Feature Article - for immediate release

Angela Sachson - Extension Horticulture staff

Plant Nutrients for Free

 Compost gets a bad rap.  People think it stinks; it’s a lot of trouble, its time consuming, and expensive.  None of the above needs to be true.  Sure, you can make it complicated but in fact, you can compost the easy way too. 

Some Good Reasons to Start a Compost Pile

According to the EPA, Americans produce more than four pounds of waste per person per day (1,600 per year).  A lot of that waste is organic and can be composted to provide valuable soil amendments.  So, composting helps the environment in two ways, reduced landfill and free soil amendments.  And, in Florida yards we need all the amendments we can get.  Our sandy soil doesn’t hold nutrients well and water goes right through it.  That means we are throwing away stuff we need.  Even if you are not an avid (some say rabid) gardener, you probably have a patch of grass that could use some nutrients.

 

Basic Facts about Compost

 Compost is the result of decomposition of organic manner.  In nature, lots of organisms—some like earthworms we can see—others, tiny microbes we can’t see—break down wastes.  In effect, “compost happens.”  We can speed the process along by keeping these guys healthy.  Like us, the compost critters need food, water, air and shelter to live.  These are not hard to provide.

Food:  The critters need carbon and nitrogen.  That translates to brown materials and green stuff.  Brown materials are dried grass and leaves, shredded paper and cardboard, sawdust or corncobs.  Green stuff includes food waste coffee and tea grounds, green plant cuttings. Make gathering this easy.  Keep a zip-lock bag in the freezer and put vegetable peelings inside.  When you have time you can take them out and dump them in the pile.  Or, dump them in a cardboard cereal box, crinkle it up, and compost the whole thing. Simple composting does not include animal products but manures do have a place if you’re so inclined.  Don’t fret too much about the proportions—just put in more brown than green. 

Water:  Damp, not wet.  Too wet reduces oxygen. Too wet is also the part about stinking.  If your pile smells bad it’s probably too wet.  The smell can also indicate you need more brown ingredients—tear up a cardboard box or two.

Shelter:  The microbes need warmth.  If the pile is about three feet wide and tall the heat produced by the microbes will remain insulated inside the pile.

That’s it.

A pile of the food compost critters need can become compost in several months if ignored. A pile consisting of the same stuff chopped up and turned every six weeks or so will be compost in about 12 weeks. Faster compost requires the “HOT,” or California method.  It is a little more complicated and you can learn about it on our website. 

 

Containing your Compost

Composting can be done in a pile in the corner of the yard.  If you want a little less unruly pile you can build a bin from chicken wire, or pallets.  An especially easy container and method is plastic bag composting. 

Composting in a Bag-Two Easy Methods

This is the easiest composting method of all.  Use a black plastic garbage bag at least 3 m. thick. Bag your brown ingredients and green and add a shovel of soil.  If you are short greens you can also put in some high-nitrogen fertilizer to help feed the critters.  Moisten the mixture.  Seal the bag and perforate the bag with a garden fork or knife.  Give it a shake, put it out of the way, and periodically turn the bag over to aerate and mix.  Look for compost after a few months.  That is the mostly aerobic bag composting method.

Anaerobic composting is like making silage.  It can be done in a big bag or a small one.  The recipe is a little different:  1 cup of shredded green stuff, ½ cup of soil, 1 tablespoon of brown material and an ounce of water.  Repeat the recipe until your strong and watertight bag is full.  Squeeze the bag to mix the materials and repeat the squeezing daily.  Open the bag every few days to check the moisture and adjust accordingly. This method yields a small amount of compost in four to six weeks..

Compost is finished when you can’t identify the original ingredients.  Some folks say compost looks like chocolate cake. It’s a good idea to let it rest for a month or so after that—that’s called curing, and allows the microbes to move on.

Use your finished compost in your garden beds; sprinkle on your lawn, or even in your potted plants.

Here are some helpful links for more information:

*       http://compost.ifas.ufl.edu/

*       http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN047

*       http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/NG005

If you need additional information on composting please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469. In Highlands County call 863-402-6540 and in Glades County call 863-946-0244.  Okeechobee residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners from 1 to 3 PM on Tuesday afternoons.  Go Gators!

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Trade  names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin.  Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida.  Larry A.  Arrington, Dean. Last update: 06/11/2008.  This page is maintained by Dan Culbert