Efficient Garden Composting - Being Green at Home
Hardly a day goes by without the news reporting some kind of ecological issue - be it problems with the Polar ice caps melting or new initiatives from Central Government to reduce carbon. As with so much of the news, there doesn't appear to be much we can really do to make a difference. Or is there?
Councils estimate that around 35% of our typical home waste which is thrown out with the rubbish, can be recycled. We’re going to be brave here by saying the figure could possibly be higher still for those who really want to be. The Sunday morning trip to the bottle bank is the ‘norm’ for many of us, but how many have a compost bin in the garden? How many people have 3 compost bins? That's the optimum number that is recommended by gardeners and ecologists alike.
Before we go into too much detail as to why you need 3 compost bins, let’s start with why you need one. Any waste which is sent to landfill which rots down naturally, not only takes longer to rot down when mixed with non biodegradable waste, but also releases toxic gases into the environment which helps to deplete the all important ozone layer, which as we know, in turn warms up the planet, melts ice caps, and…well, you know the rest.
Separating your waste at home so your biodegradable items are put in your home compost bin also saves road miles in that the local council’s who collect your waste, don’t have so much to take back to their landfills. Just as importantly though is that the output from the waste itself can end up being extremely beneficial for your home garden. If you separate and mix your biodegradable waste into ‘greens’ and ‘browns’ (more about these in a moment), the waste can typically be turned into good, organic, usable compost for your garden in 6-9 months or so. By returning the waste to the earth, and growing further fruit and vegetables etc in that earth, you’re not only supplying the said fruit and vegetables with all important nutrients, but in the soils that lie to the South of London, you’ll allowing air to enter the heavily compacted clay soils, thus making the ground more fertile for your choice of vegetation. Oh, and of course, this is all free.
The obvious question is ‘why does waste that is rotted I compost bins not emit the same gases as waste in landfill’? The answer is that not only does properly composted material rot down quicker, but when added to the garden, it ‘traps in’ carbon. What this means is that the carbon is buried, which is the reason why so many real environmentalists even go so far as to try to put gardeners off of digging their plots, due to the micro amounts of carbon that are lost into the atmosphere each time we do.
We mentioned ‘greens’ and ‘browns’. Experts suggest mixing our biodegradable compost waste in an even mixture of ‘brown’ and ‘green’. Green waste is basically vegetable peelings, grass cuttings etc or ‘wet stuff’ whilst browns are things like cereal boxes which have been torn up, the contents of the vacuum cleaner, toilet roll inners and even shredded paper (great way to also protect your identity from being cloned – shred your personal and junk mail!) Heavier ‘twiggy’ type cuttings can be chopped into small chunks, or put through a shredder if you have one.
The reason for suggesting 3 compost bins is because as one is being fed and is filling up, the others can be rotting down. Ideally, you’ll want to ‘turn’ the contents of your compost bin as regularly as possible (there are compost bins available that are mounted on frames allowing the bin to easily be turned over by hand using a handle). By constantly adding new waste, they’ll be little chance of all the waste ever having the chance to rot down.
Experts say that to rot down efficiently and quickly, compost needs two main ingredients – water and heat. If you are able, position your compost bins where they’ll see at least some of the afternoon sunshine. If the bins have slats, air will penetrate and the compost will dry out and won’t rot down properly, so add regular watering cans of rain water from your water butt. Don’t be surprised if you compost heap ‘sweats’. In fact, if it does, the composting process is actually in evidence.
Compost bins themselves don’t have to be expensive and don’t have to look like a Dalek either. Compost bins made to look like beehives and made from recycled pallets are readily available on the Internet and actually add a neat feature to the Country garden. Some local councils offer special deals on the sale of compost bins, it ultimately saves them money so take a look at your local council website. And of course, you can build your own. Pallets are the material most commonly used for this, but any large container with good access to add, turn and remove compost - ideally with no air gaps, will do.
There are even rumours that in time, we’ll all be charged for the amount of waste we have the councils collect from our driveways. Therefore reducing the quanties we throw away also reduces the council's bill if this ever is introduced.
In future articles we will explain how to effectively use home made organic compost on your garden which should in turn help you to produce some of the best organic fruit, flowers and vegetables you’ve ever grown.
About the Author
The author is based in Surrey, England and works in the multimedia industry. He has recently completed a new website for Outdoor Creations, expert garden designers and landscapers. The site can be found at: http://www.outdoor-creations.co.uk
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