Composting is the easiest and most beneficial way to repurpose items that normally would be tossed out and helps reduce organic garbage that goes into our local landfills. Homemade compost from kitchen produce scraps and garden cuttings provide nutrients and beneficial organisms for the soil without the need for chemical fertilizers. This rich hummus acts as a conditioner for your soil, which increases plant growth, flower production and helps restore natural beauty to our Long Beach neighborhoods.
There are a wide variety of compost bins on the market today; each allows different levels of air to maintain the compost process and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. A store-bought composter or tumbler keeps the pile of debris neat as well as helps retain the heat and moisture needed to convert cuttings into soil. The disadvantage is that some bins can be very expensive as well as being bulky, requiring more room than is available in our small yards here in Long Beach.
An alternative to a store-bought bin is the open-air wooden composter. This type of bin can be easily made from scrap wood or by repurposing wooden pallets. To make this bin, the frame needs to be approximately six feet wide, three feet deep and three feet tall. To create three separate bins within the frame, build two inside walls, positioning them two feet in from each end to create three separate bins approximately measuring two feet by three ft (see picture). This type of compost bin requires a designated area with good drainage, so place it in a sunny to mostly-sunny area that allows the water to seep into the ground.
Start your initial composting in one end. After several weeks that initial pile should be decomposing nicely. It then can be transferred to the middle bin. Moving the decomposing material allows room for fresh materials from your garden and kitchen to be placed in the original bin. After the pile in the middle bin becomes rich hummus and has a soil texture, transfer it into the final bin. It is now ready to use as mulch in the garden. Here in our warmer climate the top materials can dry out easily, so you will need to pay particular attention to the moisture level. This can be easily resolved by turning the mixture with your pitchfork or shovel as you would in mixing cake batter. Don’t be afraid to water it a little during the hot months while you are watering your garden. Just be careful not to get it soggy.
Many Long Beach residents make an easy inexpensive composter by using a heavy-duty plastic round garbage can with a secure lid. First drill 1/2 inch aeration holes in rows at roughly six-inch intervals around the can. Fill the can with a mixture of green and brown materials. Stir the contents occasionally with a pitchfork to avoid air pockets and to speed up the composting process. With the lid attached, the bin can be laid on its side and rolled to move the materials around. Personal preference and space usually dictate which type of composter you use. They ultimately serve the same purpose.
What you put in your compost is important. The balance of green and brown materials, water and air can be a little tricky, yet something you will easily learn after experimenting on your own. Green material such as grass clippings, vegetable and fruit scraps and coffee grounds provide nitrogen, while brown material which comes from leaves, shrub prunings, shredded paper and cardboard provide carbon. Using paper from your shredder is a good source of brown material, but make sure there is no glossy paper or plastic envelope windows, as they will not decompose.
A mixture of one-third green to two-thirds brown materials will heat up and decompose quickly. Materials chopped into finer pieces such as mowed grass decompose much faster than branches from a large shrub or tree. Using a mower with a mulching capability or a chipper will help to reduce the size of your larger yard trimmings and will accelerate the process of your compost pile.
{loadposition latestnews}There are many items that you should not put into your compost such as meat, fish or bones as they will attract pests and cause your compost to smell. Do not add perennial weeds, as they will spread into the garden where the compost is added. Sickly plants can carry diseases so it is advised not to put these into your pile. Never put waste products from meat-eating animals into your compost to avoid the spread of disease pathogens.
If you plan on using your compost on food crops make sure your compost remains free of the pathogens as well as any pesticides carried from store bought vegetables or fruit rinds. Fruits and vegetable scraps may also attract fruit flies if you do not properly bury these items about 6-12” below the surface of the pile or cover them with leaves or garden soil. Be careful with using large quantities of cuttings from plants such as Eucalyptus, Juniper, Acacia, Cypress, Pine and California Bay Laurel. These contain acids that can be detrimental to the life of the compost pile.
Keeping a container in the kitchen is the easiest way to collect the scrapes. As with compost bins, there are a variety of compost kitchen pails on the market that will fit the style of any kitchen and your budget. You can also repurpose an old stainless steel ice bucket or ceramic pot with a lid. The items from your kitchen can get moldy and start to smell fairly quickly. So make sure to dispose of these items into your compost at least once or twice a week. Remember to bury these in the other materials to avoid attracting small animals.
Composting is a natural process, whether it is in your backyard or on the forest floor. So don’t worry about failing or doing it wrong, it will happen on its own. Enjoy the process of repurposing your garden clippings and produce scraps, knowing you’re making our neighborhood and our planet a prettier and healthier place.