Composting
Composting your leaves, yard & garden trimmings, and food scraps helps reduce solid waste, save tax dollars, and improve your soil. The Conservation Committee has suggestions for easy to use, inexpensive compost bins.
Compost contains nutrients and trace elements that are essential to plant growth, and it releases these substances slowly, over time, so that they are available to the plants throughout the growing season
Compost improves the structure, texture, and aeration of the soil, enabling your plants to develop stronger, deeper root systems
Compost adds beneficial organisms to the soil
Compost reduces the need for chemical fertilizers and mulches. This can save you money and can also reduce run-off of these chemicals into streams and rivers
Using compost can reduce the need for watering your garden
Composting can reduce by 20% or more the quantity of material you send to the landfill.
In addition, the act of producing and working with compost can help fulfill your need to “get back to nature.” You might say that composting is good for the soil and good for the soul.
Getting Started
Composting at home is easy, but you do need to understand some basic guidelines for what you can compost and how to manage the composting process. Learn more in DNREC’s Backyard Composting guide.
First, choose a location for your compost bin. Choose a spot that is flat and well drained. A shady location is preferable; direct sunlight may cause the pile to become too hot and to dry out. Place the bin at least 20 feet away from the nearest house. Make sure the bin is close to a source of water (e.g., within reach of a garden hose). Avoid placing the bin against a tree or wooden building; the compost could cause the wood to decay.
Once your bin is in place, you can begin immediately to fill it with yard wastes and kitchen scraps. If you have been stockpiling materials such as leaves or garden wastes, you can put them into the composter all at once, or you can put a small quantity (a 4- to 6- inch layer) of the stockpiled material in the composter and add the rest gradually, alternating it with layers of other materials as they become available. Alternating the types of materials you add to the bin will speed up the decomposition process, especially if you alternate high-carbon materials with high-nitrogen materials and mix the contents of the composter occasionally. See Table 2 for a listing of high-carbon (“brown”) and high-nitrogen (“green”) material.
It may be helpful, when first building your compost pile, to mix in a small amount (no more than ½ shovelful) of rich garden soil or finished compost; both are good sources of microorganisms essential to decomposition.
A helpful resource, Selecting A Backyard Compost Bin provides guidance on deciding what type of bin may work best for your situation. The Conservation Committee members recommend the 65gal Tumbler Bin available at Target.
You can choose how much effort to put into maintaining your compost pile. If you are not able or inclined to shred and chop your wastes and to water and turn your pile, your organic matter will still turn into compost – it will simply take longer. Here are some tips for speeding up the process.
Chop or shred materials before adding them to the composter. Small particles decompose more quickly than large ones. Run over your leaves a couple of times with the lawn mower before adding them to the bin; cut yard trimmings into short pieces; chop up celery stalks.
Keep the pile moist – about like a well wrung sponge.
Mix or turn the pile occasionally, especially during warm weather or if you notice that the pile is hot. Mixing will aerate the pile, providing oxygen needed by the more desirable decomposing organisms, and thereby controlling odors. Once every week or two will probably suffice.
Add nitrogen. Most backyard composters have an over-abundance of carbon, so that the process is limited by the nitrogen available in the pile. Livestock manure (from cows, horses, pigs, chickens, etc.) is rich in nitrogen and can safely be added to your compost pile. Do not add manure from cats, dogs, or other meat eaters
Homemade Compost Bins
Rather than purchasing a compost bin some people opt to make their own. Homemade bins range from simple and inexpensive to complex and costly. For most home composters an inexpensive bin made from repurposed shipping pallets or wire mesh is all that is needed. Please note that experts advise against using pressure treated lumber for compost bins. Naturally rot resistant woods like cedar, white oak or black locust are good choices, and plastic lumber is an expensive but very durable option. Find a composting system that best suites your needs with this helpful resource, Designs for Composting Systems by the Cornell Waste Management Institute.
Workshops & Presentations
For more information, contact the New Castle County Cooperative Extension field office at 302.831.2667.