What does it mean to compost?
Composting is the process of breaking down organic matter through decomposition. Once the organic matter has broken down, it forms compost. This compost can then be used for gardening, farming, keeping your lawn healthy, and more! Compost is very rich in the nutrients that plants need, so it can be mixed with soil to keep your plants healthy.
5 reasons to start composting:
Compost is rich in nutrients, but so what? You could easily buy organic fertilizer to help grow your garden in a small backyard and big one – so why go through the effort of composting at home?
- Composting saves you money. Do you pay to have your trash picked up weekly? By placing more of your “trash” in your compost pile, you can cut down on your trash collection frequency and start saving money. If you currently garden and pay for fertilizer, you can cut down on that cost too.
- Composting can help you become more aware of the amount of trash you produce. You will become more conscious as you start sorting plastic from food waste. As you separate your trash into things that will easily decompose and things that won’t, you will see how much of your trash is really going to stay on this planet for the long haul. This awareness will hopefully motivate you to make better decisions in the future and produce less trash overall (which in turn will help you save even more money).
- Composting will give you a green thumb. If you already garden, your compost can help your plants grow healthier. If you don’t already garden, you can start with your newly-made compost. Growing your fruits and vegetables can also help you save money since you won’t be buying them from the store!
- Composting can create healthier fruits and vegetables. Current farming practices deplete the soil of essential nutrients. Our fruits and vegetables grow in this depleted soil, and they are left empty, without the nutrients that keep them healthy. The apple you eat today does not have the same number of vitamins and minerals that the apples your grandmother grew up eating. When you grow fruits and vegetables with compost mixed into the soil, the fruits and veggies can grow with all the nutrients they need and all the nutrients that you need. An apple that is grown in composted soil is more flavorful and leaves you feeling more satiated than an apple grown in depleted soil.
- Compost acts as a natural pesticide and herbicide. Plants grown in compost are more resilient to diseases, pests, and fungi. You can rest a little easier knowing that your plants are not so likely to get sick and die overnight!
5 easy ways to start composting today:
Now that you have reason to compost, how can you get started today? Composting is fairly simple. All you need is a container to place your compost ingredients. Once you get into the habit of composting, it will become second nature. You can buy composting kits on any online store, but it is very simple to set something up yourself.
- Make a compost bin out of a large plastic trash can. Go to your local home goods store and buy a large outdoor plastic trash can with a lid. You will also need a drill and some bungee cords. Drill holes into the sides of the trash can, so that your compost can breathe (or aerate). Use the bungee cords to secure the lid onto the trash can. If you do not have bungee cords, you can get creative with different ways to secure the lid to the can. You want to be able to open the trash can relatively easy to be able to add more ingredients to the compost continuously. Alternatively, you can look for a plastic trash can with a lid that snaps onto the body – these require less setup but tend to be slightly more expensive and harder to find.
- Make your compost bin out of repurposed wood pallets. Wood pallets are a great material to use to create your compost bin. The way they are put together, they have gaps built into them so that your compost can breathe and be exposed to fresh air. This helps the compost materials decompose and is necessary for a proper compost bin. Nail the pallets together to form a box. You will want a lid, but you do not need to nail it on. If you live near a home supply store, like a Lowes or a Home Depot, you might even be able to get these wood pallets for free! Just ask if they have any extra – a lot of times they do.
- Use a rain barrel as a compost bin. Buy a 50-60 gallon plastic rain barrel. Make sure you get a barrel with a lid and use a drill to drill holes into the sides. One of the significant advantages of a rain barrel is that it is very easy to turn or rotate the barrel. This is good because it allows you to mix up the compost to aid with the decomposition of the organic materials.
- Make a compost bin out of chicken wire and wooden stakes. You can make the bin into a circle or square, use two wooden stakes or four. Place the wooden stakes in the ground, then wrap the wire around the stakes to create your “bin.” Again, this is great because the wire allows plenty of air the go into the compost soil.
- Make a compost bin out of a picket fence. You can go two routes with this: buy new picket fence pieces (you can find 3.5 feet by 8 feet pieces at a store like Home Depot) or repurpose an old fence (you will just have to be on the lookout for neighbors or friends getting their fences replaced). Just like with the wood pallets, you will want to get four pieces and nail them together to create your box. Add a fifth piece for a lid. And just the like wood pallets, picket fences naturally have space between the wooden boards so that your compost has room to breathe.
What kinds of things can I compost?
Your compost should be a balance of nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich materials. Now, you do not have to be too precise or scientific with this, just know that you want to put two categories of ingredients into your compost bin.
Carbon-rich materials allow your compost to be fluffy and airy. These items are your “brown” items. These items will allow your compost to feel like soil. Examples of carbon-rich materials are eggshells, corn stalks, coffee filters, shredded brown paper bags, bits of cardboard, shredded paper, shredded newspaper, toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, and tea bags. You can also put yard waste into your compost. Examples are brown leaves, small wood pieces, sawdust, branches, and stems. Note that you do not want to put large pieces of anything in your compost bin because larger items take longer to break down.
Nitrogen-rich items allow your compost to create enzymes and give life to your compost. These are your “green” items. You will want fewer nitrogen items than carbon items because too much nitrogen will cause your compost to smell and will add too much density to your compost. Examples of nitrogen-rich items are tea leaves, seaweed and kelp, grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps, flower clippings, and coffee grounds. Manure from cows, horses, chicken, and rabbit are good too.
What kinds of things cannot be composted?
There are quite a few things that you never want to compost. Here’s the list of main items:
- Meat or fish scraps. These actually are not bad for your compost but will attract pests that you do not want in your compost, like rats and raccoons. The meat will also make your compost very stinky!
- Dog or cat poop. Dogs and cats are carnivores, and their waste has microorganisms and parasites that you do not want in the soil you use to grow your fruits and vegetables.
- Coffee and tea bags that are not made out of natural materials (such as plastic or other synthetic fibers).
- Synthetic fertilizer. This has inorganic materials that could harm your compost.
- Onions or garlic. It is not a big deal if you add these, but if your compost has worms (which are great for your compost), these ingredients may harm the worms.
- Banana peels, peach peels, and orange peels. These may have pesticide residue.
- Glossy paper or paper with a lot of colorful ink. These will not decompose very quickly and often have harmful toxins.
- Sawdust from treated wood. If the wood has been treated with paints, stains, or varnishes, it probably will not decompose well in your compost bin.
- Stickers from your fruits and vegetables. These are often made out of plastic or vinyl and are not biodegradable.
- Ash from coal. This is too acidic for your compost bin. Ash from a wood fire, like your fireplace, is ok in moderation.
- Weeds or diseased plants. Adding weeds could spread the weed seeds. Infected plants could add undesired elements to your compost.
Start composting today!
Once you set up your compost bin, composting is not hard at all. Composting will take some getting used to, but once you form the habit, it becomes second nature. Since your main compost bin will be outdoors, it would be a good idea to keep a small wastebasket indoors that you can fill up with all your composting materials. You can take out your compost materials to your outdoor composting bin at the same time that you take out the trash – easy! Get your family or housemates on board with your new composting lifestyle and make it a team effort. Composting is very rewarding, and you will not regret trying it out!
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