COMPOSTING

 

WHAT IS COMPOST?

Compost is decomposed organic matter in which some of the material can still be recognizable as the plant from with the compost was made. Compost is created when certain sets of organisms have grown aerobically (with air), using the organic matter present, and in the process of growing, have released metabolic heat and metabolic products. There are several processes by which good compost can be made: thermal composting, worm-composting (vermicomposting) and static pile composting.

Good compost contains an enormous number of food resources for beneficial organisms. All those beneficial organisms need food to stay alive so they can help plants grow. Finished compost should have a sweet, earthy smell.

Composting Facts

• Almost one third of the waste stream by weight is organic waste like food, leaves, and grass.
• In Massachusetts, leaves and yard waste make up approximately 17% of our waste stream.
• Each person in Massachusetts creates about 530 pounds of food and yard waste each year. If all that material was piled onto a football field, the pile would be 2,067 feet high, higher than Mt. Wachusett.
• A 1000-square-foot area of lawn can generate up to 500 pounds of grass clippings in
  a single growing season.
• Use of compost can reduce the need and use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

 

How to make a Compost Pile

There are as many different ways to make compost as there are people who do it. The following guidelines will get you start, but soon your own experience will help you tailor a method that best fits your needs.

1.   Build or purchase a compost bin. Buy from your community compost bin distribution program, or order from a garden catalogue, nursery or hardware store.

Enclosed bins are good if you have a lot of food waste (salad stuff, etc.)  Do not add fat or grease, as they will not decompose, nor meat or bones, as they will bring animals.

Open bins like wire bins, or block bins made from concrete, wood or pallets are good if you have a lot of leaves.

2.   Set up the bin in a convenient, shady area with good drainage. A pile that is about three feet square and three feet high will help maintain the heat generated by the composting organisms throughout the winter (thermal composting). Although a smaller pile may not retain heat, it will compost (static pile composting).

3.   Start the pile with a layer of coarse materials such as corn stalks to build in air passages. Add alternating layers of "brown" like leaves and "green" like grass clippings, food waste (no meat or dairy) materials with a shovelful of soil on top of each layer. Shredding leaves or running over them with a lawn mower will shorten the composting time. Be sure to bury food scraps in the center of the pile.

4.   Add water as you build the pile if the materials are dry.

5.   As times goes on, keep oxygen available to the compost critters by fluffing the pile or turning it.

With in a year you will have finished compost great for planting.

Vermicomposting is a process by which worms are fed "garbage" and produce compost. If handled properly, vermicomposting will have no smell and can be done indoors. Reference: "Worms Eat My Garbage" by Mary Applehof.

For more info: www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/compost

 

NEED A COMPOST BIN?

      

You can buy compost bins for $30 at Apple Meadow Hardware store.

 

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