Composting in the Piedmont
by Don Boekelheide
Getting Started Composting Types of Yard Waste
In Mecklenburg County we're famous for our majestic trees and green expanses of lawn, but our beautiful avenues and landscapes come at a price. In one year, enough yard trimmings are collected in Mecklenburg County to build 1 cubic yard compost piles from Charlotte to Wilmington, and then over 20 miles more out into the Atlantic Ocean!
Disposal of yard waste is not complicated when the homeowner is aware of how to properly manage the different types of yard waste produced. The average homeowner's yard waste consists of leaves, weeds, brush, tree limbs, and grass clippings. Each yard is different and may produce different quantities of each type of waste. There are different strategies for managing yard waste. During leave fall seasons, some homeowners have massive amounts of leaves that accumulate while others may have very little or none.
A homeowner has several options for managing their yard waste including taking the waste to yard waste facilities, composting, pickup by City work crews, or by professionals. These are a few examples of when disposal at a facility may be necessary; a homeowner has more leaves than they can manage on their own property through composting, or has brush clippings that are too large to compost, removal of damaged trees or limbs (hurricane Hugo), thinning of trees, and removal of stumps.
Since 1993, it has been against the law to send yard trimmings to the landfills in North Carolina. Mecklenburg County now collects yard trimmings separately and composts them on a large scale: about 50,000 tons of materials were composted last year.
Why produce backyard compost in Mecklenburg County?
Home composting is an environmentally friendly and economically wise way to help solve the problem of what to do with some of the yard waste. With a little knowledge and planning, techniques like composting and mulching actually take less time, effort and money than dragging those bulging plastic bags to the curb. Not only that, but home composting can utilize kitchen scraps as well as leaves and trimmings. The end result is its own reward, compost, pure "garden gold" for your flowers, vegetables and landscape plants.
According to The Composting Council, organic compost able materials make up two-thirds of the "waste stream" in the US. By composting at home, you redirect some of these materials back to their natural purpose of restoring life to the soil in your garden and lawn.
Making compost also saves you money. The cost of making each batch of backyard compost amounts to less than $5 on the average, and some composters spend nothing. In return, you get 10 cubic feet of rich compost, which would cost at least 5 times as much ($25) at the garden center - if you could find such a high quality product.
What is compost?
Compost is a dark, crumbly, sweet smelling material, similar to the top layer of soil in a forest. It is made of organic materials that have been broken down into a stable form by the action of microorganisms.
A compost pile isn't a garbage heap. Using proven techniques, you can make compost without unpleasant smells or pest problems.
In nature, autumn leaves and even entire fallen trees slowly decompose, and seem to disappear into the soil. Actually, they are being eaten by a vast number of microbes and other organisms, which leave behind a dark colored material called humus. Humus and related organic substances, along with the living organisms that help create them, are key elements to rich, fertile soil.
A backyard compost project uses this natural process to create humus-rich compost for your use in the yard or garden.
Fundamentals:
Where do I put the compost pile?
Put the compost where it is most convenient. This often means near the kitchen, if you are including food scraps.
It can be located in sun or shade. Depending on your sense of aesthetics, you can put it somewhere inconspicuous or hide it behind a low trellis or other screen. Due to a risk of termites, it is not recommended to put the pile right next to wooden parts of houses, such as porches. It is not recommended to place the pile near creeks or streams that may be next to your property. Yard waste should never be dumped into streams, creeks or waterways.
Water
You will need to have water readily available, so the compost area should be where a hose can reach.
Space
Leave space enough around the bin so it is easy to work with hand tools. The minimum space is about 3 feet X 5 feet (15 square feet or 1.5 sq. m).
The "ideal" for many backyards is to leave space for two compost bins plus a "holding pen" the same size or slightly larger. The holding pen is a catchall where you can conveniently gather and temporarily hold compost materials from the yard and garden over several weeks. The two bins are dedicated to making full batches of compost, where kitchen scraps can be added every few days. The area for the ideal is about 6 feet X 15 feet, or 90 sq. feet (roughly 9 sq. meters).
Tools
You need a few basic garden tools to make compost, all of which can be used for other purposes around the house and yard.
- Shovel for scooping
- Garden Hose
- Wheelbarrow (for moving manure or soil)
- Rake (for clean up)
- 4-tined Garden Fork or Pitchfork (long handled -optional but very useful)
- 3 or 4 foot length of 5/8" metal reinforcement rod ("rebar"). This is available for about $1 in any garden center. (A 4-foot Dowel, 1" thick or a stick will also work).
Compost Recipes
Slow & Cool
The "cool and slow "method costs nothing and provides compost in about two years, sometimes less. It requires no turning and little special attention. It is not recommended for use with kitchen scraps.
Simply set aside an area in a secluded corner of your yard for piling up fallen leaves and other organic materials. Place piles well away from creeks or streams to ensure they don't get accidentally dumped into them. Do not include kitchen scraps in this sort of pile.
Over two years or less, the material on the bottom will compost. Pull back the top layers, and use the rotted material in your garden.
Hot and fast
The "hot and fast" method provides compost much more quickly, especially in the summer. At Compost Central, experimental hot and fast piles made in April and May were ready in August and September, and fall piles were ready the following spring.
In addition, the quality of the compost is more consistent. The heat produced in the pile destroys many weed seeds and diseases.
Kitchen scraps may be added to a hot pile. This benefits the finished compost by adding another excellent source of plant nutrients (and microbe food).
Making a hot and fast pile takes a bit more attention than a cool pile. In Mecklenburg County, the following techniques have been tested and have proven successful:
How to make a simple wire compost bin
Bins look neater than piles. Since loose materials are kept bundled together, a pile can heat faster, which speeds the composting process. If you add kitchen scraps, you can bury them in the middle of the filled bin. This helps prevent unwanted bugs or animals from being drawn to the bin.
Bins are a very good choice here in the piedmont area. They are easy to make with inexpensive materials.
Materials: 12 1/2 feet (3m) of 2" x 4" welded wire fencing, 36 inches (90cm) high {Many hardware stores sell this type of fencing in rolls of 50 ft. which when divided makes 4 bins.}
1. Cut the fencing to length (12 1/2 ft) with a pair of pliers using the cutting edge. On one end, leave about 1-inch lengths of the horizontal wire sticking out, so they can be used to fasten the ends of the pen together.
2. Form a cylinder 36" tall (the diameter will be a little over 3 ft). To hold the shape, push several ends of wire through the wire on the opposite end and hook the wire together.
The bin is lightweight and easy to move (when empty). To"turn" or move the pile, unhook the wires and lift the fencing away from the pile of materials. Reset the bin next to the pile of materials. The materials usually will hold the shape of the bin after it is removed. Turn the materials back into the bin.
Making a batch of hot compost
When making a hot and fast pile, it is best to make compost in "batches," where you fill your bin to the top with the right mix of materials. This is aerobic composting; powered by microbes which require oxygen. There is a long list of materials you can compost, but when you make a batch, you need some basic ingredients.
Ingredients:
The compost-making organisms require water and air. Water should be added as you make your batch of compost so that it is moistened thoroughly throughout.
Air is provided by turning the pile, and by including "chunky" materials such as "gum balls" (from Sweet Gum trees) and small branches or twigs.
Here in the Piedmont, that usually means fallen leaves. You can use leaves any time of the year, which explains the benefits of gathering up leaves in the autumn and putting them in a holding pen or pile. About 15-20 big plastic "yard trash" bags of leaves normally packed, are needed for a wire bin similar to the bins made in the composting class.
If you don't have enough leaves, check with your neighbors (bags of leaves at the curb may be found throughout the year). Another source is wooded areas (with the owners permission). Half-rotted leaves work fine.
Other cheap basic sources of "microbe food" (meaning the carbon they need for energy and building cells) are spoiled hay and straw, and barnyard or stable litter. Look for free stuff!
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plants and microbes. Without a sufficient amount of nitrogen-rich material, your pile will not heat up.
Many home composters, especially those just starting out, may prefer to buy a nitrogen rich material. To produce an organic compost pile, it is recommended to use rabbit food pellets (rabbit food is made up of alfalfa, which is mostly nitrogen). It comes in either 25 or 50 lb. bags, 25 lbs. being enough to add to the bin to produce temperatures about 110-120 degrees and 50 lb. is enough to reach temperatures of 140 to 150 degrees. The higher the temperatures, the more sterile it becomes.
Other sources of nitrogen include: bagged chicken manure, and organic sources of nitrogen including alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal, blood meal and organic commercial fertilizers such as those made by the Hoffman and Espoma companies. Local sources of nitrogen include manure from local farms. Some kitchen scraps contain a fair amount of nitrogen, but they are not always easy to work with.
An effective and inexpensive source of nitrogen is a 40 pound bag of commercial cow manure (about $1) supplemented by 6 cups of cottonseed meal, or 2 cups of an 30-10-10 organic lawn fertilizer. Add this to every 3 or 4 bags of leaves and mix well (the manure seems to help the fertilizers coat and stick to the leaves).
Though your compost will not meet "certified organic" requirements, you can also use a commercial fertilizer high in nitrogen such as urea, lawn fertilizer or 34-0-0. In this case, cut the amount to one cup.
Layering and mixing
One time-honored way to start a compost pile is by layering. This makes it easy to get the proportion of materials right, moisten the pile evenly, and set everything up for a good mixing when you turn the pile. It is also a useful way of thinking about compost, since you can easily visualize ingredients and amounts.
However, much evidence points to the advantages of thoroughly mixed piles. A good compromise is to fill the bin up about a foot or so with leaves, then mix in the rabbit food or other nitrogen source very well.
Seeding the pile
There are products available called "compost starters." These are not recommended. It is not desirable to add lime to your compost. However, a few scoops of finished compost or rich topsoil will have no harmful effects and may add beneficial organisms.
What goes in?
Compost microorganisms need a food source with nutrients. Ingredients with carbon (leaves, kitchen scraps) supply the food; ingredients with nitrogen (rabbit food, manure, kitchen scraps) supply many of the needed nutrients. Use a variety of materials and remember, the smaller the pieces, the faster the pile will decompose.
Leaves: fallen leaves are an ideal source of carbon and will probably make up the bulk of your compost. Magnolia leaves and pine needles tend to take longer to compost, so if you have lots of them, consider composting them in a batch by themselves. Other options include spoiled straw or hay or even well-shredded newspaper or cardboard.
Unusual Ingredients: Pet hair, people hair, vacuum cleaner sweepings, and sawdust from untreated lumber.
Water: Keep the compost moist, but not soggy. The right moisture content is essential for rapid decomposition. Compost should be watered to the consistency of a wrung out sponge.
Grass clippings are rich in nitrogen but they tend to form matted layers that keep out the necessary oxygen causing bad smelling gases. It's better to leave grass clippings on your lawn using "grasscycling" techniques (discussed later).
Manure from horses, cows, chickens.
Food Scraps
fruit/vegetable peels, stems, and trimmings
citrus rinds (best if chopped fine)
spoiled or rotten fruits and vegetables
corn cobs (broken up or shredded)
egg shells
coffee grounds and filters
tea leaves and bags
hard-shelled nuts (best if ground or crushed)
peanut shells
clam/oyster shells (must be ground)
canning/preserving wastes (pomace, etc.)
Recycled Compost: Parts of a regular compost pile that have not broken down completely by the end of the composting period should be placed on the bottom of a new pile. This is especially true for twigs and small branches that can use the extra protection of the pile's height to speed their decomposition.
For more information on what may be included in compost, call Mecklenburg Solid Waste Reduction Office, Ann Gill, at 336-5359.
Things to keep out:
- Cat litter and droppings can contain disease organisms that cause brain and eye diseases in newborns. The safest thing is to absolutely avoid all cat and dog droppings.
- Charcoal ashes
contain toxic compounds like those in coal ash, also a no-no. Enjoy your barbecues, but don't dump the charcoal ash in the compost. Wood ash is acceptable in modest amounts.
Herbicide or pesticide treated plant material may contain an unpredictable mix of chemicals that can destroy the microbial life in your pile, persist to kill your garden plants, and even pose a threat to you and your family's health.
Invasive weeds and plants, like kudzu, ivy, bindweed (wild morning glory), quackgrass, bermuda grass stolons, etc., can survive and be spread in home compost.
- Meat, bones, grease, oils, dairy
attract vermin and often cause fly and odor problems. For example, a stale piece of peanut butter or cheese sandwich is fine while a whole jar of spoiled peanut butter probably isn't.
- Sick garden and house plants
can turn your compost heap into a source of disease.
- Glossy slick paper
, from magazines and catalogs with color photos, contain toxic inks. Newsprint, including the funnies, should be acceptable.
- Poisonous or thorny plant materials
, from poison ivy to thorny rose branches, can make working with compost a miserably unforgettable ordeal. Also, oleander, castor bean, hemlock and eucalyptus should be avoided since they produce substances that can harm soil life or other plants.
- Stuff that takes forever to break down
, like pine needles and magnolia leaves, will not contribute to the compost. Use them for mulch on top of the soil or compost them separately.
... Don't overload your compost pile with soil. If you take up sod, compost it in a separate pile, carefully placing the grass sides down (it takes about a year to break down, and gives a very nice result). Once you are experienced, you may want to try making a special "acid" compost from pine needles and other acidic materials for your acid-loving plants.
Managing the Bin
Maintaining Your Pile
Compost happens! It's a natural process... in fact, you can't stop it, even if you do nothing to your pile...sooner or later, you'll get compost. However, there are a few things you can do to maintain an "active" pile to make speedier compost. Active compost piles will heat up as the microbes go to work on breaking down the ingredients in the pile. It is the metabolism of the microbes that can create temperatures over 150 F. Turning, adding kitchen scraps, and troubleshooting for problems can help your pile work efficiently for quicker compost making.
Turning
You do not have to turn, churn, or stir your compost pile. Turning, or working your pile, allows your pile to make compost quicker. It creates a more uniform product and supplies necessary oxygen to the interior parts of the pile, which activates microbes to speed the decay process.
Your pile will break down without turning; it just takes longer.
# of Turnings Ready in
0 6 - 24 months
1-2 3 - 6 months
4-5 14 weeks
To turn your pile, use a long handled pitchfork or shovel. Open and remove your wire bin, reset the bin next to the pile, shovel the contents back into the bin. If you have a second bin, shovel it from the first directly into the second. If the center of the pile is dry, moisten the materials while turning the pile. (Usually it will need water added).
Adding Kitchen Scraps
Food scraps are a good source of the nutrients that compost microbes need. Keep a container for the scraps in a convenient location -- near the sink or cutting board. The size of the container depends on the size of your household. Most homes can get by with a 2-4 liter container.
A snug fitting lid will keep out odors and prevent fruit flies. Emptying your container every few days will also avoid these problems.
Whenever your kitchen scraps container is full, make a 18" hole in your compost pile with a dowel or stick. Empty the contents into the hole and cover completely. If you have problems with odor, adding a handful of lime or keep a pile of dirt or compost nearby and sprinkle on top of the food scraps before covering over.
Troubleshooting
Sometimes your compost pile may develop problems. Use the following troubleshooting chart to help you maintain an efficient composting system.
Symptom - Center of pile is dry
Problem - Not enough water
Solution - Add water to moisten materials while turning the pile
Symptom - Compost is damp & warm in the middle but nowhere else
Problem - Pile is too small
Solution - Collect more material and mix the old ingredients into a new pile
Symptom - Strong smell of ammonia
Problem - Too much nitrogen was added in the beginning
Solution - Add leaves, straw, sawdust or shredded paper in small amounts
Symptom - Bad odor
Problem - Not enough air
Solution - Turn the pile
Symptom - Pile will not heat up
Problem - Lack of nitrogen, too much carbon, too much water was added initially, suffocating the pile
Solution - Add and mix in a nitrogen source like more rabbit food, manure, or blood meal; turn the pile to dissipate water
Symptom - Pile too soggy
Problem - Too much rain
Solution - Turn more often or layer into a long-term compost pile. During times of heavy rainfall, cover the pile with plastic and let the water run off.
Finished Compost
Indications of Finished Compost
The compost is crumbly, coffee-colored brown, sweet or earthy smelling. The temperature has completely cooled down, and there is no ammonia smell. At least 3 species of arthropods (i.e. the sow and pill bug, ground beetle, and centipede) are present. You cannot recognize the materials that went into the compost (except for larger hard to compost ingredients such as corn cobs or limbs -- these can be sifted out and added to the next batch)
Uses of Compost
Now that your compost is finished (or at least it has sat there for six months, and you are ready to build a new pile), what can you do with it?
For starters, congratulate yourself. You may never again need to run down to the garden supply to buy more plastic bags of topsoil or "soil builder with compost." You now have lots of soil builder that is probably of much higher quality. And you made it yourself (with help from a cast of billions of bacteria).
Compost can be added at any time of the year. There are, however, prime times. For top dressing of beds and lawns, compost is often added in the fall or winter (for instance, when you aerate your lawn, top-dress with compost). Side-dress established plants in the spring.
Use your compost on:
New garden beds and plantings. On new plantings, working a two or three inch layer into the top six inches will provide the benefits of compost right in the rooting zone. This is a "high" application rate, but often new plantings in urban areas and suburban areas are in impoverished soils.
Vegetable gardens and transplants especially benefit from compost. Add a 2 to 3 inch layer to the beds or rows and work in lightly. If you have enough, it's beneficial to put a trowelful of compost in each planting hole when you transplant tomatoes and other veggies.
Well-tended and mulched beds of annuals and vegetables. A one inch layer will provide many benefits. As Ball and Kourik remind us, compost is a precious resource that needs to be put to best use. A larger application won't hurt, but one inch gives us the benefits but leaves us more for uses elsewhere in the yard. In the Piedmont, making this inch application is a good idea annually to all our beds, since our climate lends itself to loss of soil organic matter.
Natural areas and well mulched perennial beds. A half inch is sufficient. Pull back your mulch, scratch a one inch layer of compost into the topsoil, and recover with the mulch. It's a good idea to cover any compost on bare ground with a layer of mulch.
Side-dressing perennials, shrubs and trees. Spread a half inch to an inch of compost around the bottom of the plant starting about an inch from the stems and continuing out to the "drip line" where the leaves end. Just scratch the compost into the surface.
Trees. Check with NC Cooperative Extension (704-336-2561). Ball and Kourik recommend against putting compost into planting holes for trees. They also recommend reserving some compost to feed prized trees and shrubs.
Lawns. Top dress every year with a half inch of compost. This should cut down on fertilizer and water needs, and give you a healthier lawn. For new lawns, two to three inches is recommended. This is a situation in which our municipal source of compost is a valuable resource, since this quantify is far beyond the production of most home composters.
Houseplants can benefit from a soil mix made from 2/3 commercial potting mix and 1/3 screened compost.
Compost tea is beneficial for everything, it seems. Vegetable plants love it, houseplants thrive on a dilute mix, and flowers benefit from it, too. To make it, simply put a few shovels-full of compost in a burlap sack and suspend it in a big container of water for a few days. The same bag of compost can be reused several times. The tea colored liquid is used to water plants. It makes an excellent "starter solution" for vegetable transplants and tonic for stressed plants.
Unfinished compost (where the materials are well broken down but some are still identifiable) also has a few important uses. It can be put on top of the soil as a mulch, where it will continue to break down. In addition, when "double digging" garden beds, put partly finished compost in the trenches as you dig. This provides food for worms and helps open the soil under the bed so roots can grow deeply.
Composting Considerations for the Piedmont and Beyond
Composting is one aspect of a process that happens everywhere there is life on earth. However, there are special considerations to keep in mind in our particular ecosystem and community.
Herbicide Warning
Be very careful to avoid lawn trimmings and weeds that have been treated with herbicides. They could injure valuable plants. This can be a danger when you use bags of trimmings your neighbors put out for curbside pickup in your home pile. Ask them first.
What about Grass Clippings?
We produce plenty of them in the Piedmont, and they are one of the most frequent causes of failed compost heaps. Even the municipal composting operations have trouble with them. They are rich in nitrogen, but they can easy clump together to form a sodden stinking slimy mess in your compost.
You have two options that solve this problem. The easiest is simply to leave them on the lawn where they provide nutrients. You can also collect clippings, and spread them as mulch elsewhere in your yard. See section on Grasscycling.
Oak Leaves
Oak leaves are perfectly fine compost ingredients, although they are quite acidic. Don't worry, though, the microbes will take care of that without liming. You may, however, find your oak leaf pile breaks down slowly without additional nitrogen from rabbit food, manure or another source. This is especially true if you make a pile in early spring from leaves that fell the previous fall.
Pine Needles
Pine needles are often sold as "straw mulch" in the South. However, they are not ideal for composting, since they take a long time to break down. Some compost recipes call for "straw," and, it's true, spoiled bales of oat, wheat or pasture hay make great compost layers. Just don't try to substitute pine "straw" for these materials. Pine needles should never be used as mulch near wood frame structures, due to the hazard they pose from fires. Pine needles may also cause problems for mulching in landscape situations. In general, hardwood mulch works better, lasts longer and is more cost effective.
Shredder/Grinders
Using a shredder-grinder will help your leaves break down faster. If you are in a hurry, this tool may be worth it. You can use it to turn leaves and tree trimmings into mulch. They can be rented or shared by neighborhoods. Consumer Report has reviewed both shredders and mulching mowers.
To Lime or Not to Lime
As you may know, the soil in the Piedmont tends to be so acidic that annual applications of lime are often recommended for lawns. How about on compost? There is much debate on this point, and Sir Albert Howard, father of modern composting, did use lime in his "Indore" compost piles.
It is recommended to not apply lime to most compost piles. Your compost's pH (acid/alkaline level) naturally swings toward neutral due to microbial action as a pile breaks down, even if you start with acidic materials. Also, excessive lime combined with excessive nitrogen and moisture (as in an anxious composter trying too hard to get a "hot" pile) can cause release of ammonia gas, which not only stinks but lowers the amount of valuable nitrogen in your compost.
Some experienced Southern composters, like Blackley, have found that a handful of hydrated lime (not pelletized lime for use on lawns) can help cut odors caused by lots of fresh food scraps in a summer pile. The lime also adds calcium. Blackley recommends including all the crushed egg shells you can get, as an excellent calcium booster.
Trees
Trees may want to sample your compost by sending roots right up into the pile. There are two schools of thought, here. Some people stay at least a few yards from trees, especially those with shallow invasive roots like cedars. Others have never had a problem, and like to put the compost in the shade, and figure that since the trees contribute to the pile with their leaves, it is only fair that they absorb any nutrients that leach down to their roots. Another option is to use unwaxed cardboard under the pile. The cardboard slowly breaks down and turns to compost but makes a fairly decent barrier that lasts a few months.
One or more Compost Piles?
First of all, you do not need more than one compost pile so don't panic about your yard filling with bins! However, once you get started, you may find that having two compost bins is more convenient. You fill one, using the technique of your choice, and let it began to compost. In the other, you begin saving materials.
Some gardeners fill the second 1/2 to 3/4 with leaves, then began adding their kitchen scraps in and burying them. The second bin is also the place for yard trimmings. When the first bin is ready, you use the compost and build a new pile with all you have accumulated in your second pen, tossing in any sticks or other big chunks that didn't completely break down in the working pile.
Actually, the "classic" 3-bin compost systems made of wood is based on this same idea. One bin is for piling up compost materials; one is for "working" composting that is breaking down; and one is for finished compost. The best place for finished compost, of course, is in the garden. Some people like to keep a plastic garbage can full of finished and screened compost for potting mixes and transplanting.
Time of the Year
There is definitely a compost calendar in the Piedmont, although you can start a pile any time you'd like. In autumn, leaves drop, and there is no shortage of compost making material! However, there is a downside to limiting composting to the fall. Over the cooler months, from October to April, decomposition slows.
If you build and turn your compost in spring and summer, higher temperatures can contribute too much faster finishing times (as long as you don't let the compost dry out).
Realistically, of course, spring is the time of frenzied activity in the garden. When will you have time to turn the compost?
A few suggestions from experience may be useful here. Setting up a bin takes very little time. Set one up now. Start throwing materials in. There are always dried leaves to be found in the Piedmont; gather up a few bushels and toss them in. You can bury your kitchen scraps under the heap if you cover them with 18 inches of leaves.
Or you can begin saving kitchen scraps in a 20-30 gallon garbage can, throwing in two measures of sawdust or oak leaves for each can of scraps.
In the fall, make a "leaf corral" from wire fence, and blow or rake your leaves into the corral until it is completely full. If you have a big yard, you'll want to use a 4-yard length of wire fence. Then wet it and scrunch it down, and put more in. Use these leaves to make compost all year long.
Finally, don't sweat it. Just put your yard trimmings and leaves in one place. As Backyard Composting puts it, "compost happens." In fact, it is impossible to stop! Within a year or two, dig down in your pile, and there will be a dark material ready to enrich your soil.
Out in the Woods
While we are on the subject, is there anything wrong with just piling up your leaves out in the woods? No. In time, they will break down. Never place leaves or grass clippings near or in a creek or stream. They cause problems with the microinvertabrates and fish that may live there.
Are there advantages to more "active" types of composting? Maybe, if you've got the time and interest. For one thing, a bin looks neater, and with a little effort, can be ready much sooner. You can enrich your pile with kitchen scraps, and, as a general rule, the wider the variety of plant material in your compost, the better. A well-managed compost pile creates ideal conditions for bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi. Their by-products and spores may possibly do more to help create a flourishing and healthy soil community in your garden than topsoil or leaf mold, but this is unproven.
But, a pile in the woods is fine. A $1000 solar powered shredder and tumbler is fine. Compost happens. The important things are that you are wise enough to work with nature to enrich your soil, and civic-minded enough to reduce the amount of organic garbage you generate. How you make your compost is up to you.
Do I Need Fertilizer in My Pile?
As usual, there are two (and more) schools of thought. For home composters, my suggestion is that commercial fertilizer is not necessary. Rabbit food is produced from alfalfa and is considered an organic nitrogen source. Not using commercial nitrogen fertilizer may slow down (and cool down) your composting a bit, but in the end you will have "organic" compost (that is, made without artificial fertilizers). If gardening organically is important to you, this may be the only way to get "certifiably" organic compost. Most municipal composts and most mushroom and other commercial composts are made with chemical fertilizers, such as ammonium nitrate and urea.
An ideal source of nitrogen is your kitchen scraps. In addition, if you know a farmer or horse owner nearby, you may be able to use their manure for a very reasonable price, or even for free.
You can also purchase "organic" sources of nitrogen, such as alfalfa meal (rabbit food-pellets), cottonseed meal, blood meal, or "organic" fertilizer, especially poultry manure, to help your pile heat up and speed up. Alfalfa is usually inexpensive and helps the soils they were grown in by fixing nitrogen in the soil. However, blood meal and chicken manure may not come from animals grown under especially humane conditions, and cotton is mostly grown with high fertilizer and pesticide inputs. Also, these sources of nitrogen tend to be relatively expensive.
Given this state of affairs, some ecologically responsible gardeners believe that it is better to "feed" urea to bacteria in compost, then transfer the compost to the soil. If you are not opposed to using commercial fertilizer, urea is generally considered the least expensive form of nitrogen. However, since it contains carbon, you must use more to obtain a desired carbon/nitrogen ratio. Ammonium nitrate can be used as well, or diammonium phosphate. Be sure that you use an ammonium-based (NH4) or urea-based source of nitrogen, since most composting microbes preferentially use ammonium rather than nitrate.
One final point. Nitrogen is important, especially in helping a pile heat up. However, if you put too much nitrogen on your pile, it will be lost, some of it in the form of the very stinky gas ammonia.
Anaerobic (and Aerobic) Sacks
If you have very limited space, you can put your kitchen wastes and leaves, mixed one-to-one, into a large plastic garbage bag, seal it tightly, and stick it in a corner. In six months to a year, it will turn to compost through an airless (anaerobic) process (there is no exact way of telling how long, you have to sniff, and, whew, it stinks before it is finished!)
Easy Composting suggests putting the bag in the sun and turning it every so often, and tossing in a handful or two of dirt or finished compost.
The Europeans have developed more elegant and less smelly anaerobic composters, which are now very popular in Germany. They are nice and tidy, and a good solution if organic garbage is completely banned from trash pick up, as is now the case in much of urban Europe.
Marie-Luise Kreuter suggests using a green plastic composting bag, available commercially, to make aerobic compost. Essentially the process is the same as that described for anaerobic sack composting, except that the bag is perforated with tiny air holes. Add water carefully, shake regularly, set in the shade, and in a few months you'll have compost. These have not been spotted in this area, but you might make one by poking holes in a plastic sack.
My suggestion is to stick to more conventional piles or bins, at least at first, and to consider worm farming if your area is limited.
Rats!
Although problems with rats in the compost is rare, the fear exists and the potential is real. One way to prevent this problem is to keep meat and other smelly kitchen scraps (be careful about leftovers with rich cheesy sauces, for example) out of your compost. Second, you can wrap your bin in plastic, or make it out of finer mesh such as 1" X 1"; or consider making your composter out of a recycled 55-gallon drum or inexpensive metal trash can. Finally, consider purchasing a commercial compost bin. Mecklenburg County sells two different ones at modest prices.
Compost as a Planter (how to hide the pile)
Compost need not be an eyesore. Feel free to plant around the bin area, especially around bins that are "aging" without turning. One commonly grown "compost bin crop" is cherry tomatoes (make sure your bin gets some sun). Prepare the soil for tomatoes 1 1/2 feet out from the bin around the bottom, and let the tomatoes vine up the sides. Green beans, like Kentucky Wonder or Scarlet Runners, work too. And try summer flowers like Cosmos. Experiment!
Books and Resources
Most garden books these days have a section on composting, and there is a small library of books devoted to composting. Here is a selected list of books you might find helpful. Most are available at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library.
Compost Critters. Bianca Lavies. (J591.52) A wonderful children's book, built around the author's spectacular photos, which provides a fascinating look at the critters who live in your compost heap. Also shows Lavies' real working pile (she uses a type of bin) at various stages. Recommended (especially if you have children and for teachers).
Easy Composting. Ortho Books. Beautifully illustrated with photographs, one of the co-writers (Robert Kourik) is a legendary organic gardener and author of books on edible landscaping in Northern California. A picture being worth 1000 words, this book is one of the best overviews of composting available. Non-technical but scientifically reliable information. Recommended.
Worms Eat My Garbage. Mary Appelhof. A delightful book with droll illustrations, which will set you up for vermiculturing. A classic. Recommended.
Let It Rot! The Gardener's Guide to Composting. Stu Campbell. (631.875) An classic which covers all the basics in a short time, written in a highly readable, down-to-earth style. Good discussion of not being obsessed with high temperatures ( >140 F) in the home pile, and of the uses of compost.
The Rodale Guide to Composting. Jerry Minnich, Marjorie Hunt. (631.875) A "Composter's Bible" of over 380 pages, this book looks at various aspects of composting. The chapter on methods gives pros and cons of several different ways to make compost.
Backyard Composting: Your Complete Guide to Recycling Yard Clippings. Harmonious Technologies. (631.875) Even more condensed than Let It Rot, it covers the basics in sound bites. Includes brief discussion of permaculture and other interesting agricultural ideas.
The Urban/Suburban Composter: The Complete Guide to Backyard, Balcony and Apartment Composting. Mark Cullen, Lorraine Johnson. (635.04875) Pleasant book that in spite of its title covers the basics much like the other books. Does contain a helpful chart comparing different systems for people in different living situations, a few ideas for very small-scale composting, and a section on vermiculture.
Organic Gardening Magazine. Rodale Press. The Rodale family defined the American notion of "organic" gardening close to a half century ago, and one of the pillars of their method is composting. The magazine runs a special page on composting every month, and will send you a pin and run your picture if you send them a photo of you and your compost heap. Articles on composting abound, among recent examples Jeff Cox's "And I piled it my way!" in the April 1995 edition (Vol 42, No. 4), a homey tract that rambles like an old fashioned pumpkin vine.
Sunset's Illustrated Guide to Organic Gardening, The MacMillan Book of Organic Gardening by Marie-Luise Kreuter and The Self-Sufficient Gardener by John Seymour all have useful composting sections.
Consumer Reports magazine has reviewed low-pesticide gardening, shredders and mulching mowers, among other topics related to composting. It is also a useful source of information.
INFORMATION SOURCES:
Don Boekelheide- Writer
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
Michigan State University Extension
The Turfgrass Council of North Carolina
Mecklenburg County Solid Waste 704-336-5359 x5
