Composting

Setting up a backyard composter is a pain-free process, following these simple steps:

1. Pick a location. Place your bin or pile in an earthy, well-drained, sunny spot, preferably a few metres away from any conifer trees. Make sure your composter is easily accessible, or you may forget to use it!
2. Dig down and build up. Compost needs help from the soil's microorganisms, so remove sod and turn up the soil in your location. Your composter can be a simple pile, a commercially purchased container, or a simple construction of shipping pallets. All of these methods will work, however a black plastic composter has the benefit of retaining heat and moisture, helping to speed up the process. Whichever way you choose, keep the pile approximately 1 cubic meter in size.
3. Fill 'er up! Add a thin layer of twigs or shredded cardboard to help the air flow to your pile, then start composting!

Follow this simple "recipe" for successful composting.
1. Materials should be added in layers, with 2 parts green to 1 part brown materials.

Green materials are rich in nitrogen. This includes most kitchen waste, coffee grounds as well as fresh grass clippings.
Brown materials are rich in carbon. This includes most yard waste--leaves, twigs and dry grass.

2. Keep the pile moist, but not wet. The pile should feel like a wrung-out sponge, not muddy.
3. Stirring or "turning" the pile every 10 days or so adds air to the materials, speeding up the process. This doesn't need to be complicated: simply use a garden fork, spade or other tool, and give it a stir.
4. Adding a scoop of soil between layers will re-introduce micro-organisms to the middle of the pile.

Your compost is ready to use when it reaches a rich, dark colour, and materials are no longer individually distinguishable.

The composting process works perfectly well in the North, but due to our shorter seasons, there are some particular tips to follow for successful northern composting.

1. Using Activators. Organic activators are high in nitrogen. They "kickstart" and maintian the heating process. While comercial activators exist, many natural (and free) ones exist: Fresh grass clippings, manure, coffee grounds, urine, hair, feathers and fertilizers such as fish meal and bone meal. Add activators with carbon-rich materials in no more than a 1:1 ratio.
2. Preparing Compost Materials. Chopping materials into smaller pieces increases the surface area for faster decomposition. Most kitchen trimmings will be small enough (think thumb-sized), but chop larger, tougher materials such as melon rind, broccoli stalks and pumpkin shells into smaller peices.
3. Winter Composting. Begin a new pile in the late fall that you will add to throughout the winter. Start with a base layer of fall leaves, about 12" deep. Add kitchen scraps over the the winter, as you normally would. The freezing process breaks down the cellular walls of plant material, speeding up the decomposition when warm weather returns. In the spring, more 'brown' materials may be needed to keep the pile balanced. Use bagged leaves saved from the fall.
4. Weeds. Weeds can be especially useful in compost, due to their high mineral content. Include weeds such as horsetail, sweet clover, seaweed, thistle and yarrow leaves. Be careful to avoid aggressive weeds (dandelions and quack grass) and any weed seeds.

 

Worms, Grasscycling and Plastic Bag Composting

Worms! Composting indoors? Yes! Start with a bin, red-wiggler worms, damp paper, organic materials and you can set up an odourless indoor composter. 

1. Red-wiggler worms are a special breed of very hungry worms, who consume their body weight in kitchen trimmings every two days, producing rich "castings," that can be used the same way as regular compost. Common earthworms will starve if you bring them indoors and feed them kitchen peelings!
2. The bin should be plastic, with ventilation holes drilled into the top and sides, and drainage holes in the bottom. A lidded plastic storage bin is perfect. 
3. Line the bin with a layer of shredded paper, then start everything off with some finished compost and worms. The red-wigglers need something to crawl around in! Lay a dampened sheet of newspaper over the top, to keep the worms cool and moist. 
4. Feed the worms fruit and vegetable scraps from the kitchen. Worms consume their body weight every two days, so if you have 1lb of worms, give them around 3.5 lb of food/week. 
5. No bananas! There are certain foods to avoid feeding your worms. Banana peels are a sure-fire way to land yourself with fruit flies, so just keep them out altogether. Also avoid acidic foods such as citrus fruits and tomatoes. Try not to include large quantities of strong foods such as onions and garlic. 

Worms can be purchased through the following websites:
www.compostworms.ca         www.allthingsorganic.com

Grasscycling is the natural recycling of grass by leaving the clippings on the lawn when mowing. Grass clippings decompose quickly, relasing nutrients back into the soil. Clippings provide a "quick fix" of nitrogen back to your lawn, avoiding the need for more fertilizers. 

Grass clippings make up a surprisingly large portion of our waste stream during the growing season, and is one way to reduce the amount of waste we send to our landfills. 

1. Let it Grow! Keep your lawn at least 6 cm, or abour 2.5 inches long. Longer grass protects against heat and water loss.
2. Let it Lie! Mow late in the day and give the clippings a chance to settle over night. On average the grass clippings should be gone in two to three days. Mow in a different direction each time. 
   
3. Mow it Dry! Mow when the grass is dry. If grass is wet it may clump. If this happens, simply mow over it again or place it in your composter. 
   
4. Keep it Sharp! Keep your blade sharp for best results. Some mowers have a muching blade or one can be installed. These blades will chop the clippings up even finer for faster decompostition. Don't worry if you don't have one...grasscycling will still happen! 
   
5. Cut it Often! During the growing season you may need to vary the cutting frequency. Cut approximately once per week during the slow season, and up to every four or five days in peak season. Frequent cuttings will produce smaller clippings what break down faster.
6. No Thatch! Grasscycling does not cause thatch. Thatch is made up of fibrous roots and stems which take longer to break down. Crass clippings are made up of 70% to 80% water and break down quickly.  

Plastic Bag Composting is an ideal means to compost hard to compost materials, invasive weeds and weeds gone to seed. This is also a good option if you suddenly have more materials than your compost bin can handle. 

1. Bag it. Add your materials with a small amount of water to a black plastic garbage bag without any holes. Tie the bag securely and place in the fullest sun possible. 
2. Leave it. After a week of two, the results should be a very wet, smelly compost. The high heat inside the bag will destroy any weed seeds, so the compost will be safe to use in the garden.
3. Pour it. It is recommended to pour the contents into a hole dug into topsoil. Leave it there for a few days before spreading it in your garden. 

 

Problem with your composter? Here are some common problems and some solutions to try. If problems persist, please call for a "compost consultation."

SYMPTOM	PROBLEM	SOLUTION
Bad odour: rotten egg smell	Not enough air; pile too wet	Turn pile; add coarse brown material
Bad odour: ammonia smell	Too much nitrogen	Mix in brown material
Nothing happening; dry throughout	Not enough moisture; too much carbon; weather may be too cold; pile may be finished	Turn and moisten; cover pile to slow evaporation; add fresh green material; be patient; harvest compost and begin new pile
Damp and warm in middle, but no where else	Pile is too small	Add and mix in more material—2 partsgreen to 1 part brown
Damp and sweet smelling but will not heat up	Not enough nitrogen	Mix in green material
Pest infestation (dogs, rodents, bears)	Improper food scraps	Avoid using meats, fats, bones and animal waste. Try rodent resistant composter
Flies	Food scraps not covered	Cover scraps with soil, compost or otherbrown material
Ants, wasps	Pile is too dry, not hot enough	Keep pile moist, with good mix of materials