Starting an Organic Garden

How to Start an Organic Garden – Courtesy of GardenGuides.com

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Methods of Composting

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There are several diiferent methods of composting. I listed each with a short descritpion.

Backyard or Onsite Composting:

Backyard or onsite composting can be conducted by residents and other small-quantity generators of organic waste on their own property. By composting these materials onsite, homeowners and select businesses can significantly reduce the amount of waste that needs to be disposed of and thereby save money from avoided disposal costs.

Vermi composting:

Through this method, red worms—not nightcrawlers or field worms found in gardens— are placed in bins with organic matter in order to break it down into a high-value compost called castings. Worm bins are easy to construct (they are also commercially available) and can be adapted to accommodate the volume of food scraps generated.

Aerated (Turned) Windrow Composting:

Organic waste is formed into rows of long piles called “windrows” and aerated by turning the pile periodically by either manual or mechanical means. The ideal pile height, which is between 4 and 8 feet, allows for a pile large enough to generate sufficient heat and maintain temperatures, yet small enough to allow oxygen to flow to the windrow’s core. The ideal pile width is between 14 and 16 feet.

Aerated Static Pile Composting:

In aerated static pile composting, organic waste is mixed together in one large pile instead of rows. To aerate the pile, layers of loosely piled bulking agents (e.g., wood chips, shredded newspaper) are added so that air can pass from the bottom to the top of the pile. The piles also can be placed over a network of pipes that deliver air into or draw air out of the pile. Air blowers might be activated by a timer or a temperature sensor.

In-Vessel Composting:

Organic materials are fed into a drum, silo, concrete-lined trench, or similar equipment where the environmental conditions—including temperature, moisture, and aeration—are closely controlled. The apparatus usually has a mechanism to turn or agitate the material for proper aeration. In-vessel composting containers vary in size and capacity.

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Composting Glossary

AEROBIC:
Successful composting requires that sufficient oxygen is provided to keep the system aerobic. This allows the composting process to proceed quickly and with minimal odor.

AERATION:
Maintaining good air circulation within the compost pile by turning or otherwise turning, or ventilating it.

ANAEROBIC:
Composting without an adequate supply of oxygen. This method proceeds slowly and is odiferous.

AMBIENT TEMPERATURE:
Temperature outside the compost pile.

CARBON-TO-NITROGEN RATIO:
The relative amount of carbon to nitrogen. A 2:1 ratio means that there is twice as much carbon as nitrogen. Bacteria requires quite a lot more carbon than nitrogen. Providing these elements in the correct proportion allows them to thrive, grow, and multiply. This will speed up the decomposition of your compost pile. A carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of about 3:1 is one factor in creating favorable conditions for backyard pile composting.

CARBON:
The basic building block of organic molecules needed for plant and animal life. During decomposition, carbon is released and then reused by plants and animals.

COLD COMPOSTING, COLD PILE:
When less attention is given to providing and maintaining optimum conditions for compost piles. This is the slow method of creating compost from a backyard pile and can take as long as six months to two years to create compost.

COMPOST:
Completely decayed organic matter. It is dark, odorless, and rich in nutrients.

CONTAMINANT:
Unwanted material in the compost including compost include glass, plastic, and stones, and chemical contaminants include trace heavy metals and toxic compounds.

DECAY, DECOMPOSITION:
The breaking down of organic materials into smaller particles until the original material is no longer recognizable.

INORGANIC:
Substances in which carbon-tocarbon bonds are absent. Mineral matter.

HARVESTING:
Removing compost from the composting environment for use in the landscape, lawn, or garden.

HOT COMPOSTING, HOT PILE:
Uses optimum conditions for compost piles resulting in a pile temperature as high as 170 degrees F. This is the fastest method of creating compost from a backyard pile and can take as little as three weeks if the pile is monitored and turned each time the temperature starts to fall.

HUMUS:
A complex aggregate made during the decomposition of plant and animal residues; mainly derivatives of lignin, proteins, and cellulose combined with inorganic soil parts.

MATURE COMPOST:
The stabilized and sanitized product of composting which has undergone decomposition and is in the process of stabilization. It is defined as containing readily available forms of plant nutrients and is low in phytotoxic acids.

MICROORGANISM:
Microscopic plants and animals that exist in soil for the purpose of breaking down organic matter into basic mineral elements. They include bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, algae, protozoa, yeast, germs, ground pearls, and nematodes.

MOISTURE CONTENT:
Weight of water in material divided by weight of solids in material.

NITROGEN:
A chemical element that makes up 78% of our atmosphere by volume. After nitrogen is released into the soil during the process of decomposition, plants absorb it and use it to further the compost process.

SOIL AMENDMENT:
Matter, when added to the land, that will make the soil healthier by such means as balancing and adding nutrients, balancing the pH, and encouraging the presence of microorganisms.

STABILITY:
The degree to which the composted material can be stored or used without causing issues such a bad odors.

VERMICOMPOSTING, VERMICULTURE:
Using red worms to compost food scraps, newspapers, and cardboard, yielding nutrient-rich castings.

WORM CASTINGS:
Digested and excreted food products from worms. Castings are five times richer than most fertile soil and are full of helpful microorganisms.

YARD CLIPPINGS:
Grass trimmings, leaves, weeds, and shrub and tree prunings six inches or less in diameter from a residence or business.

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What is Compost

Compost is organic material that can be used as a soil amendment or as a medium to grow plants. Mature compost is a stable material with a content called humus that is dark brown or black and has a soil-like, earthy smell. It is created by combining organic wastes such as yard trimmings, food wastes and manures in proper ratios into piles, rows, or containers. Bulking agents such as wood chips are added as necessary to accelerate the breakdown of organic materials which allows the finished material to fully stabilize and mature through a curing process.

Natural composting, or biological decomposition, began with the first plants on earth and has been going on ever since. As vegetation falls to the ground, it slowly decays, providing minerals and nutrients needed for plants, animals, and microorganisms. Mature compost, however, includes the production of high temperatures to destroy pathogens and weed seeds that natural decomposition does not destroy.

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