by Ira Woodward

Created on: May 05, 2008   Last Updated: May 20, 2008

Composting is a wonderful way to recycle food and yard waste. If you are serious about living from your garden, I recommend checking out *Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades* by Steve Solomon. His book has an excellent section on composting on a scale large enough for a garden that can feed a family. However, I will focus in this article on city dwellers who likely are growing much more modest vegetable gardens.

The basic idea of composting is to provide food for small animals, including bacteria, fungi, worms and insects. When fed properly, these organisms will break down organic matter into a stable substance known as humus. Humus is crumbly, spongy, dark, and appears uniform in composition. It's important to have humus in the soil for a variety of reasons. It absorbs and retains water, and it provides a good environment for soil organisms that benefit plants. It also gives plants more access to nutrients in the soil. Its dark color allows the soil to heat up more quickly in Spring. In forests, the top layers of soil are always humusy.

To actually make compost that turns into humus requires the right balance of materials that contain mostly carbon and materials that contain mostly nitrogen. Some common compost heap ingredients that are heavy in nitrogen are grass clippings, animal manure and fruits and vegetables. Common ingredients heavy in carbon are leaves, sawdust or wood chips, paper and cardboard. So it is a good idea to amend a compost heap of mostly kitchen waste with some leaves or sawdust.

Also, compost will break down faster if it is in a larger pile as this allows the center to heat up. Since the center of the pile breaks down faster than the outside, it is important to turn the pile periodically. This can be done with a pitchfork; when the center of the pile has cooled down, that means it's time for a turn. Finally, it's important to have moisture for the organisms to do their work. Spraying the pile with a hose while turning it (you may need help here) is a good way to moisten it. Keep it as moist as a wrung out sponge.
Another concern in the city is keeping the compost in a tidy bin. A simple box that opens on one side for turning is one design. Also available are black plastic bins with ventilation slits. The basic purpose of any container is to contain the sight and smell, keep out rats, and prevent rain from leaching nutrients out of the compost pile.

When the compost is ready, simply spread it on top of the soil before planting. Chop it into the top inch or so with a hoe to create a humusy layer good for seed germination and plant growth.

So with a little time and attention, you can improve your gardening yields for very little money. Good luck with your compost pile!

This article is based on information from http://www.compostguide.com/; http://www.biodynamics.in/humus.htm; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humus, and*Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades, by Steve Solomon.

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