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Making Compost
Compost is an important part of nature’s life-cycle.
Plants need carbon dioxide, water, oxygen and a number of essential nutrients to be healthy and enable them to resist insect attacks or diseases. While plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air, the water, oxygen and essential elements are absorbed via the roots. A shortage of just one of the essential nutrients could lead to poor plant growth.
Natural environments usually provide plants with the nutrients they need, by composting dead plant and animal matter. Micro-organisms break down this dead organic matter, which makes it accessible to worms, beetles, maggots, slaters and centipedes. These insects eat the broken down organic matter then excrete it, creating humus. It is this humus that provides the nutrients required by plants to grow well.
However, in urban and agricultural environments the soil often lacks enough organic material to form the humus plants require. Many people apply chemical fertilizers in an effort to have healthy plants, then use pesticides and fungicides to rid the plants of insects and diseases. Beneficial insects are often killed in the process, while birds and mammals feeding on these plants or insects can be poisoned, as can marine life when the chemicals are washed into the waterways. Natural ecosystems become unbalanced.
The best way to ensure strong, healthy plants is by composting organic waste to create your own humus. Once you understand the basics, making humus is simple and inexpensive. It’s also helping the environment by not using potentially harmful chemicals, as well as reducing the amount of organic waste being put into landfill.
Making your own compost requires a little planning and some basic equipment. Decide on the size and style of compost container you require. Compost containers can be home-made from timber and chicken-wire or bought ready-made. A garden fork for turning the organic material is essential, as are gloves and a mask. Keeping a small container in the kitchen for food scraps is handy.
A variety of organic matter is required to create well-balanced, nutrient-rich humus. Part of your plan is to work out what organic material is available for your compost. This will help you decide on what will be in your compost and what you may need to purchase or obtain from others.
Almost anything that was once living can make a useful addition to your compost heap. Although the following ought be avoided; faeces from carnivorous animals like cats, dogs and humans. While faeces from carnivorous animals make excellent fertiliser, they contain pathogens that require treatment to render them safe. Leave this to the experts.
Meat and animal fat should also be left out, as should salt, fats and oils. Weeds with seeds need treating to first kill off the seeds, but exclude all weeds with bulbs.
Also omit toxic materials, including pesticide treated wastes. This is especially important if your compost is for your herb or vegetable garden.
Anything not readily decomposable, such as large pieces of wood, shells, cornstalks and heavy cardboard must be heavily shredded first. Alternatively, shred and use as a mulch layer to protect your plants from extreme weather conditions.
Keep acidic materials, such as pine needles and eucalypt leaves, to a minimum or balance the acidity with the addition of lime.
Most useful compostable material can be found in and around the house; fruit and vegetable scraps, tea leaves, coffee grounds, crushed egg shells, grass clippings, hair from animals and humans, shredded paper and cardboard, dead leaves, wood-ash, non-treated sawdust, cow, horse or chook poo, and hay. If any of these items are not available, they may be accessed at a small cost or possibly free.
Creating a balance between nitrogen and carbon is important in the formation of quality humus. Suitable compost materials can be divided into two categories; nitrogen-rich greens and carbon-rich browns. Green materials, such as food scraps, green grass clippings and manure, are moist. While brown materials, like shredded paper, dried leaves, dried grass, and hay are dry. Margaret Simons, author of Resurrection in a Bucket, recommends a one-to-one ratio of green to brown materials if a good balance is to be achieved.
Layering is the most common method for composting. The following method is taken from “If you don’t eat your greens” by Peter Carroll.
• First layer - dry leaves, twigs, dried green vegetation and chipped or shredded larger sticks. These are necessary to aerate the compost to prevent it from becoming a smelly, slimy mess.
• Second layer - dry grass, dead leaves, straw, sawdust, newspaper and cardboard. Water the first two layers thoroughly.
• Third Layer - food scraps, green grass clippings, green vegetation and manure. This layer should already be moist, so add only a little water if it appears to be very dry.
• Finish off with a thin layer of soil or finished compost. This helps to prevent odours and flies. Slightly moisten this layer.
Always cover the compost heap to prevent it from becoming too wet or dry, as well as keeping the heat trapped. Over the next few weeks, or perhaps months, keep on adding layers to your compost heap. Compost should be kept moist but not wet; forty to sixty percent moisture is ideal. If it stinks it is probably too wet, so add some more dry materials to it.
When the compost container is full, it’s time to begin the next step; turning. The heap should be turned at least every ten days to help aerate it. Air helps the composting process because it allows the aerobic micro-organisms to act by heating up the compost heap. Heat is essential for the decomposition process and helps to kill off diseases.
The size of the heap will affect the speed of composting. A minimum of one cubic metre will provide an adequate environment for the micro-organisms to thrive. A smaller compost heap will work, but more slowly, while very large heaps may become too hot.
To begin with, your heap will be slightly acidic. But as different bacteria take over, heating up your compost, it should become alkaline. The centre of the heap ought be around 50 degrees Celsius. If your compost remains acidic, it is probably deprived of oxygen, so turn it more frequently. In the final stages, the compost will become PH neutral or slightly alkaline.
With regular turning nutrient-rich humus will be formed within a few months. The composting process is finished when a dark brown or black, slightly moist, crumbly humus has formed. It should smell earthy, with almost no recognisable pieces of the organic matter you started with.
Precautions are advised when working with your compost heap because illness can occasionally occur. Wear gloves and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. Keep your compost heap moist to prevent airborne micro-organisms and wear a mask.
If space is a problem, consider a worm farm or a bench-top fermenting system such as Bokashi. These systems deal with kitchen scraps but not garden waste.
Composting is a natural part of the never-ending life cycle. Dead organic matter is broken down to form a vibrant, living eco-system which then provides foods for the next generation of plants to thrive.
Happy composting!
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