This article is part of a series in Summer 2012 in the pages of Green Source DFW covering landscaping and sustainable and organic gardening. For more see -     

Tips on Organic Gardening in the Summer or 

Tips on Firewise Landscaping     

By Rita Cook     

With spring comes spring cleaning and that means indoors and out.  This year how about considering a spring project that will be a big boost to Mother Earth too.

Composting.

Whether you have been thinking about doing it for years and just never got around to starting the project or you’re ready to move to the next level there are always news tips about composting for the beginner or the old pro.  Workshops around the area are also an excellent way to get ideas on how to make your composting project piles stack up just right.

A recent EPA report pointed out that in 2010 Americans generated about 250 million tons of trash and recycled and composted over 85 million tons of this material, equivalent to a 34.1 percent recycling rate . On average, Americans recycled and composted 1.51 pounds of individual waste generation of 4.43 pounds per person per day.

To get started on your own composting projects look for classes in your area.  In Plano composting classes are offered three times a year and the next one will be held in May called “Food Waste Composting with Worms” on Thursday, May 3 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. or there’s “All About Composting” on Saturday, May 5 from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m.  Registration for both classes is online at http://livegreeninplano.obsres.com.

Erin Hoffer, Plano’s Environmental Education Coordinator in the Sustainability and Environmental Services Department says “Composting is Nature’s original recycling process.  By turning dried brown leaves and fresh green grass clippings into a slow-release, nutrient-rich soil amendment or compos), we help return those valuable organics back to the soil ecosystem and keep them out of our landfills.”

For the more advanced composter the city of Grand Prairie holds Master Composting classes too.  For more information visit www.gptx.org/composting.

“Composting is not difficult,” says Hoffer.  “Nature does it all the time.  However, she has had a lot more time to practice and perfect the process. 

Overall, every time you build a compost pile, think of it as an adventure in learning.  One time some of the materials may be drier and require more water.  The next time you don’t have enough grass clippings and have to learn what an effective substitute nitrogen source is.  Another time you turn the pile only to find a cool-looking fungus or a creeping insect and you wonder “what is that”  or “am I doing this right?”  If your pile is sweet-smelling, diminishing in size each week, and starting to resemble dark, crumbly earth, the chances are that you are doing it right.  The more you compost, the more you learn how to fine-tune the process.  Remember that failure is not an option – ‘cause compost happens, no matter what.’

Do you know what you can and can’t compost?

According to Hoffer, remember the four magic composting colors; brown (carbon), green (nitrogen), blue (water), and white (air/oxygen).

  • For an open compost bin (one that does not have enclosed solid sides or a lid), stick to yard trimmings such as leaves, grass clippings, and shrub trimmings.  Adding food waste to an open bin is not recommended.  
  • For an enclosed compost bin (one that has solid sides and a locking lid), use yard trimmings.  You may also introduce a small amount of plant-based food waste (fruit and vegetable scraps) but only if you cover the food scraps really well with a carbon source such as dried leaves.  This helps to reduce the possibility of flies and foul odors.
  • For any compost pile, do not add meat, dairy, fats, oils, or pet waste.  The general rule is “if it was an animal or came out of an animal, don’t feed it to your compost pile.”

Tips to get started:

Tip #1: Compost happens – no matter what.  How fast it happens depends on how well you build and manage your compost pile.  It can take two months or two years. 

Tip #2:  Location - When you build your compost pile, make sure that it is conveniently located.  If you have to walk 50 feet to the back of the yard to manage your pile, you are less likely to make the effort.  Check that you are able to move easily around at least three sides of the pile so that you can turn it or add water with a minimum of effort.  Locate the pile near a water source so that, if you need to dampen it, you don’t have to haul a heavy hose very far.

Tip #3:  Water - The most common mistake with compost piles that are not breaking down as quickly as the composter would like is a lack of water.  It takes about 140-150 gallons of water to build a 3’x3’x3’ (cubic yard) pile.  The organic matter (usually leaves and grass clippings) should feel like a damp, wrung-out sponge.  If you squeeze the material and it’s dripping, you probably have too much water.  If it smells like swamp gas, you definitely have too much water (and a lack of oxygen).  If it’s kicking up dust and making you cough, there is not enough water.

Tip #4: Hot pile or cold pile – choose your composting style.  If you are a busy, active, involved type of gardener who likes to interact on a regular basis with your landscape, you may be suited to hot pile composting.  Build a pile, turn it every week for the first four weeks to keep the temperature above 132 degrees (enough to kill any weeds or their seeds), and then as needed for the next four to six weeks.  You’ll get your garden gold in about two months.  If you are more laid-back and laissez-faire in your approach to gardening, you’ll probably like the cold pile method.  Build as much of the pile as you have materials, continue to add more to the top as you get them, monitor the moisture, and wait for nature to run the show.  You won’t be able to compost weeds or anything that has developed seeds and you might have to wait for six to 12 months to harvest your rich, earthy goodness. 

Tip #5: The first turn of the compost pile is the hardest - Building a compost pile can be intimidating the first time you do it.  That wet organic material is heavy and a bit messy.  When you turn the material at the end of the first week to add oxygen for your hard-working microbes it’s hard. Keep in mind that every week the pile gets lighter and easier to turn as the organic material breaks down.  You end up with one-quarter as much material as you started with.

Advanced composter’s advice:

If you have successfully managed a backyard compost pile of leaves and grass clippings, it’s time to expand your composting recipe.  Microbes love variety – provide them with a different menu.  Try some of the less-obvious carbon and nitrogen sources.  Carbon: straw, brown paper sacks, coffee filters or dryer lint.  Nitrogen: Used coffee grounds, used tea bags, hair (pet or human), and unsulfured molasses (liquid or granulated).  


Rita Cook is a freelance writer who has worked as a special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News and other major publications.