I've been backyard composting for over a year. I was so tired of piling up my neighbor's leaves and our mowed grass in the street for the City to pick up. It felt like such a waste.
SELECTING A COMPOSTER
There are many different types of composters available. This site gives detailed info and specs on compost bins for less than $100, but it isn't necessary to purchase a bin; my auntie digs a big hole and buries organic material.
I purchased an Earth Machine (EM) through a program offered by Santa Clara County Recycling and Waste Reduction Commission. The County offers a free composting class and the EM for $55. I did a lot of compost bin research and found the EM to be the best for the price. It is round, making it easier to turn the compost and the screw-on-top keeps out unwanted critters.
GETTING STARTED
I dug up a sunny dirt area in my backyard and placed the EM directly on top of the newly turned soil. I added the big pile of leaves and freshly cut grass; basically, adding equal parts of "browns", which are high in carbon, and "greens" which are high in nitrogen.
Brown: dry leaves*, cardboard (paper towel, toilet paper, wrapping paper tubes)
Green: grass, kitchen scraps (fruits, veggies, coffee grounds, tea bags, cut leaves)
NOTE: Do NOT add animal waste, meat, or dairy
I mixed them together, then added water. The mixture should be damp like a sponge, not sopping wet. After a few days of "cooking" the pile decreased in size.
I kept adding materials (trying to maintain the 50% brown, 50% green mixture), watering and turning the heap until the bin was 75% full. A couple of weeks later, I wasn't completely satisfied with the progress, so I mixed in roughly two gallons of compost that I'd gotten from the City to help the process.
COMPOST COMPLETE!
Four months later it was ready!** It looks like damp soil when done. I didn't water it for a couple of weeks (but continued to turn) to let it dry out a little then sifted out all the things that didn't break down completely (and put those things back into the bin for the next batch).
In the second batch, I added a lot more kitchen scraps and ended up with a bin full of earthworms. They must have come up from the soil under the bin.
I found this helpful Troubleshooting chart at the bottom of www.calrecycle.ca.gov for reference.
* The instructor in the class I attended said that anything that falls off a tree naturally (vs. cut) is considered brown
** Breakdown slows during colder months. Keep adding material and turning; it will begin cooking when the weather gets warmer.
Thanks for your post! I think what I've been doing wrong is not adding enough of the brown material. When done right, compost is the most beautiful thing!
ReplyDeleteYes Diana, I forgot to say compost should have an "earthy" smell. If it starts to smell moldy then you just need to add more browns or less water. In most cases, compost is very forgiving.
ReplyDeletePatti, how do you turn the material in your bin? Does the composter spin or do you have to turn it with a pitch fork? I definitely didn't turn my compost enough, and it hardly had any browns in it. The smell was quite terrible and the end result was sopping wet. Even now that I've turned it out on the dirt, flies are hovering everywhere! I also used way too much kitchen scraps. I'm not giving up though... I'll give it another try. I'm thinking of buying a bin. My Rubbermaid container was too small and rather hard to turn. Thanks for all your advice!
ReplyDeleteHi Diana, never give up!
ReplyDeleteMy compost bin doesn't spin. I use a small (and light) pitch fork to turn the compost, I try think of it as getting exercise while using it. :)
My auntie doesn't turn her hole compost at all, but I think she puts almost all garden waste, not kitchen scraps.
I have a pit of material I'm gathering for my next batch of compost. When I add kitchen scraps, I cover it with browns, or dirt to keep the flies at bay. I'm afraid that won't help keep rats away, though.
I've read good reviews on the Tumbleweed Composter. It retails for less than $200. They say it's easy to assemble, and easy to turn AND since it's raised it will keep pests out.
http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/composter/tumbleweed.htm
Thanks Patti for the advice! I'll keep working on it and keep you posted!
ReplyDelete