Composting 101
7 min Read
Compost is one of the greatest gifts you can give to your garden and it all starts from scraps from your kitchen! The average household creates more than 200 pounds of kitchen waste every year. So it’s important to direct the waste that would end up in a landfill, back to the earth!
Our founders, Rita and Brogan, discuss how they compost at home and how you can take steps from having a kitchen compost bin to full on backyard composting. So get your garden gear on and let’s get our hands (barely) dirty!
What is composting?
Composting is a process, a natural process of recycling organic materials into a nutrient-rich, humus-like material called compost. It is an environmentally friendly way to manage organic waste and create a valuable resource for enriching soil and promoting plant growth. Composting can be done on a small scale, like in a backyard compost bin, or on a larger scale, such as in municipal composting facilities.
Demystifying composting
Be patient, time is your friend and you will not see results immediately but know that all good things come to those who observe, study and wait. That amazing compost soil is in your future.
The loose process goes like this..
Balance input materials to provide the necessary nutrients for microorganisms to thrive.
Chop and shred materials
Aerate the pile (turning in once a week)
Maintain proper moisture
Choose the right location (goldilocks zone)
Layer in the materials
Add a compost starter
Avoid meat, dairy and oily foods
Learn to love red earth worms!
Monitor and troubleshoot
Worms!
Particularly red worms (Eisenia fetida) and red wigglers (Lumbricus rubellus), play a crucial role in the composting process, and their presence significantly enhances the effectiveness and speed of decomposition.
Here's why worms are so important to composting:
Accelerate decomposition: Worms are voracious eaters. They consume organic matter, such as food scraps and decaying plant material, and break it down into smaller pieces. Their digestive process helps to pre-process the compostable material, making it easier for other decomposers like bacteria and fungi to further break it down.
Aerate the compost: They do a lot of your work for you! As worms move through the compost pile, they create tunnels, which act as natural airways. These tunnels improve the oxygen flow within the compost, providing aerobic conditions that are essential for efficient decomposition.
Improve nutrient content: The digestive process of worms enriches the compost with nutrients, particularly nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The resulting worm castings (worm excrement) are nutrient-dense and valuable for plant growth.
Enhance soil structure: Worms help improve soil structure by adding organic matter in the form of their castings. This improves soil aeration, water retention, and nutrient availability for plants.
Balancing pH levels: Worms can regulate the pH of the composting environment by neutralizing acidic or alkaline conditions. This helps to create an optimal pH range for microbial activity.
When you start your garden compost you pray for worms and hope that they arrive naturally, if not, you can purchase them. Once worms arrive they will go through a growth curve that correlates directly to the size of your compost area. Red worms, reproduce cocoons every 7 to 10 days under favorable conditions. Each cocoon can contain between 1 to 5 baby worms. The baby worms will take a few months to reach maturity and start reproducing themselves.
It's worth noting that in a well-maintained composting system, the worm population tends to remain relatively stable and self-regulated based on the available food and space. If the compost becomes too crowded or food is scarce, the worm population may decrease naturally to match the available resources. As the compost matures, the worms' population may fluctuate based on the composting conditions and the compost's readiness for harvest. What does this all mean? You will have a worm farm before you know it.
First things first. What’s a compost bin?
A compost bin is a container where you put organic waste that will decompose over time and turn into compost rich in organic materials to help your gardens grow. There are two types of compost bins; aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic composting bins are the most common and require the organic material to be aerated by turning, shaking, or stirring the mixture while microorganisms or worms, help break down the waste. Anaerobic composting is a method that uses fermentation and bacteria to break down organic material including meat and dairy. We will be referencing aerobic composting in this post.
What should I put in the compost bin?
Your compost bin should have a 3 to 1 ratio of “browns” to “greens,” and water to keep it moist.
Browns are carbon or carbohydrate-rich materials like:
Dried leaves
Hay and Straw
Pine needles
Twigs
Paper (shredded newspaper, corrugated cardboard, paper plates, napkins etc).
Greens are materials rich in nitrogen or protein like:
Vegetable
Fruit scraps (peels, cores, and other plant-based leftovers)
Grass clippings
Coffee grounds
Tea bags,
Eggshells
Do not put any inorganic materials, dog or cat feces, meat, dairy, or weeds that have seeded.
Adjust the ratio of greens to browns depending on how wet or dry your compost pile is!
The Spruce | Sydney Brown
The Spruce | Sydney Brown
Where do I get a composting bin?
There are a ton of composting bins on the market ranging from compact patio ones to large backyard barrels. If you’re looking for cost conscious options, you can easily make one from a trash bin or for those who are handy, you can build one like this!
Here are some of our favorite composting bins for gardens big and small:
Cedar Compost Bin | Gardener’s Supply Co
Cedar Composter | Greene’s Fence
Expandable Compost Bin | Geobin
What if I don’t have enough room or an outside space to compost?
We have a handy guide of small tabletop kitchen composting bins for those who are short on space, but there are also composting programs across the U.S. that either provide free compost for your garden or have compost pick up services like Compostablela, and Terracycle. Here in Santa Barbara, our wasteshed separates organic waste from the trash and composts it at a facility for use on city agriculture.
Donahoe Tips:
Get the little ones involved too! This is a great way to teach children how they can take steps to care for the earth and spend time in the garden! To see our booklist and resources click here.
In the end, all organic materials will decompose and return to the earth naturally. Composting just helps speed up the process to turn your waste into garden gold! So don’t fret too much if you don’t get it right at first, because in time, you’ll eventually get compost!
Final takeaway
By combining the right balance of green and brown materials, regularly turning the compost pile to aerate it, and providing adequate moisture, you can facilitate the composting process and create nutrient-rich compost to improve soil health and support plant growth.
Trust us, your plants will thank you and your community will think you have developed an impressive green thumb!
