WASHINGTON GARDENER Compost Happens - Nature’s Free Fertilizer
BY KATHY JENTZ
Add the Ingredients Once you have your system set up, it is time to add your com- SRVWDEOHPDWHULDOV<RX¶OOOLNHO\KDYHSOHQW\RIOHDYHVWRUDNHLQDXWXPQ and fresh grass clippings from mowing your lawn. If not, ask around DQG\RX¶OO¿QGSOHQW\RIIRONVZKRZLOOJODGO\JLYH\RXWKLVJDUGHQJROG $V\RXSXOORXW\RXUHQGRIVHDVRQDQQXDOVWKURZWKRVHRQWKHSLOH DORQJZLWKDQ\SODQWWULPPLQJVZHHGVDQGVSHQWÀRZHUVIURP\RXU gardening chores. $OVRDGGLQ\RXUNLWFKHQYHJHWDEOHZDVWH DQGGRQ¶WIRUJHWWRFRO - OHFWWKHYHJJLHZDVWHIURP\RXUZRUNSODFHDVZHOO:KLOH\RX¶UHDWLW \RXFDQDGGFR̆ HHJURXQGVWHDEDJVQXWVKHOOVGU\HUOLQWVKUHGGHG newspaper, straw, cotton rags, and cardboard rolls. What Not to Compost There are a few things you do not want to introduce to your pile. 7KH\LQFOXGHDQ\GDLU\SURGXFWVSHWZDVWHPHDW¿VKERQHVDQGIDWV such as lard or oils. %HFDUHIXODVZHOOZLWK\RXUSODQWZDVWH\RXGRDGG,IWKHSODQWLV GLVHDVHGGLVSRVHRILWZLWK\RXUWUDVKDQGNHHSLWRXWRIWKHFRPSRVW mulch screen. That goes for any poison ivy or oak you pull as well. Mix It Up Compost piles need two things to work properly — air and mois- WXUH*LYH\RXUSLOHDWXUQHYHU\WLPH\RXDGGQHZLQJUHGLHQWVRUMXVW do so once a week or month, depending on your schedule and how fast you want the pile to convert to usable compost. The compost pile needs to be wet to decay. Create a concave hole in WKHWRSRIWKHSLOHWRDOORZUDLQZDWHUWRFROOHFWDQGIXQQHOLQ<RXPD\ DOVRQHHGWRDGGZDWHUGXULQJGU\SHULRGV<RXZDQWLWPRLVWEXWQRW soaking wet. continued on page 40
,I \RX¶YH EHHQ JDUGHQLQJ IRU DQ\ OHQJWK RI WLPH \RX¶YH UHDOL]HG great soil is the key to healthy plants. How you get that nutrient-rich VRLO LV E\ DGGLQJ RUJDQLF PDWHULDO <RX FDQ SXUFKDVH FRPSRVW IURP \RXU ORFDO JDUGHQ FHQWHU RU ELJ ER[ VWRUH EXW ZK\" 0RWKHU 1DWXUH already gives you the ingredients for free, and it only takes a little of \RXUWLPHWRSXWLWWRJHWKHU²PRVWOLNHO\OHVVWLPHWKDQLW¶GWDNH\RX to make a trip to that local store. Keep It Simple (QF\FORSHGLFVL]HGYROXPHVKDYHEHHQZULWWHQRQKRZWRFRPSRVW and if you wish to, you can make it as complicated and intricate as \RXOLNH<RXFDQ¿OOVSUHDGVKHHWVZLWKWHPSHUDWXUHWLPHOLQHVDQG JUHHQEURZQPL[FDOFXODWLRQV%XWXQOHVV\RXZDQWWRPDNHLW\RXU full-time job, creating compost is as simple as making a pile or digging a small hole. The simplest way to compost is to bury it as you get it. Say you had a banana with breakfast and salad for lunch. Just go out in the garden that afternoon and dig a small hole and bury that banana peel and the OHIWRYHUOHWWXFH<RXFDQDOVRFROOHFWWKRVHYHJHWDEOHVFUDSVLQDFR̆ HH can for a week or so and do that quick burying in a larger hole each weekend. 7KHVLGHEHQH¿WRIEXU\LQJFRPSRVWDEOHVFUDSVULJKWDZD\LV\RX QHYHUKDYHWRVHWDVLGHSUHFLRXVJURZLQJVSDFHIRUDFRPSRVWSLOH%XW what if you have so much to compost that burying it would be a major FKRUH"7KHQMXVWSLOHLWXS 'HVLJQDWHDVSDFHIRU\RXUFRPSRVWSLOHLQDQDUHDWKDWLVFRQYH - QLHQWWKRXJKRXWRI\RXUPDLQOLQHRIVLJKW&RPSRVWSLOHVDUHWHUUL¿F but no one ever claimed they are beautiful. The location should be fairly level and at least a foot away from any tree, fence, or walls. Set Boundaries 2QFH\RX¿QGDQDSSURSULDWHVSDFH\RXFDQVWDUWSLOLQJXS\RXU FRPSRVWPDWHULDOV$SLOHRIIHHWLQKHLJKWDQGZLGWKLVLGHDOIRUJHW - WLQJWKLQJVFRRNLQJDQGNHHSLQJLWPDQDJHDEOH<RXFDQKDYHLWDVD IUHHÀRDWLQJSLOHWKRXJK\RXZLOOPRVWOLNHO\ZDQWWRVHWXSVRPHNLQG of containment system for it to keep it neat and tidy. There are plans online and in many books for building compost bins. If you have the space, you can recycle wooden pallets and create a big,
RSHQ ER[ <RX FDQ also build bins out of concrete blocks, hardware cloth, or chicken-wire. Some local governments, VXFK DV 0RQWJRP - HU\ &RXQW\ 0' provide free com- post bins to resi- dents. If you have lim- ited space, or are worried about ro- dents accessing your kitchen waste, a metal garbage can
ZLWKDWLJKW¿WWLQJOLGLVLGHDO7RXVHLWIRUFRPSRVWLQJMXVWGULOOLQ many holes around the sides and on the bottom to allow the compost WREUHDWKHDQGPRLVWXUHWRHQWHUDQGH[LWWKHPL[<RXPD\DOVRZDQW to elevate it on a few bricks or cinder blocks to allow drainage and air to circulate. )LQDOO\\RXFDQSXUFKDVHFRPSRVWELQVE\RQOLQHPDLORUGHURUIURP your local garden center. There are many clever designs and new sys- WHPV$VN\RXUQHLJKERUVDQGIHOORZJDUGHQHUVDERXWZKLFKWKH\OLNH best or would advise against.
PATHWAYS—Fall 22—39
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