One of the great things about organic waste is that with enough time and the right conditions it will decompose. But that should not be construed to mean that you can toss any kind of organic material onto your compost pile.
But recycling your yard waste via composting is a great way to go. You can take your lawn clippings, leaves, hedge trimmings and any plant trimmings that are "non-woody" and add them to your compost heap. You can even add the wood items if you first make sure they are chopped into very small pieces.
In most backyard composting, the largest single contributor is the huge amount of leaves that rain down each autumn season. In addition, grass clippings can be added to it if they are not mulched and left to nurture the lawn itself. When lawn clippings are used in the compost mix they should be used together with other yard waste elements.
If you have a supply of wood items such as small logs, branches or twigs, then you will need to have them chopped or ground up if they are more than a quarter inch in diameter. If you just have a few of these larger wood items you want to put in your compost pile, then you can also use a corn knife to cut them down to a size that will decompose easily.
Many types of kitchen waste items are also appropriate to be included in a compost pile. Fruit rinds, vegetable peelings and scraps, coffee grounds and eggshells that have been crushed are all perfectly acceptable to use in composting and this is a very effective way to recycle these kinds of materials.
There are some organic materials that need to be avoided and which should not be added because of potential health hazards or nuisances that can be created. No type of pet feces should be included in a compost heap because of potential diseases that can be transmitted. Any kind of meat, whole eggs, dairy products and grease should also be excluded because they will attract rodents and other vermin.
In most instances, diseased organisms that are common to plants and weed seeds are destroyed through the process of composting, as long as these components are in the center of the heap and the temperature in the center reaches at least 140 degree F. But, experts caution that it is difficult to assure that such waste will be brought to the center during the composting process. As a result, putting large amounts of diseased plants or weeds with seeds into your compost heap could end up causing problems and should be avoided.
A good compost pile needs a balance of materials that will enhance the decomposition process. In general, keeping the mix to a ration of about one-to-one of brown material with green material works well.
Brown material includes items such as manure, decaying leaves, and newspaper and cardboard. Green material would include the hedge and grass clippings, coffee grounds, and fruit and vegetable peelings.
It is a good idea to keep the compost pile contained in a structure of some kind. This not only helps speed up the decomposition process, but it also minimizes the space needed. You can pick up composter bins at most local garden stores and these are a very good way to help you manage your composting while also helping to keep your backyard looking clean and tidy.
Mike Selvon
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