Composting

A Warning
I think most fledgling farmers would agree that composting is a good thing. It’s good for the soil, great for your garden, and diminishes the load in your trashcan. Unfortunately, not everyone has the space or capability to compost. So this is a project to pursue if you have at least a small yard where you can safely place your bin. You’ll want to have a container that effectively keeps out critters as small as rats and as large as bears. Raccoons seem to love fresh compost piles, and they can be vicious toward your family pet!

---

Location, location, location
            In a perfect world, place the compost bin area far away from your home, where it's still somewhat shielded from curious animals. Since this isn’t always possible, I would recommend a closed composter, with room nearby for mixing materials as they deteriorate. I have one of those stacking jobs, and I keep it closed bay stretching a bungee cord from one side to the other over the top.
I’ve placed it in our horse pasture, which is fenced, but that doesn’t mean smaller critters haven’t gone in for a sniff or two. The structure is too heavy for a small animal to topple, but sometimes our horses knock it over, just to be bratty. If you’re placing a bin in your yard, try to isolate it somewhere that won’t allow the smell of decomposing materials to waft close to your home. I always wanted to purchase one of those compost bins with a turning handle, but my husband says, “The one we have is fine, so why purchase something else?” And to be honest, for the room we have, and the amount of compost we produce, the stacking model is probably best for us. Some of the larger farms around us have two or three “stations” where they shovel the compost as it reaches different stages. These tend to be open for easy access, and since we’re trying to keep critters out we opt not to go with this method, though it is, no doubt, the most efficient way to go.

---

The Basics
Without putting too fine a point on it, composting simply involves turning your kitchen produce refuse and yard debris to good use. It doesn’t have to be complicated, however getting a good mix of yummy compost can seem like an impossible task. Once you’ve determined the space and storage of your compost, find a good receptacle for your kitchen waste. I like the “bits bucket” I got from Plow and Hearth, but you can rummage up a large yogurt container or any large thing-a-majig that has a cover. The reason I prefer my ceramic bits bucket is because it has a fitted lid with an odor-catching charcoal fabric on the inside, (it also has a handle so I can carry it to my composter). No matter what you decide to use as your bits bucket, I suggest you cover it in some fashion, either with a fitted lid or even a dishtowel. This prevents those little gnat bugs from hovering over your scraps.
You collect your scraps, put them in your bin, add some dry, or “brown” yard materials and occasionally stir. That’s pretty much the idea behind composting, but there are some tips that help to produce some nice compost faster and more efficiently.

What Goes In
Collect all kinds of kitchen scraps for your compost, but steer away from fruit scraps in the summertime, because it attracts flies. The flies won’t hurt anything, it just grosses me out to see the maggots they leave behind on the compost….yuck! It is also a good idea not to collect meat. Some people like to put fish heads, guts, or shrimp shells in for the high nitrogen content. But for me, it’s just not worth the smell, and you need to add twice as much high-carbon “brown” material to break it down. It also attracts critters. I’m on the fence about adding bones to produce calcium. They don’t smell for the most part, but could still attract critters.
I also avoid putting in the shells from my chickens’ eggs. They can produce salmonella if not rinsed beforehand. Additionally, if my chickens are scratching around the compost while I’m turning it they could get a taste for their own eggs. It’s unlikely, since by this point they’ve broken down quite a bit. But better safe than sorry.

Food for your Garden
 I try to research every little thing that might help my garden, mostly because I’m such a lousy gardener I feel I could use all the help I can get. Here are a few food items that can help keep your garden healthy. Some of them might surprise you!
 Banana Peels
Aphids treat gardens like all-you-can-eat salad bars. But they can't stand banana peels. Chop up a few peels, bury them an inch or two in the soil, and say goodbye to those pests for good. Don't use whole banana peels unless you want rodents, such as squirrels and raccoons, digging in the soil.
 Eggshells
Crush eggshells into small pieces and sprinkle them on top of the soil. Slugs, cutworms, and other insects are put off by the crunch when they crawl over the sharp edges and will leave for softer pastures. You can also toss the crushed shells into your compost heap. They break down quickly and give your plants a much-needed dose of calcium, which can help with bottom-end rot, a calcium deficiency found in some plants. Be careful to keep them away from your chickens however. If your girls scratch around in the compost and find some of their disposed eggs they might get a taste for them. This could lead to peaking at the eggs in the nesting box! Definitely not a good thing.
 Coffee Grounds
Give your garden a wake-up call by using leftover coffee grounds. Allow the grounds to cool before placing them sparingly onto the garden. Then blend them thoroughly into the soil. The grounds' contents, which include phosphorous, potassium, and magnesium, will help improve the soil's structure. You can also add coffee grounds to your compost pile. However, because coffee grounds can raise the soil's acidity level, limit their use to plants that like high acidity, such as azaleas and hydrangeas.
 Nut Shells
The shells from peanuts and pistachios are a good addition to your compost heap because they don't break down as quickly as other items. These larger pieces can help vary the thickness of the compost, which will aid in soil aeration. Wash them thoroughly to rid them of salt, which can kill plants. A warning: Avoid using walnuts as they contain juglone, a compound that is toxic to plants.

---

Ratios
            A good mix of the right materials will make your compost more effective. I’ve gathered most of my information regarding this and other composting ideas, from The Complete Compost Gardening Guide by Barbara Pleasant and Deborah L. Martin. In this guide, they suggest your compost pile consist of cardboard, sawdust, leaves (or coffee grounds), horses manure and kitchen waste in lessening amounts, with kitchen waste being the smallest amount of material. There’s a lot of sciency stuff in there regarding carbon to nitrogen ratio that, for the sake of simplicity, I won’t put here. The main point is to regulate how much material you put in your pile or bin. I admit, I’m still working on this, but I hope to learn more as I research this topic. You should also turn your compost every three to four days if it’s in a tumbler, or three to seven if it’s in a pile.
            When you’re adding to your compost keep “the three Ms” in mind: Moderation, Mixing, and Microbes. Avoid large concentrations of any one ingredient, and limit layers of wet, high-nitrogen materials like grass clippings or kitchen scraps to one or two inches deep. Moisten dry ingredients like chopped leaves before adding them in layers no more than four to six inches deep. As a general rule, make shallow layers of finely chopped materials, wet or dry, and somewhat deeper layers of coarse materials like straw. Limiting  the depth of the layers promotes better mixing of the ingredients, which in turn, encourages the development of a diverse microbe population that is better able to convert those ingredients into top-quality compost.
The Bottom Line
In my effort to relay what I know about composting I realized how much I didn’t know! There is so much I haven’t done in my own compost pile that would make it effective. I need to learn more about combining the right ratio of materials and how often to turn my compost pile. I would love to research how to incorporate worms and insects that would help to enhance my compost. Like any kind of farming or gardening, there is always more to know. So I encourage you to read up on composting and practice what you learn. It can be rewarding to build your own soil, and your garden will thank you for it! 

---