Composting Natures Lifecycle Everything returns to the Earth

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Composting Natures LifecycleEverything
returns to the Earth
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What is Compost?

• Compost is organic material that over time has
  been consumed by animals of all sizes, from
  larger mammals, birds and rodents to worms,
  insects, and microscopic organisms. The result of
  this natural lifecycle is compost,
• a combination of digested and
• undigested food that is left
• on the forest floor to create
• rich, soft, sweet-smelling soil.

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Why Compost Our Food Waste?

• Return nutrients to the soil
• Create the best mulch/fertilizer for free
• Reduce the amount of trash that you send to the
  landfill, where it creates
• CO2, does not break down
• and becomes toxic
• Feed your plants
• Think about the impact on the next 7 generations,
  as Native Americans do

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Look what we waste!!!!
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Anyone Can Compost

• Home dwellers locate compost bin next to
  trashcans for convenience, or near backdoor.
• Apartment dwellers talk to landlord about
  having a compost bin by the trashcans, and/or set
  up your own vermicomposting system
• It doesnt cost anything to set up a compost
  system and its a simple thing to do, yet has a
  large result!
• What is your level of courage?

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Why is Compost So Good?

• Adds nutrients to the soil, which in turn
  supports healthier and more productive plants.
  Compost provides virtually all of the essential
  nutrients for plant growth, and more importantly,
  it releases these nutrients over time to give a
  slow, steady consistent intake of essential
  elements needed for growth.
• Improves the structure of soil, making it able to
  hold water, yet it creates pockets of air that
  plant roots need as well.
• Eliminates the need for synthetic fertilizers
  which leach chemicals into the groundwater and
  pollute our streams and lakes.

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Anatomy of a Landfill
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Why doesnt food compost in the landfill?

• No oxygen mummifies waste
• Mixed with non-organic plastics and waste
• Built to encapsulate waste, no breakdown
• Monitored for 30 years to watch for toxins

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Anatomy of Compost
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How big should the bin be?

• 3 foot by 3 foot is optimal
• Organic matter needs a balance of air, water and
  nitrogen/carbon to heat up and begin the
  composting process

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Compost Lasagna

• Brown Layer (noodles)
• Green Layer (spinach)
• Water (sauce)
• Air
• Time

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Greens (Nitrogen-rich)

• Kitchen scraps
• Ground eggshells
• Grass clippings
• Used coffee grounds/filters
• and teabags
• Leaves and garden waste
• Pulverized bones
• Manure from herbivores (hamsters, horses,
  rabbits, chickens)
• Compostable packing materials (made from corn)
• Feathers and hair
• Old flower bouquets

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Browns (Carbon-rich)

• Fall leaves (shredded preferably)
• Spent plants
• Dry grass clippings
• Shredded paper/cardboard/newspapers
• Sawdust
• Pine needles
• Old potting soil
• Food-soiled paper napkins/towels
• Stale flour, cereals, spices
• Nutshells
• Vacuum bag contents
• Paper based egg cartons

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What NOT to put in bin

• Meat
• Dairy products
• Pet waste
• Clay kitty litter
• A lot of garden soil
• Weeds with seed heads

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Do I have to purchase a bin?

• Pallets -or-
• Snow fencing -or-
• Chicken wire -or-
• A plastic trash can -or-
• A wine barrel ala Terracycle
• Reuse/recycle materials you have at home if
  possible. Most cities have bins for sale as well,
  made from recycled plastic.

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What a beautiful compost bin!
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Simple wood compost bins for living in the
country
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This one is similar to mine
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Very nice backyard tumbling composter
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This would be easy to make!
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As simple as this wire bin
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Bins come in all shapes and sizes
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Other Forms of Composting

• Vermicomposting
• Bokashi
• Windrow composting (commercial)
• Sheet composting
• Pet Waste composter
• Indoor composter

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Vermicompostingaka Indoor Composting

• Rubbermaid bin
• Shredded cardboard, some shredded newspaper
• Kitchen scraps
• Worms
• Spray bottle of water
• www.wormmainea.com
• www.redwormcomposting.com

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Bokashi Composting

• Bokashi composting for kitchen waste is an
  odorless and simple method of composting
  everything from veggie scraps to meat, bones and
  dairy products

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Windrow Composting

• This method of composting is used for processing
  large amounts of compost, mostly for commercial
  productions.

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Sheet Composting aka Lasagna Gardening

• Best to do this in the fall
• Slow method of composting
• Carbon rich ingredients will
• take nitrogen from the soil to break down
• Layers of newspaper and kitchen waste create your
  lasagna and in the spring you have a garden
  bed ready for planting

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The Dog Waste Composter

• Take and old garbage can and drill a dozen
• or so holes in the side.
• Cut out the bottom
• (A keyhole saw works great for this.)
• Dig a hole in the ground, deep enough for the
  garbage can.
• Toss some rocks or gravel in the hole for
  drainage and position the garbage can so it's a
  little higher than the soil level.
• Place the lid on top (you might want to paint it
  with something like Dog Waste Composter.)
• When you scoop some poop, put it in the hole and
  sprinkle in some septic starter (available at
  hardware stores) and add some water.

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Indoor Composter

• Nature Mill Composter
• Creates compost in two weeks
• 299.00

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Do I need a compost accelerator?

• You may add
• septic tank enzymes
• old beer or wine
• graywater
• urine (its aseptic and will not smell up the
  pile, I promise)
• old fruit juice or sour milk
• cooking water

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Addition Helpful Tools

• Pitchfork or turning fork
• Shovel
• Compost Thermometer

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Black Gold!!!
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What can I do with my compost?

• Seed starting. Its light and airy, and allows
  quick growth. You can add it to commercial
  potting mix, which is primary made up of peat
  moss, which has virtually no nutrients, so
  compost gives it a great boost.
• Mulch, to hold in moisture for established
  plants, and nourish them as the compost continues
  to break down.
• Lawn food, as its a slow release food that will
  help your lawn resist diseases. Youll have no
  chemical run-off and youll save money, as well
  as make your lawn come alive with earthworms and
  beneficial microbes.

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Go Forth and Compost!

• Choose your method
• Make from materials on hand to save money
• and reuse/recycle
• Share what youve
• learned
• Enrich your garden
• and the planet!