COMPOST – GARDENER’S GOLD

By Virginia Feagans

U.C. Cooperative Extension, El Dorado Co. Master Gardener

A keynote speaker at a Master Gardeners conference ended his talk with this admonition; “Quit throwin’ that stuff away! Pile it up somewhere.”

Are you one of the folks who feel guilty because you don’t compost your kitchen waste, grass clippings, and other garden refuse? Do you have good intentions, but can’t seem to get started?

Perhaps you have been composting but are not happy with the process; it won’t get hot, or the resulting material is coarse, not suitable for digging into garden beds. Maybe it is full of disagreeable looking insects instead of nice fat earthworms. Or maybe it smells bad/sour/offensive to the neighbors.

What are suitable materials to put into compost besides kitchen peelings and coffee grounds – can you empty the cat litter box into it? That looks as if it would compost beautifully.

Here are a few answers; kitchen waste, grass clippings, garden weeds (when not in seed) are all suitable, but NOT the cat litter box material (though it probably would compost nicely). Both cat and dog feces, as well as that from other meat eating animals, may carry disease, and their manure is a definite no-no for the compost.

Also, avoid meat scraps and greasy materials as they will attract predator animals. Most other organic materials are appropriate. I was once told, “Don’t put your worst weeds into the compost!” – maybe she was thinking of Bermuda grass! Of course, it is not a good idea to put any weeds with seeds into the pile.

There are two methods of composting – cold and hot. Both have advantages and disadvantages.

COLD compost, where you pile up the materials and turn or dampen occasionally, has many advantages. Supposedly, more nutrients are retained and it is usually less work. It is, however, a slower process. It may take months or years to break down to useable compost, depending on how small the materials are to start with.

HOT compost on the other hand is a less haphazard procedure:

· Use about one half brown material (dry stuff, leaves, straw, shredded black and white newsprint, etc.)

· One half green material (kitchen waste, manures from non-meat eating animals, slightly dried grass clippings, etc.)

· Use smallish chunks, or shredded material

· Dampen and turn often (every few days)

· Cover and don’t add to the pile once composting begins (save the kitchen stuff in another pile, a garbage can, etc.)