Backyard Composting Made Easy Brian Rosa NC DENR DEACS

Transcription

1 Made Easy Brian Rosa NC DENR DEACS

2 Made Easy Brian Rosa NC DENR DPPEA n 4 Components To Make Compost n Containers n Tools & Things

3 Why Compost?

4 4 Things That Make Compost Happen Brown (carbon) Green (nitrogen) Water (H2O) Air (oxygen)

5 Carbon/Nitrogen Ratio ~ C/N Ratio

6 Brown or Carbon n Brown and woody material n Leaves n Straw n Saw dust n Wood chips n Paper products n Hand towels n Napkins n Paper plates n Paper mache egg cartons n 2/3 ¾ of pile to be brown (carbon)

7 Green or Nitrogen n Green or Nitrogen n Food Scraps n No meat, fat or bones n Fruit peelings & pulp n Coffee ground and filter n Tea bags n Grass clippings n Weeds n Manure (no dog or cat)

8 C/N Ratio Ideal 30:1 for fast hot composting (temperatures up to 150 F) 50:1 for slower, low temperature composting n Brown (Carbon) Leaves 60:1 Straw 90:1 Sawdust 500:1 Wood chips/ twigs 700:1 n Green (Nitrogen) Food Scraps 15:1 Grass Clippings 17:1 Fruit Waste 40:1 Weeds 20:1 Chicken Manure 7:1

9 Easy method to calculate C:N ratio. n 1 parts green, 2 part brown. n You can get a c:n ratio of 30:1 50:1 by adding one part n green material to two parts brown to your pile. Compost Mix Calculator compostcalc.htm

10 Moisture ~ 60 % ~ Damp - feel like a wrung out sponge. Squeeze a handful ~ Should stay together ~ If water drips out too wet! ~ If crumbles too dry!

11 Air / oxygen - turn or aerate ~ Speeds up the composting process ~ Re-heats pile to keep it in aerobic state ~ Creates pathways for air & moisture to circulate ~ Eliminates odors ~ Takes care of most composting problems Turn every 7 10 days the more you turn the faster you get finished compost

12 Hot fast batch compost pile. Compost in 1-3 months. Create a recipe that works for you! What materials are available? * Remembering you need 2 browns, 1 green. Start with a layer of course materials (stalks, twigs, straw). Then alternate layers of brown & green materials, adding a shovel full of soil and moistening every other layer. Repeat this layering and moistening until bin is full.

13 Critical Mass 3 FT X 3FT Backyard Composting Pile large enough to insulate and maintain temperature Pile small enough to allow adequate oxygen penetration

14 Hot fast batch compost pile. Compost in 1-3 months. Monitor the temperature of the pile. Within 24 hours, pile should be F. After 3 days at 130 F, turn pile the core of pile is finished Add moisture and/or some nitrogen (food scraps or grass clippings). Again the pile should heat back. After 3-4 days, turn pile. Repeat process for 3 4 weeks. * Check temperature by thermometer or place your hand in the middle of pile.

15 Slow or Cold Composting Slow results (3-8 months) Most Common Pros Cons ~ Easy, little effort ~ Decomposes slowly ~ No stockpiling ~ Can cause odors ~ Immediate kitchen scrap ~ Does not heat up disposal ~ Can attract pests ~ Quick disposal of yard ~ Does not kill weed seed debris and grass ~ Compost may be less ~ Great for homes that nutrient-rich generate little waste

16 Backyard Compost Bins 3 Bin System

17 Backyard Compost Bins

18 Backyard Compost Bins Simple Bins

19 Backyard Compost Bins Tumbler

20 Accessories ~ Pitchfork ~ Kitchen food collector ~ Thermometer ~ Aerator (Wingdigger)

21 Trouble shooting ~ Odors Sulfur smell (anaerobic) aerate/stir/mix Ammonia smell too much nitrogen, add carbon ~ Cold Too wet or too dry, not enough nitrogen or oxygen

22 Other Options ~ Sheet Composting ~ Trench ~ Grass-cycling

23 Vermicomposting

24 Compost Educational Resources How to compost.org Educational Resources Cornell Composting in schools - Quiz NC DENR, Division of Pollution Prevention & Environmental Assistance (This web site will link to most major compost sites)