RESTORE THE EARTH * PART 1 * PART 2
* PART 4
WOW! I'm so impressed with your eagerness to compost! I am trying to make this as simple as possible. Part of the confusion is information that complicates a simple natural procedure.
CREATING GARDEN GOLD
What To Put Into Your Compost:
- kitchen waste excluding animal products
- coffee grounds promote breakdown - some cafe's are more than happy to give you their grounds
- yard waste - tough sunflower or corn stalks will break down easier if you first break them up
- leaves & grass clippings - these will clump, so mix with other materials
Precautions
- wear gloves - complex soil and composting organisms can be harmful
- animal products - meat trimmings, manure, contain harmful organisms that can affect growing vegetables, thus your health
Composting Containment 
- Heap or Pile - simplest form
- Plastic Compost Bin - difficult to control and least effective
- Single bin or 2 or 3 side by side bins - easily banged together using wooden pallettes
Layering Recipe For Hot Compost - the purpose of layering is to get all elements eventually mixed to maximize breakdown.
- FIRST LAYER - up to six inches waste - Use a garden fork to level out each layer.
- Water over the entire surface, especially for dry materials like leaves. If this layer is all kitchen waste or fresh grass clippings, it may already be pretty wet.
- SOIL LAYER - Cover the waste layer with several scoops of garden soil, sprinkling composted
or even partially composted material over the entire surface. - REPEAT & CONTINUE LAYERING
- CONTINUE WATERING - check the heap frequently for dryness. Use the garden hose to moisten dry 'edges'.
TURNING
- Turning over the heap mixes in oxygen and creates increased contact between micro-organisms and waste materials
- whether you have a big heap or a small one, compost should be turned every 3 - 6 weeks
- Use the fork to turn over the entire mass, into the next bin, or space adjacent.
- With the plastic bin, perhaps empty & refill it
FEEL THE HEAT !
- Check for heat in a week, by placing your hand on the top center
- Heat in a working compost can be noticed sometimes within a week
- A small compost is less likely to achieve the 'heat' of a larger contained heap
- If the compost does not achieve the 'heat', it needs air, water, &/or organisms (soil)
NOTES
- A loose cover can help keep moisture in - remember though that air is needed
- animal waste and manure may be composted, but requires special treatment and should be fully composted for 6 months before use on food crops.
- Consistency & wetness should be about that of a damp sponge
- Water well in hot weather - can dry out very quickly
That's it!
What's the magic? 1) water 2) oxygen 3) organisms - in soil 
When Is It Ready? - when it no longer looks like what it started out as, just beautiful rich brown humous - like this ->->->
Next Time
- Composting Organisms
- Easy Composting Tips
- Why Compost Fails
- Tips For Animal Waste
http://www.squidoo.com/how_to_composting
Let me know how you're doing and if you have any questions as you go along.
(Thank goodness Photo Bucket has so many great images!) http://i110.photobucket.com/
Deborah Pearce is a Kelowna Business Woman, established with locals and internationals in various aspects of Interiors, Art, and Business for over 20 years.
Link to Living Spaces website for over 140 ARTICLES on Staging, Art and Interiors.
Deborah's blog frequently features interior design, real estate, community, environmental art and human interests. All guest comments below will be answered.
Go for the gold Marzena!
It cannot fail - you just need to keep applying the right elements. Good luck and happy composting.
If you have any questions let me know!
Debbie - thanks so much - you are clearly into it - I love that - keep up the great earth restoration and happy gardening! Before you know it you'll have those armloads of veggies again - so good for you!
Mary - glad something helped! I'm curious to know what 'twigged' for you? If you have any questions as you go along let me know - I'd love to help if I can.
Here's to your composting success!
Carole - it's really true!!! Such creative magic the earth is, turning
waste into beautfully loamed rich gold
that makes things grow!
Thanks hon - let me know if you need any help!
Hi Ed - great to hear that your a composting afficionado! I used a lot of the coffee grounds when I had my cafe. In fact I turned all food waste and coffee grounds into a beautiful herb patch that was formerly just gravel at the back door of the cafe. That was when I really saw the effect of coffee grounds.
Thanks for telling me about the organic gardening group Max! I'll check it out, but not sure if I'll be able to edit my selections here - the system ;(
happy gardening and composting!
Yes Deb - I'm sure you can tell I'm so ready myself! You know it really made a difference in January & February, cleaning and clearing out, setting intention - really created new pathways and I've hardly 'noticed' winter in certain ways.
This spring, I want to take an orchard walk at blossom time - haven't done that I bet for years!
Deborah,
Wow another great post. Looking forward to the next.
I have my whole family saving there coffee ground and kitchen scraps... LOL :)
Darci
Darci - I do hope people find it useful - I'm just full of information! So great that you've the family onboard with the garden composting - coffee grounds are great!
Thanks Bonnie - nature does break down watse all on its own. There are some things we can do to speed up the decomposing process. For people just starting or with a 'failure' concept, it can be most rewarding to get some quick results. - depends what each wants from it.
Great you know, trust and relax with the process!
Terry - very wise of you to grow indigenous species that don't need much fuss. In my experience there's never enough compost!
Sorry to hear the bugs got the better of your tomatoes - those darned horn worms?
Hi Jan! Thanks for the fabulous compliment. Wonderful to hear you know the creative joys of composting - it really is a fulfilling process.
Deborah, How do you get all those cute little animated pictures to attache to your post???
Darci
Hi Darci - it's magic!
.....really, just go to Photo Bucket and register. It's just easy as pie!
If you need more help about getting them here to your blog let me know - have fun!
Thaanks Deb,
I need a little magic:) LOL
I will give it a try. If I have any problems Ill let you know. Thanks Again
Darci
Good luck with that Darci! Have fun - photobucket has a lot of terrific images on various subjects - I will be looking for some surprises at your blog, huh?
Deborah- Great posts. I'm looking forward to future ones. I've never had an issue with using manure though. Just not dog or cat manure but plenty of chicken, rabbit, cow, horse and goat manure. Some of the best fertilizer we've used has been manure that's rotted for a couple years- turned once or twice a year. We use fresh manure when layering our compost bins- it seems to help with the heat.
Have you done much with "green manure"?
I've have heard of liquid composting. Is that it?
Deborah- Hi and Happy Easter! We use "manure tea" sometimes for the tomatoes. There are a couple of excellent books by Eliot Coleman about organic gardening. He and his wife used to have a half hour show on one of the cable channels, too. That's where I learned about the manure tea.
Green manure is basically a cover crop that gets tilled in later. If something gets harvested on the early side, we might plant clover and let it get going before winter, then till it under in the spring. Clover adds nitrogen and when you till it under it adds organic matter. For crops that get harvested later in the year, we might plant buckwheat or oats that grow faster. They tend to grow faster than the weeds and choke them out, then till it under in the spring, let it rot for a couple weeks before planting.
I love your composting posts. They're better written than most of what I've read by the "experts."
Thanks!
Deborah - thanks for the explicit directions! I have one of the BIG plastic bins... and it is SLOW>.. but it does work... I may try your method next!
Okay Thanks Jackie, now I know what you mean. I've done the green planting with oat grass, but find that it keeps coming back after being tilled several times.
Thanks so much for your affirmative comments - I've just found what works and try to make it simple. Happy gardening!
Hello Eva - the plastic bins can work quite well when they are layered and kept moist. They are more difficult because you can't get at the materials easily enough for turning, etc., as you likely know!
Hi Barbara, I guess? Gardening in Europe? That sounds sooo awesome - what a dream! Where in Europe did you live?