Composting: Creating ‘black gold’ in your own backyard

Composting produces excellent fertilizer for garden soil, and the better the soil, the better your plants will do.

Some gardeners call it “black gold” because it’s so valuable in creating bigger vegetables, fruits, and flowers. The best thing is composting is easy, it’s good for the environment and it’s free.

One of the most common types of composting is called hot composting. Here’s how it works.

The first thing you’ll need is a container for your compost and you can get creative with this. Wood pallets, concrete-blocks, bricks, wood-slat fencing and large plastic containers are all great options. Once your container is ready, pick out a sunny spot that’s convenient and has easy access in your backyard or garden.

Now it’s time to fill the bin with the really important stuff — garbage. Of course, not all garbage is created equal when it comes to composting. There are tiny microorganisms living in compost materials and all we are trying to do is give these little guys an environment they can thrive in. In order to do that, we basically only need five things; carbon-based materials, nitrogen-based materials, water, air and heat.

First things first, our microorganisms need a balanced diet consisting of rich carbon and nitrogen materials. Carbon-based materials are referred to as “browns” and nitrogen-based materials as “greens.” “Browns” such as dead leaves, straw, paper, and sawdust are dry and coarse. “Greens” like vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and yard trimmings are moist and dense.

You’ll basically want to combine 2/3 of “brown” materials for every 1/3 of “green” materials to get everything to breakdown into the rich “black gold” that you want.

If your compost starts to smell bad, you need to add browns. If it isn’t composting fast enough, you need to add greens.

To get your compost off to a good start, lay some ripped up cardboard or newspaper in the bottom of the bin and top that with some straw or leaves. Smaller particles will breakdown more quickly. For example, sawdust will decompose faster than wood chips and twigs. So, for faster results, use smaller materials. The compost bin will get continual layers of browns and greens as time goes on. Once the container has been filled to the brim, stop adding materials and let everything decompose.

Every so often you’ll need to add water to your compost pile. The microorganisms that break down the materials in the compost need moisture, so you’ll need to water your compost pile from time to time. You want the pile to be damp and moist at all times, but not dripping wet.

As the composting proceeds, the materials shrink in size and begin to settle. This reduces the pile’s air spaces and our little microorganisms need fresh air (especially when the temperature gets into the 90s). When you notice the pile starting to shrink, then it’s time to get out there and stir/turn/fluff-up the pile with a large stick or pitchfork.

Ideally, the compost bin needs to maintain a temperature between 120 degrees and 140 degrees in order for our microorganisms to flourish. You can measure this with a compost thermometer, or by simply sticking your hand into the pile. If the pile is uncomfortably hot, then it’s probably at the right temperature.

The better you are at managing this process will determine how fast the compost will be produced. If you keep at it and diligently water and aerate your compost pile, then you could have rich black compost in a matter of one to two months. However, if you maybe only get around to watering and stirring the pile once a month or so, it could take about six months, give or take.

Unfortunately, not all things are compostable so you’ll need to be a little mindful on what you put in your compost pile. Here’s a list of things to NOT put in your pile.

• Oil
• Fat
• Grease
• Meat
• Fish scraps
• Dairy
• Citrus
• Ready-made products
• Hard to kill weeds
• Diseased plants
• Glass
• Medication
• Cigarettes
• Plastic
• Pet waste
• Plants/grass treated with herbicides