Composting is like printing your own money, maybe better!  As a home composter you take your kitchen scraps and lawn wastes and turn them into “black gold” for free.  I call it gold but it is so valuable and provides so many benefits that it’s actually better than gold.  Gardeners, farmers, and landscapers all know about the amazing benefits of compost for gardens and lawns, the environment, and your local economy. 

With a vision for the future Vermont passed a law back in 2012 (Universal Recycling Law) to phase in recycling requirements to reduce or eliminate the excess unnecessary contamination of the environment and waste of natural resources.  Now in 2020 the part of the law that directs the recycling of all food scraps becomes a reality.  As of July 1 it will be prohibited to put most food scraps into the public waste stream where, as almost 25% of our solid waste, they generate climate changing greenhouse gases, pollute water, and cost citizens millions in tax dollars to get hauled away.  The solution is reusing and composting so these “wastes” are changed into a valuable resource and not costly environmental pollution. 

What’s so good about compost?  Aside from reducing our waste by almost 25%, compost is an excellent soil amendment, probably the best thing you can add to your garden or lawn.  Compost will buffer the soil pH (acidity), increase vital soil organic matter, improve soil tilth (workability), boost the beneficial soil microbes, and add essential plant nutrients such as phosphate, calcium, and potassium. This will result in stronger, healthier plants so you have healthier food, fewer plant diseases and bugs, and save on fertilizers or lime.  What more could you want from something you make yourself?

Are you ready to start composting at home?  Have you already been composting and reaping the benefits?  After many years of home composting I’m convinced that the best way is the simplest method that works for your household.  You can get very technical and produce good fast compost but that becomes a project and most people don’t need another chore these days.  Let’s keep it simple so it’s an easy part of daily activities and accomplishes what we need.  You can always “upgrade” to technical later if that’s your interest.  I’ll begin by answering the basic questions you need to address with a couple options to get started.  This discussion is about a “cold” compost method that requires less effort because we add ingredients repeatedly over time and yields high nutrient levels.  If you want to do faster or “hot” composting watch this video.

Do I need a compost container?  Yes & No.  You will need something to collect your food scraps in the kitchen.  A medium sized bin, food saver, or bucket will work fine.  A cover is good.  Outside you can simply build a compost pile but most people do better with a bought or homemade bin.  This will look better, control the moisture and temperature, and keep most hungry critters (dogs, rodents, etc.) out.  Earthworms can be added or will come in from below.  I’ve been using the “Soil Saver Composter” available from the Rutland County Solid Waste District and have been satisfied.  Unfortunately, they have a very limited supply and don’t expect to get re-stocked until sometime in July.  Their countertop “Kitchen Scrapper” is available and is a great way to keep your kitchen scraps until they go out to the bin.  Hardware stores and garden centers also sell compost bins. A simple DIY compost bin from wooden pallets is a good option.  There are many designs online, be flexible & creative.

What can I put into the compost?  The general rule is anything that was once living can be composted.  Home composting should be “plant-based” and the list is almost endless but from the kitchen includes a) all fruit or vegetables scraps, peels, & cores, b) rice, pasta, & old bread, c) coffee grounds and tea bags (paper & all), d) food soiled napkins & paper towels, e) crushed eggshells, and f) leaves & flowers.  From the yard you can include yard trimmings, surplus grass clippings, discarded garden plants, sawdust/wood chips, wood ashes, and leaves.  Some chicken or cow manure can help the process but isn’t required.  Read more about ingredients here.

What does not go into compost?  Home composters should not include most animal-based ingredients such as pet manure (dogs or cats), meats, fish, bones, cheese, and, of course, non-biodegradable items such as plastics, glass, metals, leathers, etc.   Although animal by-products will compost, they can attract unwelcome visitors (bears, rodents, dogs, etc.) to your compost and can generate an unpleasant odor if not composted well.  The recycling law does allow you to discard your meat, fish & bone wastes in the regular trash.  Also, grass clippings from a lawn treated with weed killers are not good because the chemicals will damage or kill your plants.

Is there a special recipe for compost?  There are many ways to prepare good compost but they all follow some general principles.  Successful compost requires 4 basic ingredients:  1) “Greens” (for nitrogen), 2) “Browns” (for carbon), 3) Air (for oxygen), and 4) Water.  The mixture should be about twice as much Brown as Green ingredients.  That produces the needed diet for all the microbes that will recycle your raw ingredients into compost. Greens are mostly kitchen scraps, grass clippings, hay, & manure.  Browns include leaves, paper (paper towels, napkins, newspapers, etc.), wood chips/sawdust, straw, & pine needles.   The ingredients should be moist but not water logged or soaked.  A covered bin or tarp over your pile helps manage the moisture and you should add water if it gets dried out.  If your greens & browns get out of balance you can get objectionable odors (ammonia) and poor breakdown.  The common problem of a wet smelly mess that doesn’t decompose can often be fixed by mixing in more Browns. Watch How to fix compost problems.

How fast will the compost break down?  Several factors will affect the speed of your compost: a) size of ingredients, b) frequency of mixing to add air, and c) temperature.  All kitchen scraps and yard ingredients should be chopped up into smaller pieces for faster composting, including veggies, papers, & leaves (use your lawn mower).  The microbes inside your compost need oxygen to work so the more frequently you mix the compost to introduce fresh air, the faster they can work.  You can mix every time you add new ingredients, once a week, or “once in a while”, but the more you mix the faster it will go.  Do what you can, there is no strict schedule.  Black bins in a sunny location will help keep the compost warm so the microbes can work.  Avoid dark, shady locations, if possible.  Of course, in the winter everything freezes solid and will just wait until spring.  I add ingredients all winter to the outdoor “compost freezer”.

When is compost ready to use?  Compost is “mature”, when you can no longer recognize the ingredients that you put in it.  One exception: eggshells take years to break down so expect to see them in your finished compost.  Break or grind them into tiny pieces and they will be great long-term sources of calcium.  Mature compost should look like dark, rich, organic soil with a slightly sweet or musty odor of healthy soil.  It will not be pungent or objectionable in any way.  A sure sign that it is ready to use is when it is full of earthworms. 

How do I use the compost?  That’s easy, anytime, anyplace, on any plants.  Compost is good for everything!  May – June is a great time to side dress garden plants with compost to give them the food needed for a strong summer’s growth.  No need to mix it into the soil, it will naturally move to the roots.  Container plants love a mixture of 50% quality starter mix plus 50% mature compost.  Compost doubles as a mulch to suppress weeds and conserve soil moisture too.  Fall surface applications help build the soil for next year. 

The main thing is KEEP IT SIMPLE!  Get a system that works for you and doesn’t become a chore or tedious.  It’s important that we stop contaminating our environment with food & yard wastes and makes sense to convert these things into a valuable resource for our homes.  I hope you agree!

Have you already been composting?  What are your best tips for others?  What problems have you encountered?  What questions do you have?

Seasonal Tips:

Got bugs? Seasonal garden pests are showing up as plants get more appetizing. This is the time to keep a close eye on your plants, look for leaf damage or the culprits themselves.

The Colorado Potato Beetle has been seen in Mount Holly! Adults were found on potato plants on June 24. No damage or immature beetles yet so reproduction is limited but can increase fast. Handpicking works.

Cucumber Beetles have been active for several weeks. Find them early in the morning before they warm up and get active. Hand pick.

Slugs & Snails continue to benefit from the rains. Watch the marigolds. Use beer traps or apply Iron Phosphate (Sluggo).

Red Beetles on Asian lilies can devastate foliage and flowers. Hand pick red adults and black gooey larvae daily.

Keep on Planting! You can enjoy fresh salads all summer long if you keep planting greens every 2 weeks to have a continuous crop available. Fall carrots can be sown now too.

Fall broccoli & cauliflower is the best. Plant seeds indoors now to get those plants started.

Garlic scapes are here! Harvest them young by cutting before they curl all around. Great in salads, eggs, as a pesto, or wherever you like garlic.