Let it Rot - Keys to Effective Composting
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Transcript of Let it Rot - Keys to Effective Composting
EffectiveComposting
Independence GardensPortland, OR
Download the handout that goes along with
this slideshow!h"p://bit.ly/AyRFHp
January 2012© Independence Gardens LLC
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Topics We’ll Cover• What is composting?• Why compost?• Composting methods• How to make compost…
effectively• Harvesting/using compost• Vermi- intro• Questions and hands-on
practice
What We’ll Cover TodayPreview
Got Questions? Please ask as we go along.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
What We’ll Skip Today
• "e process by which organic materials such as grass clippings, leaves, and food waste are broken down and decomposed
• A strategy for recycling organic (living/no longer living) ma#er into a useful and necessary soil ingredient
And Some Other OptionsWhat is composting?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Why Compost?
• Food & paper are the two largest contributors to land$lls- More than 1/2 of all land$ll waste- More than all plastics, diapers,
styrofoam, and tires COMBINED• Food is the #1 least recycled
waste product- NOT taking into account the food
that goes down sink disposals • But composting food waste and
paper is easy, and FUN!
Why compost?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Columbia Ridge Land$ll 137 miles
When stuff goes “away”…
"e Metro region land$lls 270,500 tons of food and non-recoverable paper per year: 21% of the waste stream
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• It does not (have to)- Involve chemicals, huge amounts of
power, or transportation
• It does…- Offer “closed loop” sustainability
• From table to compost to garden to table
- Reduce land$ll waste & runoff
- Help your plants survive drought- Discourage pests
- Encourage microbial life in soil- Act as a healthy soil amendment
• Improve tilth• Offer steady release of nutrients
What does compost do?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Backyard composting methods
• Hot/fast• Cold/slow • Pile• Trench• Pit• Container
- Ex: 3-bin systems- Ex: Earth Machines (a.k.a.
Darth Vader hats)
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Sheet mulching- a.k.a. “lasagna gardening”- Slow; use to prep beds for later planting
• Vermicomposting- Red wriggler WORMS!- Slow method that breaks food waste down
into “black gold”
• Commercial- Hot/fast: don’t try this at home- Can break down a wider variety of
materials than backyard scale
Other composting methods
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Ingredients/recipe- 3 parts “brown”- 1 part “green”
• Particle size• Moisture• Air• Temperature• Turning the pile• Duration
Compost considerations
BROWN (C)1
BROWN (C)1
GREEN (N)1
BROWN (C)1
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• “Browns” (Carbon)– Examples:
• Brown leaves• Dry grass• Straw• Small sticks
• “Greens” (Nitrogen)– Examples:
• Food Waste• Manures
– From herbivores!• Green grass
Remember the Recipe….3 parts brown to 1 part green
Ingredients/recipe
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
GREENS - fruit & vegetable scraps- coffee grounds- rice & pasta- eggshells - tea bags- %owers- plant trimmings- hedge clippings and other
fresh yard debris - fresh grass (small
amounts)- animal manures (e.g.
chicken, rabbit, goat, horse, cow, alpaca)
- seaweed/kelp
Compost: YES
BROWNS - coffee $lters- stale bread- houseplant cu#ings- paper napkins & towels- dryer lint (mostly co#on)- hair (yours/your pets’)- clean cardboard/paper- wood ash (NOT Dura%ame/
Presto logs!)- leaves- straw or hay- small twigs/chips- dried grass & weeds- co#on rags- animal bedding (sawdust)
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
MEAT
- chicken, beef, $sh- bones
- fat
DAIRY
- milk
- yogurt- cheese
Compost: NO
PLASTIC
- bags- straws- juice boxes
METAL
- wrappers- aluminum foil
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Smaller is be#er!• Chop it up!• Bury food in pile!
Particle size
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Damp enough to leave hands moist (like a wrung-out sponge)
– O!en becomes not the case in the fall / winter/ spring
• When squeezed, water should not drip out
Best Practice:TARP IT!
Covering your pile retains...
• Heat
• Appropriate nutrients
• Moisture content
The Monsoon Continues!Moisture
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Aerobic microbes are good– Breathe in oxygen– Release CO2
• Anaerobic microbes are smelly!– Release methane
Air
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Hot pile = good pile– 140°F for 3 days to kill
pathogens and weed seeds
Temperature
Best Practice:USE A COMPOST THERMOMETER• Allows you to measure
temps accurately
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Makes food more available for microbes
• Aerates the pile• Keeps the pile hot• Make sure you turn all of
the pile• Yes, you can turn in
all seasons
Turning the pile
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Turn until pile stops warming up… - Food is gone, so microbes
dead/dormant/less active
• Average backyard compost pile is "nished in 4-6 months
• Other methods can be faster or slower
Duration
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Much slower composting method than pile or trench- Give yourself 6 months to 1
year for a whole area to be plantable
• But it’s more #exible- You can compost in place
around existing plants
• Step-by-step…
Sheet mulching basics
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
1. Mow down existing grass/plants and remove invasives2. Add a 2” N layer (grass clippings, manure, kelp, co$onseed
meal, "sh product, urine, coffee grounds, kitchen scraps)3. Aerate soil with a digging fork & water4. Lay down a C weed barrier (cardboard or 10ish layers off
newspaper)5. Add ~ ½” N layer6. Repeat steps 4 (with any C source) & 5 to desired thickness7. Water well8. Add a 12” blanket C layer (straw, leaves, wood chips,
shredded paper)
Sheet mulching how-to
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Harvesting Compost• When pile is cooled,
compost is ready to use- Can be tarped and stored for
6-12 months
• Screening- Use chicken wire or hardware
cloth in wooden frame- “Overs” can be used to start
new compost pile
• Curing- Le$ing "nished compost sit
for 2-3 months will make it darker, more stable nutrients
Harvesting
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Fertilizer- Mix compost into soil
around plants
• Po$ing Soil- 1 Shovel compost- 1 Shovel good black soil- ½ Shovel perlite- 1 Shovel sand
• Topsoil- 1 Shovel compost- 1 Shovel sand
Recipes
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Compost “halo”- Good fertilization method- Lay a ring of compost on
ground around plant stems- Cover with soil
• Planting with compost- Mix with dark surface soil- Put at bo#om of planting
hole- Plant!
Recipes
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Know your habits- How much kitchen/yard
waste do you produce?- How will you collect
scraps? (countertop unit, fridge or freezer...)
- How much time/desire do you have to tend?
- Do you have household/neighborhood buy-in?
- Could you share the work?
And then there is you...
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Got Questions?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012