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Last October I was bursting at the seams with excitement about my new composting capabilities.
With about three months worth of (nearly) daily composting duties under my belt, I’m still excited to be putting my kitchen scraps to use.
I’ve recently boosted my composting knowledge with a seminar at the Northeast Organic Farmers Association’s Winter Conference. It was a good hour-long info session and I thought I’d share some of what I learned, along with some of my own experiences.
After three months of food scraps, there is absolutely no odor coming from the Eco Stack Composter. The neighbors have no idea what’s going on inside this brown obelisk they walk past daily—their nose cannot detect it.
It’s January in New England. The pile is somewhat frozen—that might account for some of the lack of odor—but it’s not frozen solid. Not much in the way of breaking down of organic matter happening in there, but even with a snowstorm approaching, I’m happy my microbes are cozy in their nests, waiting for the warmth.
Even after three months of food scraps and the occasional spent potted plant, the pile isn’t all that high—maybe just a foot deep at fitting into a 2-foot square.
Contrary to what I’ve been told, it’s okay to add citrus to the Eco Stack, according to the seminar info. Of course an excess of any one particular item isn’t all that great, but the occasional lemon or lime peel should be fine.
The more surface area you can give the bits you add to the compost, the better. It gives the microorganisms more area to work their magic. If you have a broccoli stem, chop it into sections so it breaks down faster. That’s something I have been neglecting.
Like a sourdough bread maker with different strains of starter, the compost expert has several different types of compost piles going at his house. One has more leafy material—more of the brown or carbon-heavy items—that he will use around his bushes. One has more food scraps. One has more manure that he uses on his garden. There is no one right way to make compost. And as long as it is doesn’t become soggy and smelly, it’s good.
The pile shouldn’t be soggy, but it should have moisture, something necessary for microorganisms to do their work. If you’re experiencing a drought or low water conditions, sweep the hose over your compost now and then.
You may have seen the packages of “compost starter” that you can add to the compost pile. Not necessary according to the compost expert. Organisms will find your compost, no worries.
Turn your compost pile now and then, about once a month. This encourages even breakdown. I purchased a Garden Weasel—a long-handled device with four twisted tines on the bottom. I use this to mix the pile and it works well.
Ideally you would have two compost piles. You would leave one as it is, not adding to it, so the pile has time to finish completely. The other would be your active compost pile.
The compost expert said that not much is happening within the pile when it’s temperature falls below 55F. When spring comes, those microbes will start up their decomposing again. Be prepared to take action by adding enough “brown” or carbon-rich material to counterbalance the “green” or nitrogen-rich materials.
Here’s a good rule of thumb to follow: For every yogurt-sized container of food scraps, add in an equal volume of shredded newspaper or cardboard. I’ve run one or two Sunday New York Times through my paper shredder and am keeping it handy.