composting 101

Photo: Akhila Vijayaraghavan © Mycompost heap .

This year I started a fresh batch of compost. I hadn't composted in about 4 months and was beginning to feel rather guilty about it. Once I started I remembered how totally easy it is. My compost bin is about 10 days old and it smells really really good. This might be a weird thing to say about garbage but a well-balanced compost heap really does smell like a forest.

Composting is confusing for many people and it is understandable but it really is easy. You literally need no special equipment - get started with a plastic crate or a big plastic bucket, with a lid. I repurposed a big plastic crate and covered it with a sheet of thick cardboard. You can also purchase composters like Daily Dump if you fancy but all you really need is something sturdy to put the compost into.

I started with a whole bunch of pea pods, dead New Year roses, banana peels and egg shells on Day 1. Gradually I added vegetable peelings, orange and lime rinds, more egg shells, coconut shells (broken into smaller pieces), corn cobs, corn husks, tea leaves, spinach stems etc. Then I added in sawdust - what I'm trying to do here is to add an equal mix of 'green' and 'brown' matter. You can also add grass clipping, leaves, wood shavings, torn pieces of paper, coffee grounds etc.

As I've mentioned before but will also say here. Composting organisms require four equally important things to work effectively:

• Carbon ("C" or carbohydrates), for energy - the microbial oxidation of carbon produces the heat. High carbon materials tend to be brown and dry.
• Nitrogen ("N" or protein), to grow and reproduce more organisms to oxidize the carbon. High nitrogen materials tend to be green (or colorful, like fruits and vegetables) and wet.
• Oxygen, for oxidizing the carbon, the decomposition process.
• Water, in the right amounts to maintain activity without causing anaerobic conditions.

So in order to ensure that all these criteria are met in addition to ensuring that your heap is properly balanced. You also would need to stir it everyday to ensure aeration. The pile should not be too wet or too dry - it should have the moisture content of a wrung out sponge. Avoid putting in rotten food, cooked leftover food especially it if contains spices, meat, fat, grease, oil and your heap will be fine.

As you can see from my picture - the older food has already started to compost - the corn husks and onion peels are relatively fresh. It takes about 3 months for the pile to be fully composted. If your pile starts smelling like the forest you know you are on the right track! And as long as you avoid the few "dont's" it most likely will.

The reason why garbage heaps smell is because anaerobic respiration takes place. A compost heap uses aerobic respiration and apart from attracting fruit flies, which are a normal part of the process it does not attract house flies, maggots, worms, cockroaches, rats and other critters. These will appear only if you add meat to your heap (egg shells are fine).

Now that you know that composting is easy as pie, get started and keep me posted on your progress as I would love to know!

from garbage to garden

Household waste makes up a huge percentage of wastes that end up in the landfill. Most of this can be composted - even if you do not garden, you can give or sell this compost to local nurseries and farms. Composting upcycles kitchen and yard waste and manures into an extremely useful humus-like end product, permitting the return of vital organic matter and particularly bacteria that are essential to plant nutrition and the soil.

Managed aerobic composting arranges environmental conditions so they are optimal for the natural processes to take place. You can make your own compost box or purchase one as this is the first step on the great journey of rotting.

Composting organisms require four equally important things to work effectively:

• Carbon ("C" or carbohydrates), for energy - the microbial oxidation of carbon produces the heat. High carbon materials tend tobe brown and dry.
• Nitrogen ("N" or protein), to grow and reproduce more organisms to oxidize the carbon. High nitrogen materials tend to be green (or colorful, like fruits and vegetables) and wet.
• Oxygen, for oxidizing the carbon, the decomposition process.
• Water, in the right amounts to maintain activity without causing anaerobic conditions.

Anyone with a few extra square feet (even inside your kitchen or out on a deck or balcony) can produce compost. Properly aerated compost does not smell like rotten food so it is possible for apartments and other small home-dwellers to create their own without making a big mess or raising a stink.

Composting microbes cannot do their work well unless they are provided with air. Without air, slow decomposition occurs but the pile tends to smell like rotting garbage. It is important to regularly stir your pile. Also a balanced mix of green grass clippings, wet fruits and vegetables, and ingredients such as straw, shredded paper or dried leaves is very helpful in allowing air into the center of a pile. To make sure that you have adequate aeration for your pile thoroughly break up or mix in any ingredients that might mat down and exclude air.

Ideally, the pile should be as moist as a wrung-out sponge to fit the needs of compost microbes. Fruit and vegetable wastes generally have plenty of moisture, as do fresh green grass clippings and garden trimmings. In hot, dry climates it may be necessary to water your pile occasionally to maintain proper moisture. If you are using dry ingredients, such as dried leaves or straw, you'll need to moisten them as you add them to the pile. For more information, look here.

Composting reduces the amount of methane emitted from landfills which is a big cause of global warming. As it is an excellent source of nutrients, it makes a great base for an organic vegetable garden as there is no need to add additional fertilizers. Using compost improves soil structure, texture, and aeration and increases the soil's water-holding capacity. Compost loosens clay soils and helps sandy soils retain water. Adding compost improves soil fertility and stimulates healthy root development in plants. The organic matter provided in compost provides food for microorganisms, which keeps the soil in a healthy, balanced condition. Nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus will be produced naturally by the feeding of microorganisms, so few, if any, other soil additives will be needed.

Be part of the ethical kitchen brigade and start composting!