Saturday, March 17, 2012

The Compost Party Part 2

So, let's get a bit more in depth about composting.  I've explained the basics, but there are some details that could help things run a little more smoothly.




1.  Cut your green materials into small pieces.

This is not a necessity, but it helps things break down at a much faster rate.  I juice fruits and vegetables each morning for breakfast, so I end up with some really itty-bitty pieces.  My breakfast materials take next to no time to break down.

With other meals, however, the waste portions are larger - the bottoms of celery bunches, bell pepper tops, etc.  I dice these so that they break down faster.  This doesn't need to be done, exactly.  Any of these things will break down regardless of size, but the smaller the pieces are, the faster it'll happen.

2.  Watch the moisture content.

Moisture is good.  Wetness is bad.  If you notice fruit flies surrounding your bin, you've probably allowed too much water into the composition.  Also, if your compost stinks, there's some rot occurring, and you likely have the same problem.

Compost should not stink.  If it does, something isn't right.  Excess water is the most likely reason. 

It's easy to handle the problem of excess water.  Simply add more brown materials or dirt (or both) to wick up the moisture until the mixture is no longer wet. 

3.  Urine speeds the process.

No, I'm not telling you to pee on your compost heap... although I'm sure that would make for an interesting story!  Urine, however, actually speeds the decomposition process due to its high nitrate content.  I used to use compostable diaper inserts for my daughter, so when I wasn't flushing everything down the toilet I'd break up an insert (pee only.  NEVER poo.) over my compost heap and mix it in.

4.  A note on worms...

Worms are also very helpful when you want to speed up the process.  They're aren't necessary, however, so don't feel like they're something you have to work with to get the job done efficiently.  The compost heap that I just began is actually the first one that I'm attempting to use worms with.  I want to see just how big of a difference they make in the process.

However... the problem with worms is that they don't like citrus.  It actually repels them.  I use citrus fruits in my juices every day, so I have to separate the citrus from everything else now that I'm trying to work with worms, which makes the composting process a wee bit more time consuming.



See?  Even when we look into the fine details, we find that composting is easy!  In the end, you wind up with the best smelling, most nutritious garden soil you've ever seen.  And the bonus?  It's free, and it's environmentally responsible.  Hmm... that's two bonuses.  Sounds like a complete win to me!

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