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Compost
Each
year more than 3.5 million tons of recyclable yard waste is
unnecessarily sent to landfills. Viewed by many as rubbish, home
gardeners see this waste as "gardener's gold."
"Yard
waste can be converted into compost," said C.B. Christian, northeast
director of the Georgia Master Gardeners Association. "It's simple to
construct a container which would save much in purchasing bags of
amendments."
Use
what you have
Christian
says a compost container can be anything from a wire cage to
pressure-treated lumber or whatever material you have available.
He
suggests building two 4-by-4-by-3-foot bins side-by- side.
"You can
continuously add material throughout the process," Christian said.
"Work out of the first bin and build the second for later."
Whether
you choose a freestanding or a contained bin, decomposition requires
four things: an adequate mix of carbon and nitrogen materials, plenty
of air, sufficient moisture and a population of organisms. Place your
bins in a full-sun or partial-sun location.
How
to start the process
To begin
your composting project, start with a 6-inch layer of ground leaves,
grass clippings, egg shells and any raw vegetable scraps. To that
layer, add an inch of soil and shredded newspaper. Moisten and continue
with the next layer.
Ground
materials collected from a mower grass bag or a chipper-shredder
decompose four times as fast as those not ground. Make sure your yard
waste isn't contaminated with disease.
"Compost
bins need brown as well as green material for adequate decomposition,"
Christian said. "And don't add meat products or you will attract
rodents."
If you add
manure, make sure it has been aged at least one year to prevent the
risk of E. coli contamination.
To
jump-start the decomposition process, Christian recommends adding a
very small amount of ammonium nitrate or any nitrogen-containing
fertilizer.
"The bins
should eventually heat up to 170 degrees after a few days and decompose
gradually," he said. Through the natural breakdown process, in six
months a pile 3 feet deep will gradually decompose to 1 1-2 feet.
Stir
weekly, or have worms do it
To
maintain your compost, turn the pile weekly and keep the material
moist, but not wet.
To attract
worms, add vegetable scraps and corn meal.
"Worms are
great turners of the pile, and as they work, they put out their body
weight of manure each day," Christian said.
The
finished compost should be an odor-free, ready-to-use amendment for
gardens or flowerbeds. It can also be used as potting soil.
"To
prevent still viable seeds from germinating, you may add either a
pre-emergent (herbicide) or a 3-inch layer of mulch," Christian said.
"Otherwise, you may have tomatoes, peppers and other unwanted plants in
your compost."
Source: Sharon Omahen, University of Georgia
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Fertilizers
and Compost
Worms
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