Composting can seem like magic, in that you are making soil out of nothing. Without it, you have to purchase bags of compost from the garden center to maintain the fertility of your garden soil, and that can get expensive and inconvenient. Instead, we are going to use the materials from around the house to create garden soil out of nothing. Not exactly ex nihilo, but close.
Composting is a favorite subject of some gardeners, who swear by the beautiful soil and the abundant gardens that result. On the other hand, I've read from many garden bloggers who find the process finicky and time consuming. It can become an unproductive and unsightly nuisance if not tended correctly. The goal here is to reduce composting to its essentials that are still effective without being overwhelming.
Lets begin by looking at the source of materials that we will use for composting. The obvious sources are:
Brown:
- Fallen Leaves
- Shredded Paper
- Grass Clippings
- Kitchen Waste
- Garden trimmings
Also consider fireplace ash, straw, newspaper, wood chips, sawdust, etc.
The system is set up in two phases. The collection bins and the processing bins.
Collection
The collection system is simply a number of plastic barrels or trash cans the hold in the individual ingredients until they are ready to mix. Outside we need 2 trash cans with lids,around the 32 gal size. One is for grass clippings and green material from the garden, and one for fallen leaves, wood chips and other dryer materials. Leaves and garden debris need to be ground as finely as possible, usually by running over them with the lawn mower and vacuuming them into the grass catcher.
These collection containers are necessary because your source material tends to be seasonal. Fallen leaves are abundant in the Fall when the grass cutting season has slowed down, and when the mowing season is in high gear in summer, the leaves have all been cleared away.
In the Fall, I gather the leaves into black plastic trash bags. I gather 12 bags full before the season is over; one for each month of the coming year. Then I add about a quart of water to each bag and tie them loosely for use the following year. Over the course of the year the leaves will break down slightly and form leaf mold.
Inside the house, we need a smaller container with a lid for kitchen waste, probably a 1-gallon size. Consider an ice bucket, for example, or simply a large tupperware container. Ideally, the items that go inside have been chopped up as small as possible for easier composting later. In the office you need a wastepaper basket with a shredder on top of it for paper. With properly fitting lids, the materials inside can be held until they are needed and then mixed in the proper ratios. However, this process is usually driven by the kitchen scraps, which you don't want sitting around longer than necessary.
Finally, go to the garden center and buy a bag of
cheap garden soil/potting soil/ compost. You want to get something with
active microflora that is finely broken down, without big pieces of wood still present.
Filling the composter
Filling the barrel is phase 2. Once you have a supply for each of your source materials, you will combine them in layers inside a 32-gal plastic trash can. This barrel will be your primary composter. The trash can will have a locking lid. You should drill 1/2" holes throughout the can, about 6" apart.
Some gardeners like to put so many holes in the sides that it looks like mesh, But I actually think that too much air will simply dry out the compost and lead to inactivity. Of course, having no holes will lead to anaerobic conditions that will also stop the composting. You want the material damp without being sopping wet.
In the bottom of the bin, start with a base layer of the leaves you've collected. You want about 3-4 gallons from a bucket; just enough to create a 3-4" thick layer. The principle is to keep the layers thin, so they can interact with each other. At the same time, you don't want to be measuring or having to think too hard. Just find a bucket or scoop that's the appropriate size and use that for everything.
Next, each week you will start your collection building.
- Add 3-4 gal of Grass clippings from your weekly mowing or other green materials
- on top of that is the Kitchen scraps.
- Add 3-4 gal of brown materials like the Leaves you gathered in your plastic trash bags. You should have enough in each bag for the four weekend layers.
- For the next layer, add a shovel full, or about 2 quarts of the commercial Compost.
- Finally, sprinkle about a quart of Water over the layer
The main reason for this weekly layering process is to incorporate the kitchen scraps that are constantly generated each week.
Processing
Put the lid on your trash can and store it outside on the ground.
You will let this tub sit, undisturbed for 4 weeks. Set a concrete block on top of the lid to discourage raccoons and other night time foragers. The lid also keeps the contents from drying out and it presents a tidy appearance to the neighbors and visitors. You can find a stick-on aquarium thermometer strip and apply it to the outside of the tub to monitor for raised temperatures that indicate composting action inside the bin. However, this is likely to be a cold composting process.
Continue the layering process until the barrel is full. Then begin on the second barrel, while the first one finishes.
Turning the Bins
At the end of the four weeks, Turn the trash can on its side and roll it along the ground for a few complete turns. This causes the contents to mix and allows the moisture to redistribute throughout the contents.
Open the lid to evaluate what state it's in. If this is the middle of the summer, you might be looking at quite a bit of compost activity already happening; but if its during the cooler winter months it may be less further along.
Re-energize the bin by scattering a layer of alfalfa pellets or other nitrogen source. Check the moisture, at this point. Add more water if it seems dry, or more shredded leaves if it is too wet. Check the underside of the lid for condensation, which can be an indicator of the barrel having enough water. Now put the top back on and let it sit for another four weeks to compost in place.
As compost ages, it shrinks in size. Because of this, it is perfectly acceptable to combine bins as you turn them. This also frees up another tub to start a new batch.
Tumbling
If you have a tumbling composter, you can also put that to use for faster results. After a barrel has sat for four weeks, instead of turning it into a new bin, add it to the empty tumbler. As before, you will check the dryness and add water if its too dry. Also add the 1/4 C of blood meal, as well.Ideally, you will try to turn the tumbler every day, but try for several times a week at a minimum.
Ongoing Cycle
Composting is a long process. There's no escaping that, even if you have a tumbler. Experienced gardeners think in terms of 6 months up to 12 months of composting before you have anything resembling garden soil. The weeding and trimming from your garden in October might be ready for adding to the garden the following March to May. It's important to have realistic expectations for your composting efforts. However, if you can add two bins of rich compost to your garden bed as a top dressing once a year, you will significantly improve the nutrient profile and add important organic material to the soil. Then, if you mulch with grass clippings in the summer, and mulch with shredded leaves in the fall, this process can maintain a very fertile garden year after year.
In an ideal situation, you could have multiple barrels of composting active at the same time. As long as you have an empty trash can and enough source materials, you can set up as many bins as you wish.
Alternately, you may want to process the whole works on a single weekend and then let the bins sit for a month. Composting can only benefit from benign neglect, which gives it more time to work. The benefit of this system is that it is modular and can be scaled up or down to match your level of activity or interest. Are you going to be busy for the next several months? Nothing will be affected if you let the bins sit. On the other hand, if you have lots of materials on hand and don't want to lose the opportunity, you can make up as many bins as you wish and turn them often. Then, you can scale back later when you have less time.
What are the benefits to this system?
The common complaint with composting is that it is a messy process with an uncertain outcome and very little volume to show for it at the end. No one wants to deal with kitchen scraps more than once. and an enormous pile of yard and garden debris with kitchen scraps can an unsightly nuisance for neighbors in an urban or suburban setting. Giant 3-bin composters made from wooden pallets or 4x4 posts and fencing carry a huge footprint in a small backyard, and require considerable effort to turn.Often a compost pile will dry out, bringing the organic process virtually to a halt and creating a desiccated brush pile. Sometimes, well-meaning instructors get caught up in the nitrogen-carbon ratios and can make the whole process seem highly technical. And finally, you can labor over your compost heap for six months or more, turning and tumbling and balancing week after week, only to come out with a few shovels-full of partially decomposed matter that's suitable for burying in a back corner of your garden.
From composting, you want:
- Easy set up. By setting up layers in your bins, you establish the right ratios normally. And you are working with smaller manageable sizes. There's no heavy construction work in building the bins.
- Low maintenance. Set it and forget it and let nature do its work. Turn your compost over once a month, or let it go longer if you need to. Nothing will happen to it, tucked away inside its barrels, other than to slowly compost into garden soil. The small size of the trash can makes turning them manageable and not particularly strenuous.
- Small, discrete footprint. The tubs with lids are self contained and present a neat overall appearance. You can tuck a few bins in the corner of your garden or up against the garden shed. When you don't need them anymore, the tubs can be nested and stored out if sight, returning the area to its former appearance.
- High volume. You want this to be an abundant source of soil for your garden, not a few meager handfuls. The trash cans are scalable, meaning you can have as many or as few of them as you want.
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