Composting is another one of the many ways individuals can help to improve the state of our environment, and reduce the amount of waste we create each year. Unfortunately, not many know what exactly composting is, and how it helps not only us, but the environment around us. Around the country, more and more composting campaigns are beginning to take place, so it is important that we know exactly what composting is, and how to do it properly.
What is Composting?
Composting, as defined by dictionary.com, is a mixture of various decaying organic substances, such as dead leaves or manure, used for fertilizing soil. Essentially, composting is the process through which we can recycle food scraps we don't need. Whenever you have food waste that can't be eaten, like an apple core or banana peel, you can put it in a compost pile outside. Composting it is the best way to ensure that these foods are used to their fullest potential. Whenever a food scrap is added to a compost pile, it breaks down and decays into soil. While this may not sound particularly beneficial, the soil these food scraps create makes some of the most nutrient filled soil you can get. This soil is especially useful for gardeners, but even if you aren't planning on starting a garden, composting is still a great way to put helpful nutrients back where they belong.
How Can We Compost?
So, now that we know what exactly composting is, how can it be done?
Well, we can compost in a multitude of different ways, from creating a composting pile in your own backyard, to participating in or even creating a compost program at your school or business. In this post, we will talk about how you can create a composting pile in your home.
Home Composting
Unfortunately, composting is not as simple as just dumping any food scraps we have into a pile; it requires a little more thought to pull off successfully. The first thing we need to know is that there are two different types of compost: hot and cold. Cold compost, which can be done at nearly any time of year, is what most consider normal composting: the collection of yard waste, such as grass cuttings or leaves, put together with organic food wastes, like fruit and vegetable peels, to make a pile that slowly decomposes into soil. This type of composting usually takes a year or more to decompose. Hot composting, which is for more serious gardeners, is the usage of nitrogen, carbon, air, and water to make materials decompose in 1 to 3 months, if done during warm weather.
While cold composting is fairly straight forward, hot composting requires a little more thought and guidance. If you would like to learn how you can create a hot compost pile, check out this article here.
After choosing which type of compost you want to create, there are a few tips you should know to make sure that it is successful. One of the most important is the fact that not every type of food scrap can be recycled.
Materials and Foods that can be used:
Fruit and vegetable scraps (apple cores, banana peels, vegetable skins, etc.)
Plant/grass clippings
Eggshells and coffee grounds
Dry leaves
Chopped wood or bark chips/sawdust from wood that is untreated
Straw
Shredded newspaper
Note: It is important to maintain a balance of these different compostable materials. Make sure you are not using too many of just one type, as this can affect the decomposition of your compost pile.
Materials and foods that cannot be used:
Any meat product
Diseased plant materials
Oils, fats, greases (or anything containing them)
Dairy products
Cat or dog feces
Weeds that go to seeds
If you make sure only to use the materials and foods that should be used in a composting pile, then your composting should be be successful! However, there are a few more things you should know when starting a compost pile to make sure that it remains successful.
Problems With Home Compost Piles
One of the largest problems with starting a compost pile is that it can attract rodents and bugs. While in some cases this can be good, as some insects can help with decomposition, more often than not these creatures are not helpful. So, before starting a compost pile, make sure to check with your town, as unfortunately some towns have laws that prohibit making compost piles in your backyard because of this. However, even if creating your own composting pile is okay in your town, it can still lead to lots of annoying rodents and bugs. So, here are a few tips to help keep them out of your compost pile:
After adding new scraps to your pile, make sure to put a layer of soil over them. This helps the scraps to decompose faster and keep away any unwanted animals.
Avoid adding meats at all cost. Adding meats to your compost will immediately attract rodents and bugs. Avoid them!
Mix your pile weekly: by using a pitchfork or other tool to stir around your compost pile, it can give it more oxygen and cause it to decompose quicker.
Keep a balance of each material you add to the compost pile. Over loading on one ingredient when composting can attract specific bugs that can be hard to deal with. Keep a balance.
Another tough aspect of composting is keeping a good schedule. It is recommended to add new materials to your composting pile every week. So, if you end up with food scraps every night, it is better to use a small, temporary storage container to contain them until each weekly dump. This way, there is less work for you to do each day.
Conclusion
Composting may seem difficult at first, but once you get the hang of it it becomes much easier. By composting our food scraps instead of throwing them away, we can work to make our societies more eco-friendly and provide the nature around us with much needed nutrients. Of course, like so many other topics, there is just too much information about composting for me to talk about all of it in one post. So, if you would like to learn more about composting, please make sure to check out the links I have provided below. Additionally, you can look to my next post as I will be talking about some of the different ways you can compost and how you can start a composting campaign at your school or business. Thanks for reading!
All credit for information used in this post goes to:
http://schoolgardenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Cafeteria-Composting-Manual-for-printing.pdf
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/composting
https://bonnieplants.com/library/what-is-compost/
http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/foodscraps.html
http://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/compost/how-to-compost/
Images:
www.keyword-suggestions.com
www.compostfoundation.org
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=444
http://mooseradio.com/its-national-learn-about-composting-day-buy-a-compost-bin-this-saturday-in-bozeman/
http://www.blackhillsgarden.com/index.php?p=1_69_Family-compost-pile
https://www.pinterest.com/OnlineVegetable/online-fruits-gurgaon/
http://dotcave.com/freebies/free-dry-leaf-texture-designs/
https://www.adturtle.biz/LP_TA/index.cfm?T=434140
http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/rats-c-21_217.html?page=all
http://heavy.com/garden/2015/02/best-small-indoor-kitchen-countertop-compost-bin-pail-bucket-collector/
http://compostcoalition.com/
Comments