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Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009

Turn trash into treasure

While my wife has been recovering from surgery, I have been cooking more. Though I do not cook regularly, I do not mind cooking.

What I don’t like is cleaning up. My idea of cleaning up is to eat any food left in the bowls. For me, the greatest invention in the kitchen is not the microwave or food processor — it is the paper plate. No one has to wash paper plates.

Cleaning up is not as fun as messing up. Plus, it takes longer to clean up a mess than it does to make a mess. Fortunately, our gardens have a natural garbage disposal system — composting. Composting will recycle your garden trash into garden treasure.

Composting turns garden and kitchen wastes into compost, which can be added to gardens to improve the soil’s ability to hold water and nutrients and to supply plant nutrients. Compost also can make soils easier to dig. One of the best ways to improve garden soils is to till in compost.

Compost is formed by the rotting of materials like leaves, pine straw, limbs and other garden wastes. Do not compost diseased plants or weeds with seeds on them. These pests may survive the composting process and cause a problem in next year’s garden. You can also compost kitchen trimmings from vegetables and fruits. Do not compost bone, meat or eggs.

Microorganisms like bacteria and fungi turn lawn wastes into compost. Help the composting process by giving these organisms what they need — water, nitrogen fertilizer, air and something to decompose.

You do not need a structure in which to compost, but using one should save space, hasten decomposition and make your yard neater. You can use a fence wire hoop or build a box-shaped compost bin out of wood or concrete blocks. Make sure the sides have enough holes to allow good air ventilation.

Build the pile in layers. Place coarse materials on the bottom. The first layer of composting material should be about 8 to 10 inches thick. Next, add a 1/4-inch thick layer of soil or compost on top of this. This supplies the microorganisms that will compost the materials.

Then place a nitrogen source on top of this thin soil layer. Use 1/3 cup of ammonium nitrate or one cup of 10-10-10 per 25 square feet of pile surface area. Do not use fertilizers containing herbicides (like Weed & Feed). You can use organic nitrogen sources like manures or blood meal instead. Repeat this layering process until the pile is about 5 feet high. Top the pile with straw, leaves or hay and leave a shallow depression in the center of the last layer to catch rainwater.

Keep the pile damp but not too wet. Turn the pile at least once or twice a month, the more often the better. Piles that are too wet or are not turned may decompose slowly or produce bad odors. Raising the pile off the ground will help aerate it.

Cut the materials into small pieces, since smaller pieces decompose faster. Put leaves in a plastic trash can and shred with a string trimmer, or cut them up with a mower or shredder.

When stacking materials, mix them so they will not pack and slow water and air movement. Fine materials, like grass clippings, should be mixed with coarse materials, like large leaves or coarse straw, to prevent packing.

The pile will begin to heat up and decrease in size as it decomposes. Wait until the pile no longer heats up and has stopped shrinking before you use the compost. If compost is used before it is ready, it can rob nitrogen from your lawn and garden. This may make your plants yellow.

Ready to use compost should look and smell like rich, dark and crumbly soil.

Use a compost pile to harness the decomposition process to turn garden trash into garden treasure. For more ideas, visit http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/C816/C816.htm.

Willie Chance is retired from UGA Extension in Houston County. To reach your local extension office, call (800) ASK-UGA1 from any non-cell phone. To subscribe to the central Georgia home gardening newsletter, e-mail mg@uga.edu. Also see www.gaurbanag.org.