Composting

COMPOSTING

• Recycles organic waste (kitchen and yard waste) naturally.
• Creates a nutrient rich soil called humus, or compost, that is used in gardens, on the lawn, as potting soil and in hanging baskets.
• Turns kitchen and yard waste into useable nutrition for all plants.
• Adds carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen to the soil.
• Increases water retention and helps break up heavy clay soils.

WHY COMPOST?

• Reduces your personal volume of garbage.
• Increases the water holding capacity of soil.
• Replaces harsh chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
• Improves plant growth.

WHAT CAN BE COMPOSTED?
Anything that was once growing in the ground, plus egg shells and dryer lint:

• Fresh grass clippings
• Plant trimmings
• House plants
• Manure
• Dry leaves
• Straw
• Kitchen scraps - vegetable and fruit peels, coffee grounds, tea bags and crushed egg shells.

DO NOT ADD:

• Meat, dairy, cooked food, fats and oils or foodstuff with fat and oil in it - these things may attract pests or produce foul odours.
• Keep a sealed container in the kitchen and carry it out to the compost as needed.
• Aim for two parts "green" (nitrogen) kitchen scraps and fresh grass clippings, to one part "brown" (carbon) straw or dry leaves.
• Speed up the composting process by chopping scraps into small pieces. Mix the materials, dry and wet, in layers.

HOW TO SET UP A COMPOSTER
Buy or build a container.
Composters can be purchased from:

DC Recycling and Bottle Depot
925 - 100 Avenue,
Dawson Creek, BC
Phone: (250) 782-202

Put your container in a sunny, well-drained area protected from wind and at least 30 cm. (12 inches) above the water table.

Choose a spot close to the kitchen door.

Put the bin on bare, broken soil so helpful organisms can migrate from the ground into your compost to aid in the decomposition process.

Size is critical. A small pile will not retain enough heat to encourage micro-organisms. A too large is harder to turn and can become compacted.

The ideal compost pile is approximately one cubic metre. It will insulate itself and hold the heat it generates.

Compost located near a birch tree will benefit from an excretion which encourages fermentation.

Conifers tend to retard fermentation due to a turpentine substance which drips from their needles. The compost pile should be at least 6 ft. away from the outer branches of a conifer tree.

Sprinkle a thin layer of twigs or another fibrous material such as cardboard on the ground to add air flow to the bottom of your pile.

Begin adding materials: one part brown material (straw, leaves, cardboard) to two parts green material (kitchen peelings, garden waste).

HOW TO COMPOST IN YOUR BACKYARD
The compost process requires:

• Organic Material
• Moisture
• Air
• Soil (optional)

To build a compost pile, alternate layers of organic material (kitchen and yard waste), keeping everything moist and turning occasionally (approximately every ten days).

The best tool for turning your compost depends on the size of your composter and the style of your bin. A shovel, pitchfork or "Garden Claw" will do the job.

It is helpful, but not essential, to sprinkle thin layers of soil between layers of waste to add micro organisms.

The compost should be as wet as a wrung-out sponge. You may need to water your compost to prevent it from drying out.

For best results:

• Chop items into small bits so that they compost quickly.
• High nitrogen (moist green waste) decomposes faster than high carbon (dry brown waste). Use both.
• Get started with a layer of nutrient rich material such as your own finished compost, bone meal or an organic starter.
• Layer kitchen waste, yard waste and soil alternately.
• Turn the pile about every 2 weeks to aerate but not too often or it will cool the pile, slowing the process dramatically.
• Use of an "activator" to get the compost pile heating up - use fresh grass clippings, fresh manure, coffee grounds, hair and feathers or purchase a commercial activator.

COMPOSTING IN NORTHERN CLIMATES

Heat occurs spontaneously in a compost heap. When optimum heat is not achieved the process slows down.

Peace River Country is frozen for an extended period of time each year. During this time the composting process stops completely.

Does this mean you shouldn't add to the compost in the winter? By no means!

Freezing in winter and thawing in spring actually speeds up decomposition. So keep those food scraps coming!

As the weather gets colder, stop turning the compost pile so it will hold heat as long as possible.

Before winter sets in:

• Empty as much compost into the garden as possible.
• Put about 12 inches of leaves at the bottom of the composter. Save some bags of leaves for the spring!
• Cover the compost with a sheet of black plastic. The sheet holds in heat from the sun and encourages bacterial growth.