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Posted on
Apr. 15, 2008
@ 4:48pm

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Green Tip Tuesday: Composting

Today, as a continuation of the gardening theme from last week, we'll be tackling the subject of composting! Just so no one is left wondering, compost is the end result of different organisms (such as bacteria and worms) breaking down organic materials. It's a cheap, highly effective, natural fertilizer and mulch, which is fantastic for gardens big and small. The only cost associated with composting is a composting bin (which you can do without, if you want to), and only as much time and effort as you want to put into it. As for the benefits, you will reduce the amount of waste you produce, and have natural and free fertilizer for your garden and plants.

So, how does one go about composting? It's quite easy.
1. Select a place in your yard to have a compost pile. Just about anywhere will work, but if you are going to have a loose pile with no bin, pick somewhere shaded and offers some protection from rain.
2. You'll need matter to get going. When referring to compost, there is generally "green" and "brown" matter. Most compost friendly kitchen waste (most items excluding meats, bones, dairy products etc.) falls under the green category, as do things like grass clippings. Brown items include things like leaves, woody material, shredded paper/newspaper and cardboard egg cartons. Make sure you have some green and brown matter to start and layer them (starting and finishing with a brown layer).
3. As you add kitchen and yard waste to your compost pile, there may be periodic maintenance, but it's a simple process - add some water if it is too dry, add some brown materials if it is too wet, turn the material from time to time, and you should be well on your way.
4. That's about it! Give it time, and add green and brown material sensibly. Try not to leave green items on top as covering them in brown materials will speed up decomposition and reduce the chance of odours.
5. In anywhere from a few months to a year or two, you will have compost ready for your garden. This all depends on how much effort you want to expend. Keeping your compost pile balanced in terms of green/brown material, keeping it moist, and turning/mixing the matter regularly (like once every couple of weeks) will speed things up.
You can find more information on composting at CompostGuide.com (including a broad list of materials that are good and bad for composting) and this Environment Canada page (which contains an informative PDF document that you can print out).

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