Don’t compost:
 Meat, fish & bones
 Rhizominous plant material
 Dairy products
 BBQ or coal ashes
 Greasy foods
 Plastics or other non-organic
 Plywood or treated
sawdust
materials and compounds,
including tape and glue
 Diseased plants
 Weeds with flowers or seedheads
 Dog, Cat, or bird feces
 Avocado & egg shells take a long
 Poison oak or ivy
time to decompose so use
sparingly
Maintaining and nurturing your
pile
 Keeping the ratios of carbon to nitrogen , air and water at an
optimal level is the key to making good compost. Remember 3
Carbon to 1 Nitrogen, damp as a wrung out sponge and
enough air flow to keep life respiring.
 Turning your pile every 2-6 weeks will speed up the
composting process. Having 2-3 piles in process is a good way
to keep them turned regularly. Just turn the 1st one into the 2nd
one and so on. Do this twice and you are probably ready to
roll with beautiful compost.
 Heat is an indication of biological activity. Having adequate
air circulation will assist in creating adequate heat to properly
“cook” your compost, as will adding some herbivore manure.
Goat, sheep and llama manures are some of the least weedy.
Horse and cow manure can be full of weeds. Be aware of
animals which have been wormed and given antibiotics.
Compost Pile Vitals

Take the temperature of your pile to test if it is ready or not. You can do this with a
compost thermometer or you can just plunge your hand in up to your elbow. When
cooking, it should get hot enough to steam. When done it is cool to the touch.

A cold pile may take up to 6 months to turn into usable compost. A hot pile can be
done in as little as 6 weeks, if turned regularly.

If it smells bad, rotten or rank, it is not getting enough oxygen and/or is too wet.
Turn it, turn it, turn it. Keep your compost pile covered in the rainy season so it
doesn’t become saturated.

If you are getting ANY kind of animal activity (rodents, raccoons, etc) in your pile
then consider freezing your food wastes for a week before adding them to the pile.

If you are adding lots of woody debris to your pile as a carbon contribution, be sure
to cut it or crush it into smaller pieces so it can break down.

If you are adding lots of grass, be sure to layer it with some browns. Big clumps of
grass will break down slowly and will begin to smell rotten.
How do I know it is
“done”?
 Finished compost should look and smell like rich, dark
soil.
 The baggie test: Place some of your compost in a ziploc
bag in a cool, dark place for a few days. It should smell
good when you open the bag. If it smells rotten or strong
then your compost needs to keep working for a while
yet.
 Large bits of decomposed food (especially avocado
shells), or woody debris can be sifted out as long as the
majority of the compost is completely decomposed.
These bits can be added to a newer pile.
Vermiculture/Worm Bins
The anatomy of some common
types of worm bins
Another great way to do urban, or small scale,
composting is to use a worm bin.
Although worm bins
are “easy”, there are a
few things to keep in
mind to have a
successful experience.
 Earthworms are not the same
worms that we use in worm bins.
 Red wrigglers are the most
commonly used in worm bins. These
can be found online or locally.
 Worm bins should not be allowed to
freeze, dry out, overheat or become
water logged.
 Raccoons are mad for worms so
keep your worm bin coon free with
a secure lid.
 Keep the bin filled to the top to
discourage fly larvae.
Compost tea
A great way to use your compost or worm compost is to make compost tea.
This can be applied to houseplants, garden plants and even your kids if they
aren’t growing fast enough! Well, not really but you get the idea…
Compost tea Recipe:
1.
1.5 pounds compost
2.
1 ounce liquid kelp
3.
1 ounce soluble unsulphered black strap molasses
4.
2 ounces cane sugar
5.
1 tablespoon mycorrhizae
Put the compost in a cheesecloth bag or burlap bag and then with other ingredients
all together in a 32 gallon trash can and fill with water. Cover with a lid and place in
a warm, not hot, location. Stir several times a day until it starts to bubble slightly.
Scoop out with a watering can or pump out with a sump pump, if applying to a
large area.