A Case for Composting

Recently I have checked out various books from the library in order to expand my knowledge on things that will improve our homesteading journey.  When we first moved to Redwoodshire I wrote a POST  detailing my journey to composting and what I had learned up to that point.  That was May of 2014.  That post shares how I had little experience composting and considered it a pile at the back of my yard where I could throw produce scraps.  Now in December of 2015, we have multiple compost piles, where we collect not only our massive piles of leaves and grass clippings, but we also dispose of many of our kitchen scraps.  Did you know that you can throw your tea bags into the compost pile?  Our two main motivations to compost up to this point have been to create natural hummus to fertilize our garden and to minimize our trash production (since we do not have garbage pick up service).  Between recycling, composting and cloth diapering 2 children under 3 years old, we make about 1 full kitchen bag of garbage each week.  Consider all of the garbage we would make if both our children were in disposable diapers?!?!

This past week, "How to Build, Maintain and Use a Compost System- Secrets and Techniques You Need to Know to Grow the Best Vegetables" by Kelly Smith, caught my interest.  All of these points are quoted directly out of Chapter 1 of the above noted book.

Here are some cool bits of information that further deepened my appreciation for composting, and made me want to encourage more to do the same.

DID YOU KNOW?
-Compost keeps the garden soil evenly moist, and decreases the amount of water you must add.
-Compost contains a mixture of bacteria and microbes that in turn create natural antibiotics, which can help prevent plant diseases, and help plants to be healthier.
-Compost binds with toxins like lead and cadmium so that plants cannot consume them- which then keeps them out of the food chain.
-Food scraps and kitchen waste make up 12% of municipal solid waste (32 million tons of trash) & yard waste and trimmings make up 13% of municipal solid waste (33 million tons of yard waste)-throwing away biodegradable materials wastes tons of space in landfills, and costs money and fossil fuels to transport them there.

Why spend money on chemical fertilizers, when you can make your own natural fertilizer by way of things you already have to get rid of?  Composting is better for the environment and better for you & your health- and it happens to be really easy.  The above referenced book is a great place to learn more about composting, and do it effectively.  And if you aren't interested in reading a book, just research enough to understand some of the basics of what goes into a compost,  and balancing the green and brown materials.  Then after enough time has passed for nature to do it's thing, and your waste has been converted into  dark, nutrient rich hummus, mix it into your vegetable garden or flower gardens and be impressed with what happens.  After a season of using your compost, you will surely be sold on the benefits of composting!

One things always leads to another.  First came the birds (bird feeder).  Then comes the Bees- Spring 2016.   Chicken poop is a very nutrient rich fertilizer, so we should get chickens to help fertilize our garden;)  Actually, we want chickens for nice fresh, free range brown eggs.  The chicken poop is just an added benefit for our garden.  We're confident the chickens are coming next. Currently researching chicken coop designs.

Feel free to share your composting stories in comments!

New to ComPOSTing- a Post about Compost

A lot of leaves!

The arrival of Spring has meant lots of raking and clean up at Redwoodshire.  With the big move and our house renovation, we were unable to rake up all the leaves in the Fall.  I have had the opportunity to rake a TON of leaves and see this place come to life.  It is likely that I dragged at least 15-20 carts full of leaves to the woods.  I consider it an opportunity because I actually enjoy raking and find it relaxing.  It is quite rewarding, considering you are able to see near immediate results for your hard work.  Transitioning from dead and brown, to green growth, and then finally to the vibrant colors of life.  A beautiful transformation occurs whenever you do spring clean up outside.  It did not take long, to realize that our compost/ leaf pile in the woods was not going to be big enough to hold all the leaves we had to offer.  So our "one" pile, multiplied to three.

Recently I was asked, "How do you compost?  Do you just put your food scraps in a pile?"  At the time, my experience and understanding of composting simply involved collecting fruit and vegetable scraps, along with grass clippings and tossing them to a pile at the back of my yard to let them do their thing. This practice saved the kitchen garbage from smelling like rotting food, and I felt a little greener.  But the reality was that I knew very little about how to effectively compost, because I didn't have a goal.

The Laird grew up in a house built by his parents out in the rural countryside of eastern New York.  There his family tended a garden, raised chickens for a time, and still raise rabbits.  The skies were so dark at night, that he could see the stars. His family had a very structured method of organizing and disposing of waste.  Under their kitchen sink, were (still are) 3 garbage cans, each labeled with their designation.  On the counter top sits a plastic cereal bag filled with food scraps; closed by a clothes pin.  They organized and separated their trash!  I, on the other hand had a very different experience.  Having grown up in Sunny Southern California, my experience with trash was that everything and anything went into a trash bag, then into the garbage tote and out to the curb the night before trash pickup.  I knew a thing or two about recycling, but I had never heard of anyone organizing their trash.  At Redwoodshire, we set out to see if we could live without garbage collection.  As we have applied some of the Laird's family trash practices (recycling & composting), we have successfully decreased our weekly trash production to 1 garbage bag.  And so begins our journey.

Why do we compost?
1) We love nature- hiking, gardening, camping....  We want to preserve the environment and decrease our cumulative waste.
2)  We love to Garden- and every successful garden needs good organic material to be productive.


 BASIC COMPOSTING 101-
Excerpts taken from:  Cornell Composting Article & Earth Friendly Gardening Blog.  Check them out for more detailed information.

Compost happens when yard & food waste are combined with oxygen in a way that stimulates microbial decomposition. Microbes such as bacteria, fungi, and molds are attracted to the pile by carbon and nitrogen—their favorite foods. These microbes in turn entice organisms such as earthworms, millipedes, and beetles to the pile…and together they have the biggest food binge you’ve ever seen.

These items should be shredded/crushed/broken down as much as possible to speed the decomposition process.

Browns

• Fall leaves
• Hay & straw, cornstalks
• Shredded cardboard & newspaper (newspaper inks are soy-based which are OK)
• Paper plates, bags, towels
• Chipped brush, sticks, twigs, branches, bark
• Sawdust
• Pine needles (but not more than 10% of the pile)

Greens

• Vegetable & fruit wastes
• Eggshells
• Coffee grounds, filters, & teabags
• Horse, cow, rabbit, chicken, gerbil, goat, sheep, rabbit, pig manure
• Weeds without weed seeds & other yard waste (without chemicals)
• Grass clippings (but not if you use harmful chemicals on your grass!)
• Seaweed (give it a good soak to remove excess salt)

What not to add. In theory, almost anything can be composted except the waste of humans, cats, & dogs. Commercial composters compost many things that those of us with home piles shouldn't, because they don't have to worry so much about bad odors, pests, or weeds. But as a general rule, avoid composting the following to keep your pile free of toxins, odors, pests such as rats, and weeds:

• Meat/pork, chicken, fish, bones
• Fat, grease, oils
• Peanut butter
• Dairy products
• Foods cooked with sauces or butter
• Dog, cat, or human waste
• Plants with diseases
• Weeds with seeds
• Weed vines

START COMPOSTING 

1) Decide on a compost unit that works best for your yard 
- On the ground compost
- Rotating Drum compost
- Continuous Feed compost
- Worm Compost

2) Designate a collection container in your kitchen for food scraps
- They sell Composting containers for the counter.  We use cereal bags with a clip.

3) Understanding the GREEN & BROWN BALANCE- 

- Greens- NitroGen Rich- Colorful- Wet (food scraps, grass clippings, fresh manure...)

- Adds moisture to compost pile.

- Browns- CarBon Rich- Dry (leaves, soiled paper products, newspaper, hay...)

- Adds energy, Soaks up excess moisture & adds structure to compost pile.  Also helps airflow and prevent compaction.

* It is important to have a balanced mix of Brown & Green matter (3:1) in your compost pile.

Too much moisture, and not enough oxygen/ airflow = Bad Smell

RATIO:  3 parts Carbon: 1 part Nitrogen

4) Put it all together- like Lasagna
- Start with a layer of Brown at the bottom (for air flow), and then layer green, followed by brown...
- Whenever a green layer is added, cover with brown material to prevent attracting animals.

5)  Turn pile at beginning and end of growing season to help facilitate compost process.  The compost will generate heat, that allows the composting process to take place.  On average, without turning or other help, it takes about 6 months for compost to be usable.


**  Composting & Recycling are great lessons for children too!