Make a Resolution to Start Composting This New Year

If you don’t already make compost, there’s no time to start like now.

You’ll be amazed by how much less garbage your family generates. Plus, you’ll get free compost – probably the most important thing you should be adding to your garden.

Compost is nature’s way of recycling organic materials such as leaves and food scraps into a valuable fertilizer that enrichens the soil.

The first thing people usually ask about is, what should I put in the compost pile? Experienced gardeners have differing opinions on this topic. I’ll start with the things that just about everyone agrees should go into the compost pile:

• grass clippings

• tree leaves

• weeds

• pruning scraps

• coffee grounds and paper filters

• tea and tea bags

• egg shells

• fruit and vegetable scraps and peelings

• bread

• cereal

• grains

• pasta

• dryer lint

• dust from sweeping and vacuuming

• sawdust

• old wine

• stale beer

• hair (both pet and human)

I probably forgot to mention a lot of other compostable items. In general, anything that once came from plants can be composted. You can compost coarse items like wine corks and wood chips, but they may take a long time to turn into compost. Woody materials with a fine texture like sawdust will compost much more quickly.

Newspaper, cardboard and paper plates can be composted, but they should be shredded first. Otherwise, it may take years for those materials to break down.

Manure is also a great addition to compost. Chicken manure will really heat up a compost pile. Rabbit, sheep and goat manure are great additions. So is cow manure. But be warned: manure from cattle feeding on hay or grass treated with chemical herbicides can kill your garden plants. Some of the commercial weed killers can take longer than a year to break down in a compost pile. I don’t use my cattle manure because the hay I feed them comes from a pasture that has been sprayed.

Some people say you shouldn’t compost animal products like spoiled milk, leftovers with meat, or bones. As far as I can tell, there are only two downsides to composting animal products. First, they could generate some foul smells. Second, those foul smells might attract wild or feral animals. Whenever I add meat scraps or leftovers to the compost heap, I make sure to bury them deep in the pile so they don’t smell or attract critters. I haven’t really had a problem.

If you live in town or close to neighbors, it might be a good idea to leave meat scraps out of the compost pile.

I enjoy a good seafood boil every once in a while, but I always save the shells for the compost pile. Crawfish and crab shells, too. These kinds of shells contain chitin – an organic material studied recently as a promising soil amendment. Raw shells seems to break down faster than cooked shells, in my experience. Our cat likes to dig for them in the compost pile, so keep that in mind.

Compost ingredients fall into two categories: high carbon materials known as “browns” and high nitrogen materials known as “greens.” One big exception to the color rule is coffee grounds – treat them as green. Many composters suggest a ratio of 30:1, or 30 parts brown to one part green by weight. Too much nitrogen can lead to a hot, smelly compost pile. Not many people are going to weigh their compost ingredients. If you try to eyeball it by volume, the ratio should probably be closer to three parts brown to one part green.

Don’t worry too much about getting the ratio perfect. More importantly, your compost pile should stay slightly moist and warm. If it gets too hot, add more browns. If it gets too cold, add more greens. The ingredients will break down into fine compost more quickly if you turn the pile every once in a while – I aim for once every other week. I water the pile every time I turn it.

Urine is a great addition to the compost pile. It’s high in nitrogen and will help to heat up a cold pile. It will also keep deer away.

A compost pile that is as tall as it is wide and deep will heat up and break down faster than a flat pile. Some people make compost bins for this purpose. I think the bottom of the compost pile should be in contact with the soil. That way, beneficial microorganisms such as bacteria and fungus can move into the pile and work their magic.

How long does it take to make finished compost? That depends on a lot of factors. In general, compost should be dark, almost black, and smell like the forest floor. Some items will not break down completely. If that bothers you, simply pass the material through a mesh screen to filter out the big pieces.