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Composting primer

Agosto 24, 2010 | Por dayup2010 | # Enlace permanente | Tweet

Getting started

“The first step would be to determine the best system for you,” said Jennifer Jensen, founder of the Westchester County, N.Y., Master Compost Program.

Some people create a compost pile in a corner of the backyard, sometimes enclosed by a wire, cage-like structure. Others prefer a large covered bin that rotates. The price varies according to the bin’s features. Jensen said you can get a basic plastic bin with a screw-on top for about $100. Check your local municipality or environmental center, however. Some offer bins at a discount.

“A pile works just great for leaves and grass clippings, but when you want to incorporate food waste, its time to use a bin to prevent rodents,” EPA says in its guide to backyard composting.

Apartment dwellers also can compost right in their kitchens, sometimes speeding the process with red wriggler worms or another species that breaks down organic matter. This is called vermicomposting. Specialized bins are sold for indoor use. The worms are available online.

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What to toss in

Think brown and green – you’ll want a mix of the two.

Browns include wood chips and dried leaves from trees. These items are sources of carbon. So are newspapers.

Greens can include grass clippings and other yard waste and food scraps, including such things as vegetable or fruit peels and coffee grounds. These provide nitrogen.

Use twice as much green material as brown material if you can turn the pile often, Tukey said. “If you don’t turn your pile, go more 50-50 or even 2-1 in the other direction to start,” he said.

How long will it take?

If you just put your organic materials into a pile, and let it decompose on its own, it takes about a year to produce womens Breitling watches compost.

For faster composting, people should use a unit that rotates. If you use blood meal or corn gluten to speed up the process and turn the compost bin every day, you can have compost in six weeks.

When it’s finished

Finished compost will be cool, brown and crumbly. “It smells fresh, like soil,” Venezia said. It can be used as organic fertilizer in your yard or for house plants.

Carole Feldman writes for The Associated Press.

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