Ag-Gardening
Composting Tips
By Article by Carl Dorman
Feb 1, 2009, 14:48

Composting Tips,  by Carl Dorman

I have composted both in containers and directly on the ground. I have found the ground method to work better for me. I start by digging a shallow hole in the selected area, usually only about 2 inches deep, just enough to expose the dirt under any grass that may be there.

While you can make your pile any size that you like, a 4 ft by 4 ft serves my needs. Soften the dirt in the selected area with a hoe or shovel. Now you are ready to start adding your ingredients. The following is a list of do and don't use items.
 

Do Use

• any vegetable or fruit item including cooked or raw items
• any meal leftovers, including breads, cakes, pastas
• grass clippings
• leaves
• ashes from bar b que grill
• coffee and tea grounds (the more of these the better)
• left over flour or meal
• any liquids like coffee, tea, sodas, beer,
• kool-aid etc
• tree moss
• sawdust or small wood chips
• snack items, cookies chips, crackers, popcorn, etc
• peanut hulls
• out of date can or frozen foods
• egg shells and left over eggs, cooked or raw
• basically any product that is organic, or that you eat

• any meat products
• any grease or oils
• any non bio-degradable paper products
• any animal waste other than waste from non
• meat eaters
• such as cow, goat, rabbit, chicken
• any fish or by products

I like to take a large zip-lock bag and put all the daily kitchen waste in it and keep it in the refrigerator until full, then add it to the pile.  Your larger items like cabbage and such should be cut into small pieces. When adding these items to your pile, try to mix equal amounts of leaves or grass clippings, and about half the amount of dirt.

I like to also add about one cup of sugar, about once every two weeks, this speeds up the process, and the added end result is very good for your plants. I have also tried putting a small handful of baking soda into the mix to help with speeding up the process, as well as odor. After you have everything mixed up, wet it just enough to keep it moist. Water is fine, but any of the combination of the liquids listed above will be a lot better.

Next cover your pile with a thick layer of leaves to blanket the mixture. This does two things, it helps to create heat for decomposition and helps eliminate odor. Be sure and rake away the top layer of leaves, and remix the pile every couple of days - and keep it moist  You will have some great compost in no time. This recipe has worked well for me for a long time, and should work for you too.

Good Luck, Carl

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