Gardener's Gold!

"There I was ankle deep in horse--manure--a shovel in hand, pickup truck nearby and loving it!" Only a true organic gardener can really appreciate these words and organic waste is the name of the game.

All those grass clippings, twigs, leaves and discarded plants you place at the curb for pickup are actually gardener's gold. Farmer's collect this "gold" in large heaps which takes months to compost. For normal gardening purposes, we are going to describe the "two week" method. The main difference being, we will ground and/or shred instead of layering the waste material, then pile it up, but not over 5' high. You are going to have to turn this mixture so consider the quantity of the pile. The reasons are:

1. Multiplication of microorganisms necessary for decomposition is increased when you shred or grind.
2. Air movement through the pile is important and is improved because shredded or ground material is less likely to pack down.
3. When the outside temperature reaches at least a constant 50 degrees or over, your pile should heat up naturally.

There are compost bins for sale and if you can afford it, buy one! It'll be worth it. You can also build your own. The ones you can turn with a handle are even easier to operate. Shredding and grinding can be done using your lawn mower or buy an attachment for your blower that sucks up the waste and shreds it for you.

You can mix in topsoil, wood ash and lime. Lime creates a nonacid compost. If your plants need acidity, leave out the lime. Water the pile throughout the two week process if needed to keep it moist, not soggy. At first your pile should heat up internally. 140 degrees should destroy any weed seed. After each turning the temperature will drop then rise again until it eventually stays constant at about 130 degrees and the compost is ready for spreading. You may cover the pile with plastic or leave uncovered. It's your choice. You can also add non-cooked vegetable kitchen wastes, eggshells (crushed), banana peels, onion skins, hair and finely shredded paper to your pile, but no fats or meat products. Be sure to cover the food stuffs with compost from the bottom of the pile. Remember, for acid loving plants leave out the lime and wood ash.

Materials: shredded leaves, green materials from your garden (no diseased plants and be sure the weeds have no seeds), broken twigs, vegetable wastes and manure (no human, cat or dog wastes). Stockpile these materials for later use. Kitchen wastes may be stored in a bucket and covered with a lid until ready to add to the pile.

Although the decomposition process takes longer, you can layer your compost materials. Use coarser materials at the bottom of the pile. Layer with green material (2-3 inches), then brown material (2-3 inches). Wet until moist, not soggy. At this point you may add an activator purchased for this purpose. The activator will help speed the decomposition process. Keep layering and wetting up to and no more than 5 feet high.

As stated above, the pile needs to be turned to increase the air flow, the initial turning after three days and successive turnings every 2-3 days. For slower composting, turn every week. Place your pile on soil, not concrete or bricks. The earthworms in the soil will work their way up into the pile and assist in decomposition.

You can use compost when first planting by digging it into the soil. If you have large pieces left in the compost, filter them out and reapply them to your current compost making pile. You can also apply compost as a mulch around existing plants.

Today you can purchase compost ready for use so why go to all the trouble? Recycle my friend, recycle!

Compost Tea
Compost is filled with soluble nutrients and can be used as a tea to water and fertilize your plants - inside and out.

First filter the compost and place in a bucket or sprinkling can until the container is half full. Fill with water, stir well and use to water your plants. You can repeat the process several times reusing the same compost mixture and then dispose of the compost into your garden soil.


		Composting ........ "There I was ankle deep in horse--manure--a shovel in hand, pickup truck nearby and loving it!" Only a true organic gardener can really appreciate these words and organic waste is the name of the game. All those grass clippings, twigs, leaves and discarded plants you place at the curb for pickup are actually gardener's gold. Farmer's collect this "gold" in large heaps which takes months to compost. For normal gardening purposes, we are going to describe the "two week" method. The main difference being, we will ground and/or shred instead of layering the waste material, then pile it up, but not over 5' high. You are going to have to turn this mixture so consider the quantity of the pile. The reasons are: 1. Multiplication of microorganisms necessary for decomposition is increased when you shred or grind. 2. Air movement through the pile is important and is improved because shredded or ground material is less likely to pack down. 3. When the outside temperature reaches at least a constant 50 degrees or over, your pile should heat up naturally. There are compost bins for sale and if you can afford it, buy one! It'll be worth it. You can also build your own. The ones you can turn with a handle are even easier to operate. Shredding and grinding can be done using your lawn mower or buy an attachment for your blower that sucks up the waste and shreds it for you. You can mix in topsoil, wood ash and lime. Lime creates a nonacid compost. If your plants need acidity, leave out the lime. Water the pile throughout the two week process if needed to keep it moist, not soggy. At first your pile should heat up internally. 140 degrees should destroy any weed seed. After each turning the temperature will drop then rise again until it eventually stays constant at about 130 degrees and the compost is ready for spreading. You may cover the pile with plastic or leave uncovered. It's your choice. You can also add non-cooked vegetable kitchen wastes, eggshells (crushed), banana peels, onion skins, hair and finely shredded paper to your pile, but no fats or meat products. Be sure to cover the food stuffs with compost from the bottom of the pile. Remember, for acid loving plants leave out the lime and wood ash. Materials: shredded leaves, green materials from your garden (no diseased plants and be sure the weeds have no seeds), broken twigs, vegetable wastes and manure (no human, cat or dog wastes). Stockpile these materials for later use. Kitchen wastes may be stored in a bucket and covered with a lid until ready to add to the pile. Although the decomposition process takes longer, you can layer your compost materials. Use coarser materials at the bottom of the pile. Layer with green material (2-3 inches), then brown material (2-3 inches). Wet until moist, not soggy. At this point you may add an activator purchased for this purpose. The activator will help speed the decomposition process. Keep layering and wetting up to and no more than 5 feet high. As stated above, the pile needs to be turned to increase the air flow, the initial turning after three days and successive turnings every 2-3 days. For slower composting, turn every week. Place your pile on soil, not concrete or bricks. The earthworms in the soil will work their way up into the pile and assist in decomposition. You can use compost when first planting by digging it into the soil. If you have large pieces left in the compost, filter them out and reapply them to your current compost making pile. You can also apply compost as a mulch around existing plants. Today you can purchase compost ready for use so why go to all the trouble? Recycle my friend, recycle! Compost Tea Compost is filled with soluble nutrients and can be used as a tea to water and fertilize your plants - inside and out. First filter the compost and place in a bucket or sprinkling can until the container is half full. Fill with water, stir well and use to water your plants. You can repeat the process several times reusing the same compost mixture and then dispose of the compost into your garden soil.
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