Recycling in the Garden – Home Composting
Soil is always slowly, but constantly renewed through the natural breakdown of rock (through erosion) and the decomposition of organic matter. Compost is organic matter that has broken down sufficiently such that its mineral and nutrient components can be readily absorbed by plants. A soil can never get enough compost because soil can always be improved with additional organic matter. Recycling organic matter is very important if you want a healthy garden in an area with otherwise poor soil. You can either buy compost or create a home composting system yourself.
Organic matter makes up approximately one-third of the waste that we produce in our homes. This waste often is thrown into landfills in plastic bags, which cannot decompose. Garbage in plastic bags can actually be dug up intact 100 years later! This is an awful waste of precious landfill space. Better use of this organic matter can be used if home composting is performed (i.e. if it is recycled, and re-useable compost is made from it).
Sources of Organic Matter for Home Composting
Soft and Green
- Fruit and vegetable peels
- Grass clippings
- Green leaves
- Strips of turf
- Alfalfa
- Peat moss
- Seedless weeds
Hard and Brown
- Wood chips
- Ground-up twigs
- Sawdust
- Pruning scraps
- Brown leaves
- Straw
- Shredded bark
Home composting systems consist of a well-ventilated bin with an open bottom, and a lid that keeps animals out. An added bonus is that many compost bins are themselves made from recycled plastic!
Home Composting – How to start your own home composting system
- Compost bins for home composting are available from hardware and gardening stores for $30 to $60 per bin. Look for compost bins that are made from recycled plastics.
- Choose a shady spot for your bin because too much sunlight can dry out the organic matter and slow down decomposition. Don't position it too closely to walls or other obstacles because it needs to be well-ventilated.
- Gradually fill your compost bin with alternating layers of soft and green, and hard and brown layers. An occasional layer of topsoil also helps.
- Do not add meat, dairy products, fish bones, bread, rice, oily foods, or clippings from diseased plants. Do not add pet or human manure because this can spread disease.
- Keep your compost moist and well-ventilated. Once in awhile, you will need to turn and mix the layers. You can also add compost worms from garden centers, to help break down the organic matter.
- It will take approximately four months for most of the organic matter from home composting to break down. The compost is ready to use when it is dark and crumbly. Spread the compost into your garden, or on top of established beds as mulch.
- Over the winter, colder weather may slow down the decomposition of matter, and your heap may freeze solid. However, this may actually help the decomposition of plants, because the freezing process will break down the fibers in plant matter. Once the warm weather returns, the home composting heap will begin decomposing again.