Composting Update :: Tis the Season!
Posted by Chad Norman November 11th, 2008 .If you’re already composting, then you know this is the most bountiful time of year for your pile - the greens and browns are everywhere, especially if you carved pumpkins. If you don’t have a compost pile, then think about starting one - this is the best time!
Composting is all about managing the balance between your browns (leaves, kindling, and other dead stuff) and greens (food scraps, produce, and other wet stuff). With the leaves starting to fall in the Lowcountry and leftover pumpkins rotting all around us, these are the salad says for compost piles. I can’t wait to go full circle and use our composted veggies to grow new garden veggies…so cool. Check out my notes after the jump.
Here’s an update on our pile:
- Over a year in, thing are going well. We have several hundred pounds of rich, dark, odor-free compost ready for next Spring.
- I’m still avoiding putting sticks in the pile, as it just complicated sifting.
- Speaking of sifting, I am already working on plans to build my own tumbler for next Spring.
- I plan on giving bags of compost to a couple neighbors who contributed. What kind of bags should I use? Maybe I’ll reuse something old like an old bucket or paint can.
- There seems to be shrinkage in the pile, so I wonder if I’m “losing” any goodness. I think it’s just part of the process.
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Hi,
Wonderful post, thanks for the info. Moreover Compost Piles are Not Just for Hippies Anymore…
One of the most powerful air pollutants is the naturally occurring organic gas, methane. It is a far better greenhouse gas than carbon and is now found in the atmosphere at concentrations of more than 150% over pre-industrial levels.
When people put organic matter in the regular waste stream, these coffee grounds and sandwich crusts are acted upon by decomposing microorganisms, with methane being a common by-product. This is why garbage dumps must be equipped with release valves. Otherwise, they\’d literally explode from the pressure.
One way to avoid the bulk and threat of such waste is to keep your own compost pile. These are not difficult to keep, even if entire books can be written on the finer points. Nor do they need to smell bad. Many cities are now separately collecting organic wastes as part of municipal compost programs, many of which are then used as fertilizer for city and park lands.
I agree Tommy. I’m not sure why I didn’t do this sooner!