Resolve to live more sustainably in 2015 by creating a compost pile or bin to help reduce waste.
Many items thrown into the trash can be sorted out and composted and benefits go well beyond waste reduction. Compost can be used to improve garden soil and make landscapes and vegetable gardens more productive. With a little organization and a designated space, gardeners can amend their own soil through composting.
Start by finding a space where the compost can “cook.” The location should be in full sun, at least 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet, out of the way and with good drainage.
A compost container can be bought or built with materials like welded wire, fencing, pallets or blocks. Open spaces should be left on the container’s sides to allow good air circulation through the pile, and the bottom should be open to the ground.
Just like cooking a meal, cooking compost involves following a recipe. Almost any organic plant material
can be used for composting, including grass clippings, leaves, flowers, annual weeds, twigs, chopped brush, old vegetable plants, straw and sawdust.
Avoid composting diseased plants, weeds and seeds or invasive weeds, like morning glory. Vegetable peelings and coffee grounds can also be composted, but avoid adding meats, bones and fats that may attract animals.
For best decomposition, mix a variety of materials. Most compost piles are layered with whatever organic material is available at a given time. The smaller the pieces of organic matter, the faster they will decompose. Once a layer of organic matter is added, add a little garden soil or animal manure. This adds fungi, bacteria, insects and worms to the pile and helps speed up the decomposition process.
Keep the pile moist, but not too wet. To speed up the decomposition process and prevent odors, use a shovel to mix the pile once a month. Compost is completely “cooked” and ready when it looks like rich, crumbly earth and the original organic material is no longer recognizable.
With every mix of the pile, some ready-to-use compost should be available. This compost can be added to the soil before planting vegetables or trees, shrubs or flowers. It can also be used as mulch on the soil surface, or as a potting soil for container plants.
Completely cooked compost will slowly release nutrients into the soil, but don’t rely on it for fertilization. Your plants will still need to be fertilized appropriately.
For more on how to begin composting see University of Georgia Extension publication “Composting: Recycling Landscape Trimmings.”
Mary Carol Sheffield is the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agricultural and natural resources agent in Paulding County. Mary Carol’s vegetable garden is small to match her children! They love to help her there and have their own kid size tools and gloves.
Happy gardening!
Becky is a Georgia Certified Beekeeper and works with community and school gardeners to increase beneficial insect habitat.She is the coordinator of the Great Georgia Pollinator Census, happening this year on August 19th and 20th, 2022.She is also part of UGA's Native Plants and Beneficial Insect Working Group.
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Regarding the use of animal manure. Does it need to sit/age before it can be added to the compost pile or adding it to your landscaping?
Hi Yvette,
I would definitely recommend letting it age before adding it to your landscape and garden beds, but it could be added to you compost and allowed to age as part of your composting system.
With any animal manure, I would recommend that you ask your source about herbicides that may be present in the manure. Many animals eat grass or hay that has been treated with herbicides that can be persistent into the manure. This means that some manure contains herbicide residues that can be harmful to your garden plants (though they are perfectly safe for the pastures/grass crops they are used on and the animals that eat those crops). You can read a little more about this in this article by my fellow Extension Agent, Paul Pugliese: http://www.caes.uga.edu/applications/gafaces/?public=viewStory&pk_id=5072
I have had my earthworm farm for nearly 3 years now and am that used to composting our organic waste it would be strange not to do it. I think more people need to see the importance of recycling.