How Much Effort Do I Need to Put Into Composting?

So the last time we were together we considered spatial concerns about composting. We can now think about how much, or little, effort we want to put into our composting.


Whether composting utilizing a batch system, or a compost bin, tumbling or stacked, you’re going to want to put into it as many kitchen scraps as you produce, right? I know I do, because I’ve always felt strongly that one should try to reduce the amount of water one uses (ie. Garbage disposal, in this case) and the amount of refuse one sends off to a landfill. Reduce your impact! If I had a million dollars, I’d have wind power and solar power generating my home’s energy. I’d drive one of the newest technology in fuel efficient vehicles. Heck, I’d probably even build my home out of newspapers, tires or hay bales. But I’m not a millionaire, so I do what I can within my capacity. I like to compost all my kitchen scraps every day. So that means taking them out to the composter every day.

Here’s the point at which we can really discuss ‘effort’. Do you toss the scraps into a tumbling composter, shut the door and give it a few turns to give those organisms some fresh air? Or do you take a pitchfork and dig in to your compost pile, turning with arm, shoulder and back muscles, it to refresh the organisms? I’m fortunate enough to have a tumbling composter so that, while I’m doing my part, and I’m making great compost for my garden, it’s pretty easy to do.

How Much Space do I Need to Compost?

When (not if!  I believe that eventually we’ll all be composting in our efforts to live sustainably.) you decide to compost, there are two important things to consider. One is the amount of space that you have to work in, and the other is how much, or little, effort you want to put into it. Take heart! With the right equipment—and a small amount of effort—you can continually create an copious capacity of compost quickly and easily in a limited amount of yard, patio or roof space. Let’s first consider this question of space.

                     

To Batch, or Not to Batch                                              

If you’re going to batch compost, you’ll need space for:

· one batch of working compost, and

· one area to stockpile materials for the next batch

· Additionally it’s nice to have a spot where you can lay some tarp down and spread the ‘finished’ compost for a little airing. It’s not that it has a bad odor! This pile should smell like rich, fertile soil.

Depending on how large of a batch, or pile of compost that you want to work with, you’ll want a space no smaller than two by two feet. Most I’ve seen run larger, to as big as I’ve seen, six by six foot. Storage can be a bucket or the size of a trash can. We do our share of tree trimming, so we’ve usually got a space designated for branches to be chipped up for mulch or compost. The area for airing your compost will need to be no smaller than a three by three foot space, but can take up a twelve by twelve foot tarp. How big is your garden? How much compost will you need?

Continuous Composters

Whether you choose a tumbling composter, a cone shaped composter, a drum shaped composter, or a tiered, box shaped composter, you’ll need a space for it anywhere from three feet in diameter up to a three by five foot spot. We put our leaves, shredded newspaper and leaves into a trash container set next to our tumbler. And our ‘finished’ area is an area approximately six by six feet.

Pond & Fountain Deux

When first using BiOWiSH Pond & Tank Conditioner to clean out the algae in your backyard pond, fountain, or indoor fish tanks, you'll be amazed at the way it cleans out the goo!

The first application will bring the biology of the water back to life. This can cause short-term darkening of the water as the bottom sludge gains buoyancy. This is all part of the accelerated decomposition process. Over the course of 1-2 weeks, you'll see the water becoming progressively clearer, as blue green algal growth is removed and sludge or waste accumulation is eliminated.

This product is completely safe to use around, and even beneficial to humans, animals and plants. BiOWiSH Pond & Tank Conditioner is used in many, many commercial applications where it is directly applied to animal's drinking water, aquaculture production water, crops, hydroponics waters and general water treatment. The product is 100% organic and non-toxic. You can check out a video of this treatment by clicking this YouTube link.

In this age of global warming and with the concerns we all share for our Mother Earth, you won't find another effective natural way to clean your water features like BiOWiSH Pond & Tank Conditioner. This is the positive and beneficial choice to make!

Soil Testing Part Deux

This is a follow up on my Jan. 8th post about wanting to check the chemical makeup of the soil in my garden. So I went online and searched for "soil testing kits" and found that there are a good number of companies out there offering kits, for prices varying from $4.95 to almost $20, to professional soil testing kits in the hundreds of dollars. Your local nursery and most likely your neighborhood hardware store will carry something that is usable and reasonably priced. Then I looked up how to do a soil test. Here's what a local store's website had to offer:
You need some supplies, such as:
- a clean bucket
- a garden trowel
- a clean container
- enough newspaper to spread out and let the soil samples dry out a little

Once the supplies are ready I'll:

1. Thoroughly clean the tools that I am using to collect the soil samples.
2. In the area that I'll be planting in, I'll dig five holes 6"-8" deep.
3. I'll take a 1/2" slice of soil along the side of a hole and place it in the bucket.
4. I'll repeat this process for all holes.
5. I'll collect samples from different areas that will be growing similar plants.
6. And I'll mix the soil in the bucket, then spread it on a newspaper to dry out. I'll need to collect a pint of soil for my sample

Helpful Hints:

• The best time to test soil is in the late fall or early spring. This gives you the time to make adjustments to the soil before you plant your garden, since soil corrections may take a few months to become effective.
• Wet soil can give a false test reading. Be sure to take the sample when the soil is fairly dry. You may want to check your soil more than once to verify your results.

Once I know what condition my soil is in, I can monitor the nutrients - Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potash (K) - which are all needed for plant growth, color and bloom. Nitrogen is essential for leaf growth and green coloration. Phosphorus helps with plant growth, fruit and seed development, and disease resistance. Potash strengthens the plant from the roots up! And pH levels measure the alkalinity or acidity of the soil. Some of these kits come with a listing of plants and what soil requirements they need. Look for that info!

I can hardly wait for those fresh veggies and blooms!

How to Know When Your Compost is Ready to Be Used

We've been composting since the summer and have had a large batch of compost come out of our tumber after only two months. The material in our composter looked like soil and smelled like soil. So, we stored it in an enclosed area in our side yard and started a new batch in the tumbler. The composting class that I took recommended that compost be allowed to sit for 2 -4 weeks to let some of the nitrogen leach out of it before putting it into the soil or using it as mulch. Too much nitrogen can really damage your plants.

Of course how much nitrogen your compost has in it will depend on what you've put into your compost pile/tumber. The right mix of 'greens' and 'browns' is more important than you might realize. This should be 60% 'brown', such as cardboard (shredded), paper towel and toilet paper rolls, newspaper, wood pellets or sawdust, or woody debris from your garden. Make sure that everything is in small pieces, like one inch or less. The 40% 'green' can be kitchen scraps and grass clippings. If the scraps are larger than one inch, cut them into smaller pieces. The more surface area to interact with the bacteria, the better. And, NO citrus, onion or spicy! Then, keeping the compost moist will help the heat producing bacteria do it's job. The compost should feel like a sponge that's been squeezed of all it's moisture to be sure you have the correct amount of moisture. Finally the heat producing bacteria that breaks it all down needs air, so if you've got a compost tumber, give it a turn every day. If you're not so fortunate and have a compost pile on the ground, get out that pitchfork and move the compost from the outside to the inside at least every other week. And, once again, adding a compost boost product that will enhance the production of bacteria will speed up and simplify this whole process!

And when the composted material looks like soil, smells like soil and has set for a little bit, you will really enjoy mixing it into your garden soil or using it as mulch to keep moisture in the soil and to discourage weed growth. I like to put it on pretty thick for this purpose alone.
Happy Composting!

Now that we have been composting like gangbustas since last spring, we have a pile of compost that stands approximately 4 x 4 x 3 feet. We also have compost in our tumbler that will overflow a wheelbarrow. Next step, plan the garden! I know what I like to look at in the way of flowers (I always plant a profusion of different color impatients in the front of my house where it’s shady all the time by the porch. What a lovely way to enter a house, past all that color!). I like a lot of color, and something that I can cut and bring into the house in a cut flower arrangement. My first year with a garden in this house, we got rid of the top two feet of soil (aka CLAY) and replaced it with store bought compost, peat and top soil. Then I threw down some zinnia seeds, watered, and BLAM! I had the most magnificent array of color ever! I keep trying to recreate that, but a lot has changed in my yard since I threw those zinnia seeds out. The biggest difference is the amount of shade in my back yard. It’s on the south side of the house, so it gets pounded by summer sun. So to protect the paint on my house, keep cooling energy costs down, and give us some privacy from neighbors, we planted trees. Oh yeah, the kids needed something to climb and the birds and squirrels needed homes. We lived on the prairie! No trees.

Anyway, so now I have tons of shade in my yard, which is great, but it definitely impacts what plants I can grow, right? Then there’s the soil. I don’t know where it goes, but what I put into that 2 foot trench that we excavated along the back fence is no longer an airy mixture of peat, top soil and compost! The sun has baked it and the plants have sucked the nutrients right out of it.

So I figure I'll first address the soil composition question. Stay tuned to see what I do to answer the question: "What kind of soil to I really have and what will grow in it?"

It's a new year and I'm determined to learn how to video tape with my camera so that I can include video testimonial to my blog, my facebook account and my websites. I made a video yesterday of my compost pile. I know! How exciting, eh? I really wanted to demonstrate how active my compost pile is even in these cooooolddd winter days and nights. Here in Colorado we've been experiencing winter days with temperatures in the upper 20's and lower 30's. Nights have been logging single digit temps to as high as lower 20's. So you can imagine what the average, run-of-the-mill compost bin/tumber/pile might look like....a frozen heap of scraps/leaves/paper/brownish gunk. But (!) not our compost pile! Oh no! Even though our pile is on the north west side of our house and lacking in much sunlight, it's been showing a reading of temperatures of like 120 degrees F and slightly higher! Whoa! That compost is cookin'! And of course I attribute that temperature to the100% organic, powerful enzyme based BiOWiSH™ Compost Boost that we put into the mix on December 22nd, 2009. I'm going to give my niece a call now to find out if she can help me with the splicing and editing of my video. Then, I'll attach it for all of you out there to see!