Confessions of a Composter

Compost Origami- Never Clean Your Kitchen Collector Again

2012-02-08T12:45:00.000-08:00

It never fails. Every time I empty food scraps into my compost bin I look in my trusty kitchen collector and…ugh….there they are, the hanger oners. A few wet carrot peels or a lone tomato slice sticking to the bottom of the bucket, loitering where they are not wanted. No amount of pounding on the bottom or shaking the bucket will convince the lagging food scraps to join their friends.

But now I’ve learned a cleaner way to collect kitchen scraps that doesn’t involve expensive plastic liners. Just simple old newspaper. You can think of it as a craft project for your compost bin. Compost origami, if you will.

Our dear neighbors to the north came up with this clever idea (Canadians, not Daytonians). You simply take three pieces of newspaper and after a few quick folds, the newspaper becomes a liner for the kitchen collector. The newspaper absorbs liquid from your food waste and keeps the carrot peels from sticking to the bottom.

When its full you just chuck the whole package (newspaper and all) into the compost bin. Your compost bin will benefit from the balance of carbon and the newspaper acts as a cover for the food scraps to deter pests and eliminate odors.

Pretty clever…eh?

You may even be able to add this to your kids’ chore list. I’ll bet they’ll complain much less while making origami than they would scrubbing out a compost bucket.

Here is the video Ottawa put together with a cute 6-year-old demonstrating the easy origami folds. If you want to print out instructions, you can find them here.

Have you ever tried to line your kitchen collector bucket? If so, how did it work?

Free Composting Seminar Coming to a Community Near You

2012-01-18T04:58:00.000-08:00

We like to mix it up here at the District. Try new programs, throw ideas out there, and see what sticks. This spring we will go on a composting lecture road show of sorts, around Hamilton County.

Composting newbies and more seasoned veterans should both find useful information to get the most out of your backyard compost bin. During the one hour seminar we will discuss how to balance a compost bin, what materials are compostable, and some troubleshooting tips and tricks.

There will also be time to answer your burning composting questions (hopefully not actually burning, but we can answer that too).

At the end of the hour, you will receive a free kitchen collector, a “I heart compost” magnet, a simple guide to composting in your backyard, as well as a $20 coupon redeemable at partnering stores toward the purchase of a compost bin. Pretty good deal if you ask me.

Call 946-7734 or email susan.schumacher@hamilton-co.org to register. Space is limited. Coupons available to Hamilton County residents only.

March 15, 6:00 pm: Colerain Township Government Complex, Trustees Chambers (4200 Springdale Road, Cincinnati Ohio 45251)
March 21, 6:30 pm: Loveland City Hall, Council Chambers (120 W Loveland Avenue, Loveland, Ohio 45140)
April 3, 6:00 pm: Blue Ash Recreation Center (4433 Cooper Road, Blue Ash, Ohio 45242)
April 17, 6:30 pm: Cincinnati Zoo (3400 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45220)
April 26, 6:00 pm: Deer Park Francis R. Healy Community Center (7640 Plainfield Rd. Deer Park, Ohio 45236)
May 15, 6:30pm: Forest Park Senior Center (11555 Winton Road, Forest Park, Ohio 45240)
May 23 6:00pm: Delhi Township Delhi Park Lodge (5125 Foley Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45238)
June 5, 6:00pm: Sycamore Township Robert Schuler Sports Complex, Community Room (11580 Deerfield Rd Cincinnati, Ohio 45242)

Please tell your friends, family, and co-workers. We would like to fill up each lecture and spread the composting love.

Can you Compost Wine Corks?

2011-12-13T09:53:00.001-08:00

I have a hard time throwing away wine corks. After all the work of screwing in the wine key and pulling out the cork to open the wine (and then the following “work” of drinking), I can easily toss the bottle into the recycling bin, but then I have this cork.

Since my “cork” consumption peaks during the holidays, I recently found myself staring at a collection of discarded corks and I had a revelation. Could these be composted?

Natural cork is an amazing resource made from sustainably harvested tree bark. They don’t even need to cut down the tree, they just pull off the bark and then it grows back like a sheep’s wool.

So, being natural and wood-like, cork should break down in the compost pile, right?

After some research I discovered if you want your wine cork to compost in this century you need to grind them up in a blender first. Cork is naturally impermeable- which makes it perfect for plugging a bottle of vino but makes composting a bit tricky. Grinding the cork will speed up the decomposition process.

Fortunately, there are many other uses for your unused cork if blending sounds too tedious:

1. Use them in the bottom of planters as an alternative to Styrofoam. The lightweight cork will help with plant drainage.

2. If you’re a crafty person, there are a myriad of projects you can take on. Here are some ideas: http://craftingagreenworld.com/2009/01/21/crafty-reuse-ten-projects-for-old-wine-corks/

3. You can also bring your corks to Whole Foods to recycle. http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/cincinnati/

One final note, make sure your cork is real cork. Synthetic cork will not decompose like natural cork and will not work well for the options above either. Here’s a website that should help you tell the difference and you'll learn more about natural cork: http://100percentcork.org/cork.php/why-cork.

Since I do not have a crafty bone in my body, I think I’ll start using corks in planters. I may try to compost a few too just to see how it works.

What do you do with your wine corks?

Here’s a Quick Way to Harvest Vermicompost

2011-11-23T07:53:00.000-08:00

Worm composting is an easy way to compost food waste indoors without taking up too much space. But harvesting the vermicompost has always been labor intensive- until now.

This little trick was developed by a local teacher (always masters of innovation) who has a worm bin in her classroom.

Step One
Get a mesh bag like the kind used to hold oranges or onions in the grocery store.

Step Two
Eat the oranges or the onions and then fill the mesh bag with a generous amount of yummy-to-worms food scraps, like apple cores and banana peels.

Step Three
Bury the bag in your worm bin and wait a week or two. Don’t feed the worms anything else during this time. They will be drawn to the food in the bag.

Step Four
Pull the bag out and see the wormy goodness. Check out this video to see all the worms we attracted.

Squirmy Wormy Composters

Step Five
Move the worms into a new worm bin. There will still be some worms in the old bin so you can do the bag trick again until all the worms have been relocated to their new “digs.”

What’s left behind? Amazing, nutrient rich, vermicompost.

If you don’t have a spare worm bin, you can create a temporary holding container for the worms that is moist and dark. Then pick a sunny day, find a tarp, and head outside to mound the remaining vermicompost into small cone-shaped piles. The worms will move to the bottom of the cones and you can scoop the compost off the top.

Make sure all of your worms are separated before using the finished vermicompost outside so you don’t introduce an alien species in your yard. Let me know in the comments if you have any other tricks for vermicomposting.

Smashing Pumpkins

2011-11-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

Halloween is the best holiday of the year. Okay, in my opinion it’s the best. I mean, what could be better than wearing costumes while eating candy and celebrating spiders, zombies and all things “scary”? But now that the spooky fun has past, it is time to retire the old, drooping jack o’ lantern to the compost bin.

The most important part of composting pumpkins is in the title of this post, and it has nothing to do with Billy Corgan. Pumpkins can be quite bulky (especially if you have multiple jack o’ lanterns like me) so we need to condense the size by smashing them up. A great way to relieve stress and a fun activity for the whole family.

Here are some ideas for ways to smash pumpkins:

• Stomping on them (wear old shoes!)
• Thumping them with a mallet
• Stabbing them with a shovel
• Throwing them against the wall

Pumpkins add valuable water and nitrogen to your pile at a time when it is mostly dry leaves. Just be sure to remove the candle before tossing the smashed pumpkin bits in the bin.

If you'd like to smash your pumpkin in public, go to Mt. Washington's annual Pumpkin Chuck this weekend: www.mwcc.org/

For 18 other great tips on how to recycle your pumpkin check out the Metro DC Lawn and Garden Blog.

Next, I guess I should also take care of those “decorative” cobwebs around my house.

Six Rules of Composting

2011-10-12T13:45:00.000-07:00

“Dang hippies” I muttered as I desperately navigated through a slow-moving sea of people who were exactly like me. The ‘Innovative Composting’ lecture would start at 3:00 pm. It was 2:57. Of all the lectures I highlighted in my Mother Earth News Fair Program, I wanted to see this one the most.

Why do I find myself 300 miles from home with a 20 pound infant on my hip walking miles through beekeeping workshops and solar water heater displays?

Because I love learning (I know, you may as well grab a marker and write “dork” on my forehead). The prospect of discovering a better method of composting, organic gardening, or other “earthy” goodies led me to the Mother Earth News Fair last month. And it was as wonderfully hippytastic as the name promised.

I eventually did find the ‘Innovative Composting” talk. The speaker, author and garden expert Barbara Pleasant, offered advice useful for any level composter. She came up with 6 Rules of Composting:

1. Choose labor-saving sites

2. Work with what you have

3. Help decomposers do their job

4. Reuse and recycle

5. Remember the magic is in the mix

6. Customize composting to suit your garden needs

Read the expanded version on her website: www.compostgardening.com/basicsfromthebook/sixbasicrules.html.

One of my favorite points Ms. Pleasant made is to be patient, “compost time is slow time.” Any task that allows me to just sit back and wait for the results is good with me.

By the end of her talk I had enough compost blog fodder to last a few months. Then I was off to learn how to spin my own alpaca yarn. Hmm…I wonder what my husband would think of a pet alpaca?

Compost Like George Washington

2011-09-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

George Washington, our first president whose handsome mug graces our $1 bill, also built the nation’s first known compost bin! (Woo hoo, history!!!) Not surprisingly, the father of our country has much to teach us about backyard composting.

Cover Your Pile
Washington was worried about too much rain leaching nutrients from his “dung repository” so he built a roof and open-walled structure over the 31 x 12 foot compost pit. Covers are, of course, also great for keeping out unwanted pests and maintaining the proper amount of moisture in the bin.

Compost Everything Possible
Washington believed you should throw trash “of every sort and kind” into the compost pile. Obviously he didn’t have to worry about plastic trash but he was on to something. If you look into your garbage there are probably items you could be composting.

Along with “leaves of trees, corn stalks, thistles, and coarse weeds,” Washington also likely composted “tanner’s bark, woolen rags, cuttings of leather…hair, bones ground or powdered…human urine and soap suds.” Eww, sometimes it’s good to live in the 21st Century.

Location, Location, Location
A compost bin has to be convenient to use, otherwise most of us will be too lazy to compost. Washington’s compost pit was actually close to his Mount Vernon mansion and very convenient to the horse stables.

George Washington believed that agricultural advancement was important for the new America and he fashioned Mount Vernon to serve as a model for the “new” science-based agriculture. Washington made composting an integral part of that model. Hmm, composting as an integral part of America…I like the sound of that.

“Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.” -George Washington

Visit the Mount Vernon website for more information www.mountvernon.org/visit-his-estate/preserving-his-estate/archaeology-projects/repository-dung/history.

Five Ways to Use Finished Compost

2011-09-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

Thar’s gold in them thar hills!

Or at least “brown gold” in that thar compost pile. Have you seen how much non-composters pay for high-quality compost at the garden store? Here are five easy ways to cash in your harvest and make use of finished compost.

1. Amend Your Soil
Compost is not exactly fertilizer. The real “pay dirt” of the compost is that it improves soil tilth and helps feed soil microbes. The HCSWCD recommends adding 25% compost if possible before planting a new area and then testing the soil to see if you need anything else.

2. Substitute for Mulch
Finished compost is beautiful stuff. You can spread 2-3 inches around flowers as an alternative to store bought mulch. Compost “mulch” will help hold moisture around plants and eventually incorporate into the soil.

3. Brew Some Compost Tea

“Steep” a shovel full of compost in a 5-gallon bucket of water for a few days. The result will look similar to tea (do I really need to say “Don’t Drink This”?). Use the “tea” to water your plants. Compost tea makes the finished compost go further in the garden.

4. Improve Your Lawn

If your yard is more lawn than flower bed, simply sprinkle 1-3 inches of finished compost over the grass and rake it evenly. In a week or two the compost will settle and disappear into the lawn, improving the soil, and making your grass look as good as gold.

5. Create a Potting Mix

Your potted plants will enjoy compost too. Mix 1/3 finished compost, 1/3 soil, and 1/3 sand to create a DIY potting mix.

Isn’t the beauty of composting that we are making something valuable out of what other people think of as garbage? I’ll be pondering this as I dig for brown gold this week in my compost bin.

Become a Master Composter

2011-08-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

Be honest, are you considered a master of anything? Well, you can learn everything you ever needed to know about composting (and brag to your friends with a cool new title) by attending our free Master Composter training this fall.

The three week Master Composter Class is the most intensive composting training available in Cincinnati. You will become a whiz-bang virtuoso on a wide array of topics including: where to locate a compost pile, how to build a compost bin that is best for you, how and when to turn your compost, the fascinating biology of a compost pile, and how to incorporate compost into your existing garden.

Whew, I feel smarter already.

You will build and take home a wire compost bin and also have the option of making a vermi-composting system for a nominal fee. Classes are Wednesdays September 7, 14, and 21 from 6:00pm to 8:30pm. Visit this site for more information and registration details: www.hamiltoncountyrecycles.org/index.php?page=master-composter-training.

Class size is limited, smarty pants, so register soon!

How to Cheat at Composting

2011-08-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

Diligent composters will make sure their pile is balanced, turned frequently, and watered when needed. But if your pile is too slow and impatience gets the best of you, here is an “ace up the sleeve” trick that works to create a winning pile.
Cheater, Cheater Pumpkin Eater
Sometimes called inoculants or starters, compost activators generally add a boost of nitrogen to heat up a pile and make finished compost faster. Some people swear by them, others think they are a waste of money. Either way you look at it, activators have proven results to speed up the composting. And they say cheaters never prosper…

You can buy prepackaged activators which usually contain blood meal, bone meal, or some other grim sounding meal, dried manure, enzymes, and bacteria. Avoid products with ammonium sulfate, I hear they are toxic to worms. ):

Fair and Square
There are plenty of “free” materials that will act as a compost booster without breaking the bank:

• Old Beer
• Coffee Grounds
• Grass Clippings
• Comfrey (a plant)
• Manure

You can also toss a shovel of healthy garden soil in your bin if you want a boost of microorganisms.

If you keep a balanced, moist pile you will not need to use an activator to create compost quickly. But in the end, there is no shame in using an activator- store bought or homemade- to give your pile a little umph.

Chance to Talk with a Composting Expert

2011-08-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the best way to learn new composting skills is to speak face to face with a composting expert. The Civic Garden Center is offering just an opportunity this weekend. Take a composting class, peruse the compost demonstration area, and explore their beautiful gardens.

Composting is not as difficult as it may seem.

It’s amazing how efficient all those little microbes are at doing their job. Compost happens whether we want it to or not. But there are some key skills to master to get the most out of your compost pile. Come to the Civic Garden Center’s Backyard Composting class to see different styles of composting, learn all the troubleshooting tricks, and ask those burning questions about the mystery of compost. The class runs from 10-11:15 am this Saturday, August 6.

You can register by calling 513-221-0981 or online. Or just show up Saturday morning with your burning compost questions.

http://www.civicgardencenter.org/garden_files/classes.htm

Ryan Mooney-Bullock is a Program Manager at the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati and contributes to the Garden Cincinnati Blog.

Here’s a Quick Way to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

2011-07-18T05:26:00.000-07:00

Ah, fruit flies. The pesky flying insects that seemingly appear out of nowhere to swarm your compost collection bucket and the rest of your kitchen. Aside from pulling out the miniature fly swatter, there are a few good ways to banish the annoying little buggers once and for all.

Stop Them at the Source
Fruit flies do not materialize out of thin air. You unknowingly bring fruit flies into your house in the larval stage on fresh fruit and veggies (just another reason to wash that apple before eating it). So if you wash fruit as soon as you bring it home, you may never see another fruit fly again.

You Catch More Flies with...
Make a simple fruit fly trap using a small plastic container with a clear lid. Poke holes in the lid with a toothpick and set a banana peel and some apple cider vinegar inside. Place the trap where the flies congregate.

They will be drawn in by the smell of the sweet banana and vinegar and then won’t be able to escape (evil laughing). If the plight of the poor imprisoned flies pulls at your heart strings, you can always release them into the wild (a.k.a. your backyard) but away from your compost bin.

Bye Bye Buggies
If every time you open the compost bin you wildly wave your arms around swatting at fruit flies, you need to take action there as well. Be sure to bury your food waste under leaves or shredded paper. This goes for backyard composting or worm bin composting. Fruit flies will not burrow into the pile to lay their eggs. Also, try simply taking out the kitchen collector more often so the flies don’t get a chance to settle in.

With any luck these tips will keep your kitchen and compost bin fruit fly free. Are there any other bugs bugging you? Leave a comment and I will address them in a future post.

Bringing Back the Romance

2011-06-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

I have a real confession to make this week. For almost three months I sadly neglected my compost bin. No turning, no assessing the moisture level, no balancing the carbon and nitrogen. The poor guy only saw me for a few fleeting minutes a week to drop off the kitchen scraps. If you find your bin in the same neglected state, here is how to add some heat back into your relationship.

Assess the Situation
Is the bin giving you the cold shoulder with no sign of decomposition in the dry stale mass? Or is the pile too wet and slimy, slowly rotting away? My bin had the worst of both worlds with a too wet soupy mess on the bottom and a thick layer of petrified flower stems on top.

Make the First Move
Turning the pile adds oxygen which is the surest way to speed up the decomposition. As you mix up the pile, add water or moist material to a dry bin or add shredded leaves and paper to a bin that is too wet . The pile should be about as wet as a wrung out sponge.

Luckily, all I had to do was mix the wet and dry layers in my bin. Once the moisture was balanced and oxygen was introduced, the pile really heated up and dropped six inches in a week.

Feel the Love
The great thing about compost bins is that, unlike our human relationships, they don’t require much affection. You can completely forget about a compost bin and he will still give you gifts (although more slowly).

Now that I’ve made up with my very forgiving compost bin, I think I’ll try to keep the romance alive. Which do you think he would like better, an old bouquet of flowers or a rotting fruit basket?

Compost Bin/Rain Barrel Sale - Saturday, May 14 2011

2011-05-10T04:53:00.000-07:00

You probably have a compost bin since you read this blog. But I’ll bet you know people who do not compost (unless you hang with a ridiculously eco-conscience crowd). Now is the time to spread the word with our unfortunate family and friends still tossing banana peels in the trash.

For one day only, Saturday, May 14th from 9-2, Hamilton County residents can purchase discount compost bins that retail for $100 for only $35. Our compost bin event will be at two locations:

Village Crossing
10400 Reading Road
Evendale, OH 45241

Green Township Administration Complex
6303 Harrison Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45247

We will also have compost turners, kitchen collection pails, and compost thermometers available to purchase. Our popular “I heart compost” magnets will also be available with purchase of compost bin or supplies (while they last).

Want to collect rain water too? Well, we will have discount rain barrels available for $50 thanks to a partnership with Metropolitan Sewer District.

So send a link to your family and friends about the sale or go a little further and share the event on your Facebook page.

We appreciate your help in spreading the compost love.

Surprising Things You Can Compost

2011-04-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world of creative composting. Chances are some of what ends up in your trash could actually be composted so here are three common items you may not know are compostable.

Dryer Lint
Not the belly button variety (he he). Dryer lint consists mainly of cotton fibers and a little pet fur, both of which compost just fine. Unless you exclusively wear polyester track suits (throat clearing sound), the small amount of synthetic fibers will not be noticeable in your finished compost.

Stale Crackers and Cookies
Cookies never make it to the “stale” stage in my house but crackers do on occasion. You can easily crumble these up and toss them in the compost bin. Your grateful bug pals will make them disappear faster than a box of girl scout cookies placed on my kitchen counter (well, almost).

Paper Plates and Napkins
Even if you try to avoid disposables, you’re bound to end up with a few paper plates leftover from parties or impromptu picnics. Unless the plates are greasy, you can just tear them up and toss them in the bin. Same goes for napkins and paper towels. They make a great source of carbon, especially in the summer when you’re running short on dried leaves.

Here are some other items you may consider adding to your composting repertoire:
• Cotton sewing threads
• Old beer
• Old soup (non-creamy varieties)
• Egg shells
• Dried herbs

Of course, there are many other unusual compostables I may not be thinking of. Do you add anything I haven’t mentioned to your compost bin?

Burn Calories Composting?

2011-04-08T10:01:00.000-07:00

Well, its quickly approaching swimsuit season and everybody I know wants to lose weight (well, except for those few annoying skinnies who “try to put on weight and just can’t.” …..boo-hoo). I’ve gained 40 pounds in the last nine months (with good reason) but now I’m ready to shed those extra pounds and composting is going to help. Really.

Turning your compost bin adds oxygen to the decomposing matter which helps the aerobic bacteria (the good guys) speed up the decomposition process. The more you turn your bin, the faster you have finished compost. It just so happens that the turning action also burns calories- at a rate of 5 to 7.5 calories per minute!

You can use a special compost turner, a pitchfork, a shovel, even a stick to work air into the pile. And you can be doubly happy that you’re composting faster while making yourself healthier. Trim your waste while trimming your waist (ha,ha…see what I did there?).

I figure if I turn my pile for 10 minutes twice per week for the next three months, I’ll burn 1,800 calories. Every little bit helps, right? Now if I can just get my stationary bike to help me recycle….

Please don’t take the advice of a silly composter as medical advice- get a doctor’s opinion.

Labels: Composting Tips

Compost Like the Zoo

2011-03-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

You probably don’t have elephants, giraffes, and rhinos creating 2,700 lbs of manure every day at your home (although it may seem like fluffy is creating that much). But you can still learn a few tips from the Cincinnati Zoo to compost successfully in your own backyard.

The Right Equipment

The Cincinnati Zoo recently started collecting manure from herbivore exhibits to ship to Marvin’s Organic Gardens to compost. The Zoo received a grant from the District to purchase equipment like a large forklift needed to collect the material separately from waste going to the landfill. Forklifts and large dumpsters are not recommended for your home, a good compost bin and a kitchen collector bucket will do just fine.

No Lions, Tigers, or Bears

Oh my! The zoo is starting with herbivore poo- so only manure from animals that eat a vegetarian diet. You should do the same. Only compost “droppings” from your rabbit, hamster, mice, etc. Composting manure from carnivores or omnivores (i.e. cats or dogs) can lead to harmful pathogens in your bin. And that’s something worthy of an “oh my.”

Go With What You Know

Focusing on the material you have the most of (like leaves) helps make composting easier. The Zoo chose herbivore manure to start because they have a lot of it and its fairly easy to keep separate. Think about what you’re throwing away and if anything could be sent to the compost pile instead.

Mix Your Green and Browns

Or in the Zoo’s case your darker browns and lighter browns (you’ll get it in a minute). Manure is high in nitrogen like other “greens” such as grass, banana peels, and plant trimmings. Luckily, the Zoo doesn’t have just animal poo to compost but lots of bedding which is high in carbon (browns). Your “browns” include leaves, shredded paper, and straw. Getting the right mix of browns and greens makes your pile break down evenly, quickly, and without any smell.

Whether you’re composting pounds of material in your backyard or tons of material at a commercial facility, the basic principals remain the same. We’ll both end up with beautiful piles of finished compost from what was originally “waste.” A virtual pat on the back to all composters both big and small!

Ashes From Your Fireplace- Compostable or Not?

2011-02-24T10:52:00.000-08:00

Who doesn’t love gathering around a nice crackling fire in the winter, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket with a mug of hot cocoa in one hand and a toasting marshmallow in the other? Heck, I don’t even like marshmallows and it sounds like fun to me. But after the fire has died and the Norman Rockwellian merriment subsided, what do you do with the pile of ashes left in the fireplace? Is it okay to toss them in the compost bin?

Maybe, But Only in Small Amounts.

Be careful, and not just because leftover embers could burn you or start a fire in your compost pile (I know, you know fire = hot, no need to roll your eyes).

Wood ash is very alkaline so adding too much can raise the pH of your compost bin, which can wreak havoc on your little microorganism buddies breaking down materials in your bin. A neutral pH is the best environment for microorganisms.

So just a sprinkle is fine, but you don't want to dump a whole bucket in there.

That said, adding a light layer of wood ash can be a good source of lime, potassium, and trace elements. And sometimes you may want to neutralize an acidic bin. For example, if you frequently make fresh squeezed lemonade or orange juice (yes, I feel your eyes rolling again) and contribute lots of acidic peels to your bin, the wood ash can help neutralize the pH of the bin.

Curious Minds Want to Know

The reason wood ash is alkaline is that when it comes in contact with water it creates caustic lye. This is how you would make soap if you lived say, in a little house on the prairie.

Another reason you should use wood ash in moderation is that Cincinnati sits on a giant bedrock of limestone (also a higher pH) and shale. So we usually do not have acidic soils that you would need to neutralize. As always, we recommend testing your soils before using too much wood ash on your garden or in your bin.

Wow, two science lessons in one post- hold onto your hats.

Did I Mention the Answer is Maybe, with Caution?

One last tip- never use ashes from a barbeque pit or charcoal grill. These ashes can contain chemicals which could be harmful to the soil.

So you can compost wood ash if you 1) wait until it’s completely cooled, 2) use in moderation, and 3) don’t use BBQ ash.

If you burn a lot of fires in the winter, you should find another method of using your wood ash. Has anyone ever found a good use for this stuff? If so, leave a comment!

Ode to My Kitchen Collector Bucket

2011-01-27T11:35:00.000-08:00

There are times of the year that I find every excuse to go outside- “Oh look, I better throw this apple core in the compost bin…” And then there is the cold, gray Cincinnati winter. When my delicate (ok, wimpish) side would rather hibernate in my warm house with a plate of cookies and fuzzy slippers. There is one glorious piece of kitchen equipment that proves my favorite this time of year (even above my cookie pan), my modest but mighty kitchen collector bucket.

It sits, seemingly innocuous, between my recycling bin and trash can waiting patiently for my scraps. While nothing fancy, just a green plastic pail, that baby really pulls its weight in the kitchen. I sometimes go a week without having to empty the bucket (more if my sweet hubby takes it out :)

A designated kitchen container for compost is a must-have for people who want to compost all winter. Especially for us unfortunates who leave for work in the dark and come home to the dark. Some containers have very fancy designs with stainless steel bodies and carbon filters in the lids. Others (like mine) are less stylish but work just as well.

The most important features to look for are: 1) a material that won’t leak or rot, 2) a large enough capacity for 3 to 4 days worth of scraps, 3) a lid if you have curious pets, and 4) a handle. Check out Park + Vine or Greener Stock to browse a few different options.

I know quite a few people who just use an old margarine tub or kitty litter bucket. This is a great eco-conscious option if it works for you. Bucket technology has not advanced too much in the last few hundred years. They all carry your stuff from point a to point b.

And while I fill my bucket to overflowing, you never want to leave compostables sitting in your kitchen too long. They will start to compost in the bucket. And it smells. And grows colorful fuzz. And is just gross. So work up your courage, put on your snow boots, and bring your scraps to the compost bin. You’ll be happy you did when spring rolls around and your compost bin is full of wonderful scraps ready to break down. For more winter composting tips, read this post.

How to Build a Layered Compost Pile

2011-01-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

To kick off the new year right, Madeline Dorger from the Civic Garden Center of Cincinnati has submitted a guest post about building a layered compost bin, compost crabs, and googly eyes (you will just have to read the post to understand). Layered compost bins are a great, low maintenance way to get the right balance of carbon and nitrogen and a good amount of circulation without turning.

Compost is possibly the most concrete life cycle example we have in the garden. We pull our frosted tomatoes, animal waste, and fallen leaves out of gardens, barns, and yards – put them in a pile – and in a couple months we have living soil full of bacteria and bugs that aerate, nourish, and sometimes even water our crops for us. The composting gardener is not a vegetable gardener but a micro-organism farmer.

Now our compost piles are frosted and snowy, but it’s never a bad time to be thinking about compost. A couple weeks ago Max and I were working in the Race Street Children’s Garden taking all the slimy frosted tomatoes and putting them into compost piles.

We loosened the soil as deep as we could go. (Ideally it should be 2 feet, but I think I only did 1 ft). We laid down sticks and old corn and sunflower stalks in a 2 ft by 2 ft square. The sticks help with aeration. Air can get underneath the pile as well as on the sides. Then we piled 2 inches of old dried out yard waste – flower stems, straw, and some bean pod shells – 2 inches of manure and green waste – those frosted tomatoes – and 2 inches of soil or finished compost. Then we layered our inches of waste until there was no more room and covered the whole pile with leaves.

When we were finished the little domes of compost had a couple stray sticks poking out of the bottoms that looked like little legs. We named our piles the compost crabs. Maybe before summer starts we’ll go back and put big googly eyes on our little compost monsters.

Layered Compost Pile

Adjectives like cute or beautiful are odd attachments to piles of poop and rotting vegetables, but decay is beautiful and alive. Perhaps the googly eyes are not the best method for teaching kids about life in a compost pile. In the early summer, we’ll peel back the leaves, scrape some compost with our trowels and watch the worms and rolly pollies scuttling and squirming. The kids will gather round and tentatively hold the crawling, inching, critters in their hands and learn about the farmers living in our soil.

More and more scientists are looking at the biodiversity of soil rather than the nutrient content. You can actually have your soil tested for beneficial bacteria and fungi. Bacteria counts can tell you how much nitrogen and phosphorus your plants are getting, how much air is getting down to the roots, and what kind of diseases live in your soil. ATTRA lists a number of places you can send soil samples for alternative soil test: (http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/soil-lab.html ).

And in the meantime, as the seed catalogs are coming in and you are getting antsy about planting your garden, plan to give a little treat back to your garden beds this spring. Toss in a little compost.

- Madeline Dorger
Youth Education Coordinator
Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati

Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District also offers soil testing for residents. Call 513-772-7645 for more information.

Check out the Civic Garden Center's blog with some great tips about gardening here: http://cincinnati.com/blogs/gardening/

Fun Winter Project: Straw Bale Composting Fort

2010-12-29T05:39:00.000-08:00

Did you ever tear up all the couch cushions, pillows, and blankets to make a living room fort as a kid? Since this was one of my favorite activities, I was especially drawn to the idea of making winter straw fort compost bins after watching a video of gardeners doing this in Brooklyn.

I mean, if they can make winter compost and grow cold frame lettuce in Brooklyn, we can do it in Cincinnati, right?

The idea is that stacked up straw bales on three sides insulates the compost from weather. On the fourth side they constructed a simple cold frame which likely draws and provides heat to the compost bin depending on the time of day. Annie Hauck-Lawson, the professor and Master Composter who put together the video, created an active compost pile in a New York January and February. And because the bin was insulated, she was free to turn and aerate the pile in the dead of winter!

Check out this two part video for a fun winter composting project.

Part One: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3WkxuFVuDo

Part Two: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAVxWTWLaao

Although, something tells me this “fort” won’t be as fun as the one made of couch cushions.

See other videos by Annie on her website: www.brooklynmompostcompost.com/.

Leaf Mold Compost- How to Turn Your Annual Nuisance into an Asset

2010-11-30T11:33:00.000-08:00

My backyard is surrounded by majestic 100+ year old Oak trees. Which is all wonderful and nice until they dump bushels of crunchy brown leaves burying my garden every fall.

But a resourceful gardener will see those leaves as dollars gently swaying onto their lawn (probably more like pennies but the analogy is not as effective). Leaves can easily be turned into beautiful dark brown leaf mold compost that improves soil structure, increases water retention, and encourages life in the soil. All you need is a little space and patience.

We call it leaf mold because the leaves are breaking down without adding food scraps and other materials like in a compost bin. Of course you can still add leaves to your regular compost bin but most of us have more leaves than would ever fit in our backyard composter.

Leaf mold is very easy to make, basically just pile the leaves and let them decompose. However, for those of us without a great abundance of space and patience here are some good tips:

1. Make a “cage” 3ft x 3ft with stakes and chicken wire (both square and round will work)

2. Shred leaves with a lawn mower or weedwacker

3. Put leaves in cage
4. Keep leaves moist

Dead leaves are almost completely carbon so it could take a while for them to decompose. Shredding the leaves and keeping them moist will speed up your waiting time from two or more years down to less than a year.

If you’re like me, you’re staring at the giant mountain of leaves in your backyard thinking that you could probably supply the entire neighborhood with leaf mold once your finished. Don’t worry, once you shred the leaves they compact significantly. But if you still have too many leaves to compost yourself, there are some communities who will collect your leaves and compost them.

Here is a list of all Hamilton County communities and their yardwaste collection policies: http://www.hamiltoncountyrecycles.org/index.php?page=curbside-collection.

Bokashi- Fermenting Your Food Waste for Composting

2010-11-18T05:19:00.000-08:00

Bokashi. A method of trimming miniature trees or a tasty Japanese dish? Neither, it's actually a form of composting using fermentation and microorganisms! Since I know next to nothing about Bokashi composting, Roy Mastromauro, a local compost enthusiast, agreed to write a guest post for the blog. So sit back, grab a pickle to snack on, and enjoy this post as we all learn together about this very unique composting method.

As a new composter, I had a few issues. First and foremost, I have a famously weak stomach, and I wasn't exactly, ehh, conscientious about my practices, and created some bad luck for myself. Second, I had a hard time remembering what things I could compost, and teaching my family and guests the same. Third, as a lazy composter, it was hard to convince myself it was worth it, in terms of time and effort, as it seemed to take forever to get the good stuff out of it.

I’m glad to say that I overcame all these trials and tribulations, and am a happy composter. I learned how to do it so it wouldn’t smell, as I gradually came to understand what was “good” to put in the pile and what wasn’t, and we (as a household) adopted a routine. It wasn’t until recently, though, that I discovered a way to improve on all these issues, dramatically.

The answer, for me, friends, was the Bokashi method of composting. Now, it takes less time, and everything can go into the pile, even the no-no's of the traditional home arrangement. Plus, it takes far less time for the material to break down when it's "ready" to compost.

The method is very simple. Everything from the kitchen is collected, and we introduce organisms, to keep the smell down and the flies out, on a daily basis. These organisms act to speed the eventual compost process, by making the material better “food” for the stuff that turns it into compost. It also means there's no daily run to the compost bin; it takes us a couple of weeks to fill the indoor bucket!

Best of all, no matter how lazy I've been, the material starts to break down immediately after coming in contact with soil. I don’t have to worry about turning or watering when it goes to the outdoor compost bin. The organisms work anaerobically, and the material doesn't need water because it hasn't dried out.

Bokashi changes the game because it introduces organisms to start materials on their way to composting before the material ever reaches the pile. Instead of running out to the bin with your daily compost, you just put it in an indoor bin and inoculate it with material to suspend decomposition. Once the Bokashi bin is full, empty it into your regular outdoor compost bin.

When you do, it’ll look pickled. It will be pickled. It will then break down faster, with fewer problems, in your bin. If you live in an apartment without a bin, you can simply top of the Bokashi-ed compost with soil and plant into it! Even if you think you have a black thumb, you could collect the material this way, for weeks, and not see a fly or smell a thing, and trade it with your local gardener for some produce.

This method works. It makes decisions easy, makes managing the stuff easy, and makes it work faster and with fewer mistakes.

There is a lot of information available about this method, including at http://bokashicomposting.com/ and http://www.wildlifegardeners.org/forum/fertilizing-soil-amendments/1292-extreme-bokashi-make-your-own-innoculant.html.

I’m more than happy to provide instruction about the process to groups or individuals, for free and with free materials to get you started. You can contact me directly at roy.mastromauro@gmail.com.

Roy is a contributor to earthineer.com and teaches residents about Bokashi composting. Please feel free to leave questions in the comments!

Fall Harvest

2010-10-28T05:05:00.000-07:00

Alas, all of my fall vegetables succumbed to the Great Drought of 2010 (except for a few pepper plants surviving on the runoff from my neighbor’s watering). But even though all my plants are crispy fried, I was still able to harvest my favorite crop of all- compost!

There are many ways you can harvest compost and you certainly do not need to harvest in the fall. In fact, spring may be ideal since you’re working the soil and planting seeds. But if you’re a single bin family like ours, harvesting in the fall clears room for the inevitable glut of leaves and the winter food scraps.

Bottoms Up
If your bin has a door in the bottom, this is a great way to harvest compost in small amounts throughout the year. Just open the door and shovel out what you need, tossing bits back in that may not be finished. Once you start hitting really unfinished material you’ve harvested all you can.

The Big Shebang
I like to harvest all of my compost at once. Besides receiving a ridiculous amount of satisfaction from shoveling it all in a wheelbarrow and standing back to admire my bounty (yes, I’m easily amused), I can also spread the beautiful compost around the garden in bulk.

If you have a single bin set up and want to harvest the compost all at once, you’re going to have to pull out the elbow grease. Either remove the bin off the compost or reach in from the top to shovel out everything that is unfinished into a pile (preferably in buckets or a wheelbarrow). Once you hit the brown, crumbly good stuff, shovel that into a new pile. After you’ve harvested everything you can, dump the unfinished material back in the bin.

Warning- Only use this method if you like (or don’t mind) seeing all the creepy crawlies working in the pile.

Two Bins are Better than One
If you have two compost bins, or one of those fancy schmancy three bin systems, you won’t need to pull off the unfinished material to get to the good stuff. With two bins just add to one while the other one “cooks” then harvest when complete and switch.

Three bin systems are a whole other ball game and you will see a separate post on them in the future.

To Screen or Not to Screen
I don’t screen. It may be that I’m just too lazy or that I don’t mind finding the occasional peach pit or pieces of egg shell in my compost. As I’m harvesting my compost, I pull off the stuff that’s too big and put it back in to the bin.

However, if you would like evenly-sized, so-scrumptious-you-could-almost-eat-it compost, you will want to use a screen. A compost screen is basically ½ inch wire mesh fastened onto a square through which you can sift the compost. Here is a article explaining how to make one: http://www.instructables.com/id/Compost-Screen/.

Look for a future post about what you can do with your beautiful finished compost.

Happy Harvesting!

Egg-cellent Compost

2010-10-12T05:09:00.000-07:00

I know I said you can’t compost meat in your backyard bin. And you still shouldn’t, so don’t. But there is one meatish item that is awesome for the compost bin and won’t end up a stinky mess. The incredible, inedible egg shell.

Egg shells are high in calcium, something plants need for cell growth. And we tend to have a lot of them (at least we do in my chocolate chip cookie loving household) so why not turn them into something useful? Egg-actly.

Egg shells will take a while to break down but you can speed up the process by crushing them before you toss them in the bin. You can even get out a nice hammer if you really want to break it up fast. Or if you just have pent up aggression and really need to smash something. I don’t think the egg shells will mind.

Some people rinse the shells or bake them to make sure they are free from salmonella. All the avid composters I know just crush them up and toss them in (of course, we may be the same carefree folks eating raw cookie dough when no one is looking). Since I doubt I’ll be licking my fingers next time I reach into my compost bin, I’m not too worried. But use your own discretion.

Another consideration: while egg shells may be great for your plants, don’t put all your eggs in one basket, so to speak. Consider testing your soil fertility to see what your soil needs. Call the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District for more information on soil testing (772-7645).

Supposedly you can compost other shells as well, but since shellfish tend to creep me out I never have. Has anyone tried composting other kinds of shells?

Become a Composting Tourist

2010-09-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

Some of us love our compost bin and would never think of straying from the well-established working relationship. But if ads for tumblers have caught your eye or if you wonder what a three bin system is all about, there is a way to “play the field” without the pressure to buy anything.

Hamilton County has several Compost Demonstration Sites around the area where you can see a variety of compost bins in action.

The Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati is open to the public for self-guided tours. This site boasts just about any bin your heart desires: plastic tumbler, wire, wooden three bin system, and even a miniature three bin system for the kids. If traditional isn’t your type, they have an orb bin you are supposed to roll around on the ground to aerate and mix. And when you’ve had your fill of compost bin excitement, you can take a stroll through the beautiful gardens to see where the compost is used.

All the sites offer unique compost bins to check out, so consider “touring” a few just for fun. Here is the list:

Civic Garden Center http://www.civicgardencenter.org/ or call 221-0981

Gardens @ Village Green http://www.northsidevillagegreen.org/ or call 541-0252

Glenwood Gardens www.hamiltoncountyparks.org/parks/glenwood.shtm or call 521-7275

Grannies Garden School http://www.grannysgardenschool.com/ or call 324-2873

Gorman Heritage Farm http://www.gormanfarm.org/ or call 563-6663

The District also offers presentations to garden clubs and other interested groups at the sites. Contact the District’s Education Specialist, Keebler Holley at 946-7736.

Photo of Gorman Heritage Farm Demonstration Site

Five Habits of a Successful Composter

2010-09-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

Here are a few tried and true habits that anyone can adopt to create beautiful compost faster.

1. Bury your food waste

Avoid creating smells which repel your friends while attracting curious 4-legged critters. Placing food waste under a layer of leaves or plant clippings will keep your pile smelling composty fresh.

2. Add carbon (brown stuff)

You may only think about composting your banana peels and apple cores, but a successful compost pile has a 3 to 1 balance of brown to green. Keep a pile of leaves next to your bin to add as needed. If you’re short on leaves consider shredded paper, sawdust, or torn up cardboard.

3. Turn frequently

If you want your compostables to decompose before the next glacier, you need to work air into the pile. Like blowing on a campfire, the air will heat up your pile and make it compost in double-time. Without turning you will have to wait at least a year for finished compost.

4. Chop it up

Don’t add anything too big to the pile. The smaller you can cut, break, clip, or tear what you add to the pile, the faster it will break down.

5. Water, when needed

Your pile should be about as damp as a wrung out sponge. Most of the year, food waste and the occasional rain will suffice. But in hot and dry weather, the pile gets too dry to maintain all the wonderful microorganisms working to break up your compost. Watering will keep your pile alive.

Unlike flossing your teeth or picking up your dirty socks, these good habits will lead to a faster, more well-balanced compost pile. Adopt them and you will be composting like a pro in no time.

But we still recommend you keep flossing.

Free Composting Class Offered in Woodlawn

2010-08-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

Back to school the way I like it: free, quick, and with complementary cookies.

If you want to learn more about composting but can’t commit to becoming a master composter, consider this opportunity.

The District is offering a Greening Your Home Speaker Series this fall. You can learn tips on saving energy and reducing your waste at home. All without lugging around a giant backpack or dodging spit balls.

The series kicks off on October 5th with a composting class lead by the very entertaining Master Composter John Duke. He’ll be covering all the basics and will be available to answer questions.

But where will this delightful and informative learning opportunity take place? The Woodlawn Community Center at 10050 Woodlawn Blvd, Woodlawn 45215. The class will begin promptly at 6:30 pm and only last an hour (that’s 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm).

Register before September 30th by calling or emailing Susan Schumacher at 946-7734 or susan.schumacher@hamilton-co.org.

For more details on the other classes in the series visit http://www.hcdoes.org/images_08/GreenSpeakerSeries.pdf.

Leading Your Dry Compost Bin to the Watering Hole

2010-08-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

What in tarnation is going on out there? Tumble weeds are blowing by and your compost bin feels drier and dustier than a John Wayne movie. You probably need to wet your compost’s whistle (i.e. add some water).

Water is an essential ingredient to keeping your compost pile healthy. The compost bin is the one place you’re actually trying to support bacterial life and those helpful composters are most happy when your pile is about as wet as a wrung out sponge.

But hold your horses, compost cowboy!

Don’t pull out the hose just yet. Water straight from the tap is full of chlorine. Chlorine added to kill bacteria in order to make the water safe to drink. So what do you think will happen when you spray chlorinated water right on your pile? Yup. You ain’t plumb weak north of the ears. Chlorine = dead bacteria.

Well, dang, what are us city slickers supposed to do?

John Duke, Master Composter extraordinaire, gave me some advice better than “don’t squat with your spurs on” (well, at least more applicable). John recommends pouring the water first in a bucket to let the chlorine evaporate. Luckily chlorine evaporates fairly quickly.

Here’s what I do when my pile gets thirsty. After emptying my kitchen collector into the bin, I fill it up with water and let it rest. After about 20 minutes or a few hours depending on how long my garden distracts me, most of the chlorine has evaporated and I can pour it on my pile. An added bonus: my kitchen collector gets a little cleaner too!

You could also use water from a rain barrel since it has not been chlorinated. Or when you see the clouds rolling in just remove the lid from the bin to collect some rain. But don’t let the pile get too soggy, a wrung out sponge is the best level of moisture.

Happy trails, ya’ll.

Zen and the Art of Balancing Compost

2010-07-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

There is a skill in adding the right mix of “brown stuff” and “green stuff” to your compost. Too much green and your pile will start to smell. Too much brown and your compost will move slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter.

Green or Brown?
So, how do you know whether something is “green” or “brown”? Brown ingredients are high in carbon and include materials like leaves, straw, and sawdust. For a harmoniously balanced pile, brown should make up about 2/3 of what you compost.

I’ve listed brown stuff starting with the highest carbon content materials. The number afterward is the approximate carbon to nitrogen ratio, which you can ignore unless you are a numbers geek like me. Just know, bigger numbers = more carbon.

“Brown” or Carbon-Rich Materials (C:N Ratio)
Sawdust (400:1)
Paper (200:1)
Pine Needles (100:1)
Straw (80:1)
Cornstalks (60:1)
Leaves (60:1)

Green, or nitrogen-rich materials, speed up the composting process and add important nutrients. Greens are an important addition to your browns, like the yin to your yang, the cream to your coffee, the Simon to your Garfunkel…you get the idea.

Anything you add to your pile will technically have more carbon than nitrogen (carbon is the basis of all life on Earth in case you missed that day in science class). However, some items, like grass and manure, have relatively high nitrogen content. I’ve listed these nitrogen-rich items starting with those highest in nitrogen content.

“Green” or Nitrogen-Rich Materials (C:N Ratio)
Fruit and Veggie Scraps (15:1)
Grass (20:1)
Coffee Grounds (20:1)
Manure (20:1)
Garden Waste (30:1)
Urea (45:1)

Achieving Balance
At the most basic level, you want 2/3 stuff from the brown list and 1/3 stuff from the green list. If your pile starts to smell, you probably need to pull from the brown list. If you’ve got the “stampeding turtles” pile, grab more from the green list.

If the ratio numbers above made your heart start pounding with excitement, you can learn to use those numbers here. A world of ratios, sums, and other math geeky fun await.

It doesn’t have to be that complicated, though. Everything will break down eventually, you'll just speed up the process and avoid a smelly pile if you pay attention to your browns and greens.

After a while you gain an intuitive “feel” for the right balance. Don’t worry, I’m not going to suggest you “become one” with your compost bin. Just use common sense and eventually you’ll find a Zen-like balance. At least for your compost bin.

Peace out.

How to Stop Critters from Raiding Your Compost Bin

2010-07-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

City raccoons are huge. I mean body-builders on steroids, freaky radiation experiment, are-you-sure-that’s-not-a-bear huge. My friends learned this is especially true in Westwood where even a locking lid and 7-inch anchoring screws could not deter these crafty buggers from messing with their compost bin.

Bill and Andrea recently braved the unseasonably cold weather and long lines to buy their first compost bin at our May Sale. Shortly after setting it up in their backyard, they woke to discover the bin on its side with the best-tasting additions to the pile missing.

“Surely this is a fluke. Michelle assured us she never had any problems with animals. Why would our bin be the one to attract local wildlife?”

Bill righted the bin, secured the screws again, and continued composting. A few days later they awoke to again find the bin toppled over. Evidence of muddy paw prints spotted the side of the bin. Compost was strewn about the yard like the raccoons had danced around mocking the failed attempt to protect the compost. No doubt giving each other “high-fives” as they feasted on leftover broccoli and old apple cores.

Rather than placing the bin in the trash and calling me a liar (which I’m sure my less level-headed friends would have done), Andrea came up with an ingeniously simple solution. They placed a few large rocks around the bin. Rocks too heavy for even the most brawny raccoon to move.

Usually burying your food waste and having a locking lid is enough to deter nosey critters. However, if you find yourself in a similar situation to Bill and Andrea, there are a few things you can do to outsmart would be compost criminals.

1. Place chicken wire underneath to prevent burrowing animals from tunneling into the bin.
2. Add coffee grounds to the top of the pile- critters don’t like the smell.
3. Locate your bin away from garbage cans, bird feeders, and fruit trees which attract animals.
4. Turn your pile regularly to compost food waste faster and make a less attractive nesting area.
5. Secure your bin with rocks or place near a wire fence to make pushing it over more difficult.

This story does have a happy ending. Andrea and Bill no longer have problems with raccoons partying around their bin and they are now avid composters. In fact, judging by his enthusiasm, Bill may be on his way to a full out composting obsession.

Welcome to the club, Bill. Welcome to the club.

Photo from Flickr.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Composting Pet Poo

2010-06-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

“Dogs have owners; cats have staff.” – unknown

As I kneel down before my smelly cat box, I believe no truer words were spoken. Oh, the joys of rooming with feline companions. Of course, whether you’re scooping through cat litter or following your dog around with a baggy, you know you would do just about anything for the unconditional love of a pet.

Even clean up their poo. In a seemingly never-ending supply.

So first the bad news: you cannot and should not compost pet waste in your backyard compost bin from your cat, dog, or any other carnivorous or omnivorous animal. Besides being stinky it can also contain harmful pathogens. Yuck and double-yuck, don’t do it.

Now the good news: if you have an herbivorous pet, like a gerbil or rabbit, compost away. Chillman, my resident rodent, regularly contributes to the compost bin. My pint-sized, hopping, squeaking, housemate prefers shredded pine bedding to “do his business,” so to speak. And since he’s an herbivore, I can safely mix his used litter (which smells pine fresh unlike the cat box) into my compost.

Pet waste from our lovable herbivores is high in nitrogen and aerobic bacteria. In fact, urine contains urea which is one of the best and most plentiful sources of nitrogen around. It breaks down fast in the compost bin and really helps the pile heat up. Plus, the high carbon bedding that most of these pets use balances out the nitrogen perfectly.

Yes
Hamster Poo
Gerbil Poo
Rabbit Poo
Guinea Pig Poo
Chinchilla Poo
Mouse Poo
Horse Poo
Alpaca Poo

No
Cat Poo
Dog Poo
Ferret Poo
Snake Poo
Lizard Poo
Bird Poo
Kinkajou Poo

As far as I can tell, bird droppings are fairly dicey and contain many seeds so it’s best to avoid those in your bin. Although, I hear quite a few people compost their chicken poo.

Next time you’re cleaning up after your herbivorous pet, think of them as little compost additive makers, just doing their part to help with your compost bin. Yet another reason to love our furry friends.

And yes, I did win the bet of how many times I could say “poo” in a post.

Composting Coffee to Make Your Garden Grow

2010-06-10T05:02:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I’m not a regular coffee drinker. It’s tea for me, but I love, love, love the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Every once in a while, I’ll cheat on my tea habit and splurge on some frou, frou chocolaty mocha deliciousness with lots of whipped cream. Of course, my coworkers then make fun of me as I uncontrollably bounce around the office and speak in caffeinated double time.

But there is another reason to love coffee besides its delightful aroma and jolting caffeine high. Spent grounds from your cup of joe make a fantastic addition to your compost bin and provide plants with important nutrients. The used-up grounds contain loads of nitrogen which speeds up the composting process, giving you finished compost sooner (cup of steaming hot nitrogen booster, anyone?). And, while we may love the smell of coffee, many animals do not, so mixing the grounds with food waste will actually deter raccoons and other nosey critters from messing with your compost bin.

Compost Buzz
Gardeners in the know covet finished compost for its ability to improve soil structure, retain moisture, and create healthy productive gardens. Spent coffee grounds “sweeten the pot” even more by adding phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and copper, all minerals your plants need. And, after the grounds decompose, they release oodles of the nitrogen your plants love.

If you’re a regular java drinker, you probably have enough spent grounds to satisfy a backyard compost pile. Simply throw the grounds, filter and all, into the bin. Us non-coffee drinkers have to go about getting our coffee ground fix creatively. You can pilfer the coffee maker at work, sweet talk your neighbor, or even ask a local coffee shop. Most cafes will gladly set aside some spent grounds for you, and some even package the used-up grounds for people to take for free.

House Blend
Of course, don’t get in over your head. If you add enough grounds to keep your compost bin awake for a week, make sure to add plenty of carbon based material, like dead leaves, to balance out the nitrogen. Otherwise, you risk the pleasant coffee aroma being replaced by a far less pleasant rotting odor. Not the sort of smell you want to wake up to, trust me.

Other than remembering to add leaves, the process of composting coffee grounds is super simple with definite rewards for your garden. Now, if you’ll excuse me, a tall iced mocha is calling my name.

Learn to Compost Like a Master

2010-06-04T06:21:00.000-07:00

Wax on. Wax off.

Do you want to earn a black belt in composting? Then reserve your space now in the Master Composter Training happening this fall. The District and the Civic Garden Center join forces twice a year to put on this intensive “action-packed” training.

You probably won’t learn to karate chop boards or high kick on command, but you will learn almost everything you need to know about composting. Topics include: which type of compost bin is best for you and how to build it, how and when to turn your compost, how to incorporate compost into your existing garden, and the fascinating biology of a compost pile.

Students will each build and take home a wire compost bin (perfect for combating all those extra fall leaves), and have the option to make a vermi-composting system for a nominal fee. This three-week course, offered each spring and fall, is completely FREE! All we ask, young grasshopper, is that you take what you learn and pass it on. You’ll need to complete fifteen hours of volunteer service to be considered a true Master Composter. Hii-Yah!

Fall, 2010 Class Dates
September 13th, September 27th, and October 11th
Monday's from 6 pm - 8:30 pm.
Attendance at all three sessions is mandatory.

Classes held at the Civic Garden Center, 2715 Reading Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45206. Class size is limited so reserve your space now by calling 221-0981, ext. 18.

For more information, check out: www.hcdoes.org/SWMD/Residents/Yardwaste/ywcompostclass.html.

How to Start the Perfect Compost Bin

2010-05-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

“Nature does nothing uselessly” -Aristotle

Composting is a lot like gardening in that we are taming a natural process (decomposition) to use to our advantage. If you take the time to set up a proper bin from the beginning, you’ll make “the taming” easy as pie. A dark crumbly mud pie, of course.

First, find a perfect spot in your yard for the bin. This should be a somewhat shady corner of your yard (and I’m talking less-sunlight shady, not lawless- black market shady, because that is not a good place to compost). Set an open-bottom bin on the bare ground to welcome in all the good bugs, fungus, and bacteria.

Next, add one to two feet of leaves. If you’d like to speed up the decomposition you can shred the leaves into smaller pieces, a task I usually give to my husband because the man loves his weed eater almost as much as he loves me. The shredded leaves are a good base to the pile.

If you are one of those impeccable-backyard people without a single leaf remaining (la-tee-dah), consider using shredded paper or dead plant material broken into small pieces. Or you could offer to rake your neighbor’s yard in exchange for some leaves.

On top of the leaves add a shovel of good garden soil. Not the bagged, sanitized stuff but the right-from-the-ground, full-of-life soil. This will add micro and macro organisms to help kick start your pile.

Now you have a basic compost bin. You can start adding any plant based material including vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, and weeds without seeds. To have an odor-free pile bury food waste each and every time it’s added.

Repeat after me: always bury food waste, always bury food waste…

Think about what you want out of your bin. If you need compost in three months, turn your pile once a week. Turning adds air which heats up your pile and speeds up decomposition. If you have patience and don’t mind waiting longer for finished compost, just turn the pile a few times a year.

Once you start the bin, nature will take over for the hard part. Just keep adding material and you will soon be harvesting a “delicious” soil amendment any garden will appreciate.

For more composting info peruse the blog or visit our website.

Compost Bin Sale is a Sensation!

2010-05-11T07:43:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable! Hamilton County residents rock!

We sold a record-breaking 1,862 compost bins on Saturday, May 8th. All those households composting means a potential 559 tons of food and yard waste will be composted right in people’s backyards every year!

A special thanks to Cincinnati State and Princeton High School for allowing us to use your parking lots. Also to the wonderful volunteers who carried hundreds of bins and spoke to thousands of residents, we could not have done it without you.

Our grassroots/ guerilla marketing worked! I would also like to thank the organizations who helped us promote the sale by hosting our displays, distributing our flyers, or spreading the word.

Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
Renck’s Landscape and Garden Center
Whole Foods
The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
Building Value
WCPO, Channel 9
WVXU, 91.7
The Enquirer
The Community Press

And dozens more who passed out flyers. I’m amazed how the response keeps growing year after year. Yay for composting!

Don’t Miss this Fantastic, Bombastic, Once-in-a-Lifetime-Year Opportunity

2010-04-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Do you enjoy saving money and love composting? Then holy moly have I got a deal for you!

Next Saturday, May 8th we are hosting our annual Compost Bin Sale at Cincinnati State and Princeton High School from 9-2. I’m especially excited because if we’re successful, hundreds of residents will purchase a bin and become brand new composters! Each compost bin leaving the event means a potential 600 pounds of food and yard waste diverted from the landfill every year! I get all warm and fuzzy inside just thinking of all the environmental benefits.

Super Duper Discounted Deal
We’ll be selling the Earth Machine Compost Bin for not $100, not even $50, but an unbelievable $35! We’ll also have nifty accessories like compost turners and kitchen collection pails. The bins are available on a first come, first served basis so ACT NOW! (well not really "now" more like the morning of Saturday, May 8th).

And We’ll Throw in Expert Advice for Free!
This year we are not only selling deeply discounted compost bins and cool accessories. We will have a special compost demonstration area with Master Composters answering questions, several types of bins on display, and regular presentations. Wow, what a deal!

But Wait, There’s More!
We will also be giving away free “I heart compost” car bumper magnets to the first 500 people who stop by! No purchase necessary! You just have to be crazy enough about composting to show us some love and stop by the event.

Before I come down from my iced caffeinated beverage high (which apparently makes me think I'm writing an infomercial), I want to encourage you to share your love for composting by spreading the word about the sale. Tell your mother, brother, second cousin, and best friends from grade school. You can invite people through Facebook or just send them the link below. This deal only comes once a year, so don’t miss out!

www.hcdoes.org/swmd/Residents/Yardwaste/compostbinsale.html

Composting Benefits Everyone Ought to Know

2010-04-22T06:09:00.000-07:00

In honor of Earth Day, I’ve decided to give all you lovely composters a pat on the back and explain how backyard composting benefits our planet. So here are the top three environmental reasons to compost (a.k.a. how to green-guilt your friends and family into starting a compost bin of their own).

1. DIY Soil Enhancer
Finished compost adds important nutrients to your soil and since it’s homemade, you’re not driving to the store to purchase a prepackaged bag of fertilizer that was shipped from who knows where. Compost additionally improves our heavy clay soils by adding a much sought after humus layer in which plants thrive.

But get this- compost also binds heavy metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and other nasties to prevent them from migrating into the water or being absorbed by plants (www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/rrr/composting/benefits.htm).

I definitely prefer my broccoli without a side of PAH.

2. Saving the Climate Naturally
Bear with me, I’m about to get all sciency. When plants decompose, they naturally release the carbon dioxide (CO2) absorbed during their life. Plants - and their food counterparts - also do this in your compost bin. It’s okay, that’s what they’re supposed to do.

But when buried in the landfill with no air, food and yard waste decompose anaerobically and release… (scary organ music: da...da...daaa) …methane instead. The problem is that methane traps heat almost 21 times more effectively than CO2.

In other words, composting in your backyard reduces greenhouse gas impact and global climate change. Yay for you!

3. Reduce Waste
Food and yard waste make up almost half of what residents send to the landfill. Composting means you put less waste at the curb leading to lighter garbage and yard waste trucks, longer life at the landfill, and smiles all around.

Composting has quite a few other benefits I have not mentioned, such as reducing water usage, preventing erosion, and decreasing fertilizers in storm water. If you can think of any others, please post a comment.

Backyard composting is not just fun (hey, I’m easily amused), it kicks some serious patooty in the environmental benefit arena. We composters really celebrate earth day, every day.

Happy Earth Day!!!!

Three Foods Forbidden in Backyard Composting

2010-04-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it’s fun to break the rules, live on the edge, go against the grain. Some rules were meant to be broken, but not these. So hang up your leather jacket and pack away the electric guitar at least long enough to read this post. I am telling you in my best patronizing tone (with my finger wagging) “Kids, you need to keep these foods out of your bin. It’s for your own good.”

Don’t Say Cheese
We have very little meat in my house but we make up for it in cheese. Swiss, muenster, cheddar, goat (mmmm…goat cheese), at any given time my fridge holds at least 6 or 7 varieties. But I will not compost them and not just because I could not bear my precious cheeses falling to such a fate.

Composting cheese will make your pile smelly and attract raccoons, rats, and other hungry critters to your bin. This goes for milk, butter, and any other dairy items as well. Dairy + Compost = Gross.

Your Compost Pile is Vegetarian
And you never want to force meat on a vegetarian. It isn’t pretty. Take it from my mom who had to deal with one annoying, teenage, budding-vegetarian daughter (who shall remain anonymous) in a family of carnivores.

Meat does eventually compost but your backyard pile is not hot enough to safely decompose the meat fast enough. Flies (and their resulting maggoty offspring) will set up camp in your bin if you try to compost meat. Consider yourself warned.

Oil will Spoil
Oil will coat anything it touches in your pile, smothering the microbes and slowing down decomposition. Oil also fills up pore spaces in the compost, squeezing out air and water which could cause the pile to stink.

So if you have any leftover oil-laden foods like french fries (yeah, right) or dressing coated salad, it’s better to just throw them in the trash.

I know it’s hard to fight the urge to throw every bit of leftover food in the bin. But keeping these forbidden foods out of your compost bin will result in a much better smelling, healthier compost. Resist the rebellious streak and follow this rule. Your compost bin will thank you.

Creating a Stink

2010-03-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

“No! No! No!” I screamed silently in my head, scrunching my nose and staring down in disbelief at my compost bin…

Let me back up to the beginning. A few Fridays ago I had the afternoon off and took the opportunity to enjoy the weather and wander around my garden as it yawned out of hibernation. After making a few rounds gathering bundles of dead plants and old potting soil, I brought the offerings to my compost bin.

All winter I’ve been adding food waste to the bin, almost to the point where I didn’t know how much more he could take before spring (yes, my compost bin is male, don’t ask). I decided the weather was warm enough for the inaugural 2010 compost bin turning. A sort of opening day in my strange, little composting world.

I fetched my wingdigger compost turner out of the storage area and after shaking off the winter dust and cobwebs, I stabbed it unceremoniously into the middle of the pile. That’s when I felt it. The rather unpleasant wet squish warning me of what to expect next.

Screaming in my head and anticipating the worst, I slowly pulled the turner out of the pile and as I did a slight ammonia smell wafted in the air. I let out a sigh. Crisis averted. My pile was too wet but only starting to go anaerobic- you know, hospitable to the bad smelling, oxygen-hating, slow-composting cousins of the aerobic bacteria we want to encourage. A healthy compost bin has a sweet earthy smell.

In my determination to fit all my winter food scraps into my bin, I didn’t add enough brown ingredients like leaves. So as soon as the pile thawed, all the water from the food scraps and the overfilled bin with few airspaces meant the bad bacteria started to take over. I say “started” because if they had really taken over I would have smelled a sharp, nose-hair-curling, rotten egg stench.

So I saved the bin just in time (is there such a thing as a composting super hero?) and made sure to prod everywhere to really get the air into the pile. I also shredded up leaves and pushed those into the pile to fluff up the dense food waste. But don’t feel like you need some fancy dancy official tool to turn your compost. Prodding the bin with a pitchfork or shovel works or even just using a big stick to poke holes if nothing else. You can also slide your bin up off your pile, set it in a new spot, and shovel the compost back in to introduce air.

A week and a half after turning my pile, it already fell 4-6 inches which tells me it's rockin’ and rollin’. I plan to turn it again this Friday just because I derive a ridiculous amount of pleasure in seeing my bin heat up and start really working. You can turn your bin once a week or once a year, it’s really up to you, but the more you turn, the faster you will have finished compost. But beware. If you’re not a frequent turner and you add food scraps to the pile, keep one eye opened (or one nostril opened?) for an ammonia or rotten egg smell meaning your pile needs a little TLC.

Composting Tips for Frat Boys

2010-03-17T11:50:00.000-07:00

It seems every time I host a party at my house, I wake up the next morning to a dozen half-finished beer bottles sprawled on coffee or end tables, tucked next to my couch, or dotting my backyard. Mostly just forgotten drinks or gross fruity beer castoffs that some adventurous soul paid too much for before realizing raspberries and beer don’t mix.

But I digress. This post isn’t about the slovenly housekeeping habits of my friends or misadventures in experimental beer tasting. It is, of course, about composting.

After I sigh and think what a waste it all is and how I am ever grateful for the BYOB policy, I am actually excited about the stale beer.

Yes, I am excited about the stale beer.

That’s because I will dump those half-drank ales and lagers right onto my compost pile. Beer not only composts but actually is a composting accelerator. Beer is a good source of nitrogen for your compost pile and the yeast in the beer feeds the beneficial bacteria in the pile. So stale brewskies are a great way to kick start your pile into action. Now you see why I get excited.

If you happen to be an amateur home-brewer, the spent grains from the home brewing process also compost well. Both the grains and the beer will add moisture to your bin just like adding water, so be sure to balance them with dry material like leaves, shredded paper, or those pizza boxes from the party torn into small pieces (sans pizza, of course). Oh, and I’ve learned from experience that you don’t want to add so much beer that your compost bin smells like a drunken pirate. Unless, obviously you like drunken pirates…and honestly, who doesn’t?

So I’ve found a great way to make use of the stale leftover beer (and that gross light beer someone left in my fridge- because I surely won’t be drinking it). Now if only the rest of the cleanup was this much fun.

You Keep Worms Where?

2010-03-02T10:57:00.000-08:00

Worm bin composting, or vermicomposting for us who like to feel smart using big words, is a compact alternative to backyard composting. Worm bins are small enough to fit under your sink, the bins don’t smell, and the worms will not escape. People pay big bucks for vermicompost (aka, worm poop) to use as a natural fertilizer but your worm bin will supply you with vermicompost for free in exchange for vegetable and fruit scraps. Worm bin composting is great for:
• Apartment or Condo Dwellers
• Offices
• People who prefer not to step outside in the winter
• People fond of exotic pets

Setting up a worm bin is easy. For a household of four to six people you need a bin about 1 ft x 2ft x 2ft. Plastic bins used for storage work great. Drill holes in the bottom and sides for ventilation and place a tray under the bin to catch any water that seeps through.

Next, gather four to six pounds of shredded paper and dead leaves to use as bedding. Soak the bedding in water to the consistency of a wrung out sponge. Remember a worm’s body is 75% water and they need a moist environment to survive (but they’re not big swimmers so don’t try to make an aquarium). Mix one cup of soil from outside with the bedding.

Finally, add the worms to their new home. You will only need a half pound of red worms to start. They multiply faster than rascally rabbits and soon you will have a pound of worms for every square foot. You can purchase locally produced red worms for $20 per pound through Alex McDuffie (mcduffie.alex@gmail.com).

Red worms used in vermicomposting have a voracious appetite and will eat half their weight in food scraps a day. When adding scraps start slow and increase as your worms multiply. Bury the food in the bedding to avoid gnats and fruit flies and place a cover on the bin to hold in moisture and block out light.

You can keep your bin any place that is convenient to add scraps- a closet, under the sink, in the garage, just don’t let them freeze or get above 90 degrees. We keep several vermicomposting bins in the backroom of our office and have received very few complaints (with the exception of our coworker Susan who just pretends the worms aren’t there).

In three to four months, your vermicompost will be ready to use. If you don’t want to pour out the compost and pick out the worms (oh kids, I have a new game to play…) consider adding fresh bedding and food to one side of the bin and waiting for all the worms to move over to their new digs. Then scoop out all the vermicompost and make sure you don’t pull out any stragglers (try not to release any of the red worms into the wild since they are not native). Vermicompost can be used as a soil amendment for houseplants or a top dressing on outdoor flower and vegetable beds.

For more tips on building a worm bin read the vermicomposting sections of our yardwaste at home handbook: http://www.hcdoes.org/SWMD/Residents/Yardwaste/YWatHome_08.pdf.

Winter Composting Tips

2010-02-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, Winter, thanks for the visit, it’s been great catching up and I enjoyed the sled ridding and snowball fights but, um, don’t you think it’s time to move on and make space for spring? Please. Pretty, pretty, please.

If only it were that easy. Unfortunately, winter is not over yet (at least according to that annoying little groundhog) but the good news is that your compost bin need not be abandoned just because it is below freezing. Most decomposing action in your bin will slow down or stop but you can continue to build your pile with food waste throughout the winter. Following a few simple tips will make your bin ready to jump into the action at the first sign of spring.

BE PREPARED
First and foremost, prepare your bin in the fall for the impending months of cold. Harvest your compost to make space in the bin for the winter pile up. After you have removed all that wonderful compost, insulate the bin with a good layer of shredded leaves, dead plants, or straw. (But if you can’t find leaves in the fall I’m pretty sure you don’t live in Cincinnati).

Next, put anything not quite finished composting in the middle of the pile and add another layer of insulating leaves. This will keep the center active longer. Keep adding food waste over the winter, layering with leaves or other browns so when the weather does heat up, the pile is ready to go.

BE LAZY
My second winter composting tip-be lazy. Don’t turn the pile when it’s really cold outside. Turning lets all that valuable heat out that the fungus and bacteria need to survive. Also, watering your pile in the winter is unnecessary since it is mostly inactive. Finally, make sure your pile is close to the house because, let’s face it, you will only walk so far in the gray nasty weather (unless you are one of those wild people jogging outside in February, and in that case you have my upmost wonderment and respect).

BE DILIGENT
I know, how can I follow lazy with diligent, but just be glad I included lazy at all. Consider cutting up materials more in the winter so they break down faster and take up less space in the bin. The natural freeze and thaw action will break the materials up somewhat but the smaller pieces you add, the better. And unless you want to feed the neighborhood critters, keep the lid locked and make sure to cover your food waste with leaves, shredded paper, or even a layer of old cardboard. If you’re really enthusiastic about winter composting, you can also insulate the outside of the bin with straw bales to keep it warmer longer.

Composting in the winter really is easy and rewarding. At a time when pouring over seed catalogues is the closest I get to gardening, winter composting keeps me connected and reminds me about what’s around the corner. I know it may seem like we’re in the never-ending grip of Old Man Winter but before you know it tulips will be popping up, birds will be singing, and- if you keep adding to your pile- your compost bin will be roaring into action.

We’re not in Kansas Clermont anymore…

2010-02-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

My husband Adam is a dutiful environmentalist. He turns down our thermostat, rides his bike, avidly recycles (of course), and even collects lunch scraps from coworkers to bring home for composting. Despite the fact that we have lived in the city for more than a decade, he is a farm boy at heart and no matter how often I remind/nag him, he always commits one major composting faux pas: he never buries the food waste in the bin.

Growing up with horses, Adam’s family always had a hefty compost pile. The daily chore of bringing kitchen scraps to the pile involved a quarter mile hike behind the horse barn and tossing the scraps on a heap taller than him. There was no point to burying the food waste, I mean who’s going to notice a few rotting vegetables amongst several tons of horse manure, especially when the closest neighbor lives miles down the road?

But when your grill and patio table are only feet away, you want the best smelling compost bin possible. Several times I have noticed flies congregating around the bin or a “garbagy” smell coming from the compost. When I open the lid to investigate, sure enough old broccoli and black banana peels will be staring back at me. But almost as soon as I cover the pile with leaves or shredded paper, the problem goes away.

Taking the time to bury food waste will go a long way in preventing odors, unwanted flying insects, and the occasional curious 4-legged bandit tempted by the smell of an easy meal. Burying food waste can be quite easy. Next to our bin is a three-pronged garden fork (properly called a hand cultivator) which I use to lift up the layer of leaves on top while I tuck the food waste underneath. I also keep a pile of leaves next to the bin and occasionally throw those on top if the layer is thin.

Of course, you won’t hear this girl complaining about a little spousal composting imperfection, I wouldn’t trade him for anyone (not even Brad Pitt- who probably composts perfectly). I’m counting my blessings that he’s willing to take out the kitchen scraps at all.

Now about washing the dishes…

Why You Don’t Want “Froggy” Compost

2010-01-29T06:53:00.000-08:00

Wet, cold, and slimy.

Great adjectives for our ribbiting amphibian friends but if they also describe your compost pile, you’ve got a problem.

Your pile is likely compacted from too much fresh grass or other matting material. This means it has too much water and not enough air. When your pile doesn’t get enough air the aerobic bacteria (air-loving, good bacteria) cannot survive and that makes way for anaerobic bacteria (the bad smelling, slow composting arch nemesis of aerobic).

While you do want some water in your pile (think wrung out sponge), too much can create oxygen starved pockets of slimy anaerobic compost. Yuck.

The fix is easy. Get in there and fluff up your pile by turning it with a shovel, pitchfork, or compost turner. Add some shredded leaves, shredded paper, sawdust or other fibrous material to reduce the matting effect. With the added air, your friendly aerobic bacteria should start heating your compost and we can happily leave wet and slimy where they belong, with the frogs.

What You Can Learn About Composting from the 3 Little Pigs...

2010-01-14T14:05:00.000-08:00

Talking animals and hungry wolves aside, the story of the 3 Little Pigs proves there are many materials with which to build a compost bin, some better than others. If you combine these supplies with the basic skills of swinging a hammer or bending some wire, you could be the proud owner of your very own DIY compost bin.

Woven Wire Bins are Better than Straw
A bin made from galvanized wire can easily be moved around the garden as needed and will leave your wallet fat (um, if it was fat in the first place). Simple decide how large of a bin you want (the ideal diameter is 3-5 feet) and multiply that by 3.2. That is the length of galvanized 14-gauge wire to buy. Form the wire into a circle and fasten the ends with 4 small chain snaps or plastic zip ties. This type of bin is perfect for extra leaves.

Wooden Bins are Great, Just Don't Use Sticks
If you're concerned that a little huffing and puffing (or freak hurricane) will blow your bin down, consider building a wooden bin. The easiest of wooden bins reuses 4 old pallets. Simply screw or nail 3 wood pallets together to form 3 sides of a square. On the remaining side attach 4 bolt latches to the front edge of the bin and the last pallet. This way you can remove one side to easily turn the compost.

Brick Bins: Your Strongest Defense against Long-Winded Wolves
If you want a bin that really says "not by the hair on my chinny, chin, chin" a block or brick bin is for you. Sturdy, durable, and easily accessible, all you need is the ability to stack blocks which most of us acquired before preschool. Just lay the blocks or bricks without mortar leaving spaces between each block to permit the air to flow through. Stack to form three sides of a square. Leave one side open so you can easily access the compost for turning.

Just as our favorite precarious home-builders have demonstrated, some materials should not be used when constructing a bin. Straw, sticks, and other easily decomposing materials will quickly become more like your compost and less like your bin. When possible, use non-arsenic treated lumber or cedar wood for construction since other wood will rot with the compost. Visit this website to find detailed plans for building other types of compost bins: http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6957.

Disclaimer: Should you happen to encounter a big bad wolf in Cincinnati I do not recommend seeking protection in your compost bin even if it is constructed from bricks. Good luck and happy building!

The Grass is Always Greener..and Now I Know Why!

2010-01-07T12:41:00.000-08:00

Three years ago when I bought my first house I knew I wanted to backyard compost. But living in the city with a backyard the size of a postage stamp (seriously, we mow our grass with a weed-eater) I was a little nervous that my neighbors would complain. I know- who cares what they think, its my yard. But I really didn't want to be "that" neighbor with the backyard everyone resents.

My anxiety increased when I moved in and saw the yard next door. My neighbors have a fantastic garden. We're talking highly-manicured-English-knot-garden-cascading-fountain-right-out-of-a-magazine yard. I didn't know how they would respond to, "Excuse me, would you mind if I placed my rotting vegetables next to your rose garden?"

While I was sure to be pegged as the nutty environmentalist sooner or later, I rather preferred later, so I looked for an unassuming spot. Easily 90% of my yard can be seen from my neighbor's yard, limiting my options considerably. I also wanted a place that didn't get too much sunlight or wind that would dry out the pile. And it had to be close enough to the house for easy access (especially in the winter when I run outside in my slippers).

Just as I resigned myself to the fact that no perfect place existed and that my neighbors would just have to deal, a miracle happened. In the corner of my neighbor's perfect back yard, up against our shared fence, they placed a homemade (although perfectly crafted) wooden compost bin. That is when I realized any serious gardener worth his or her weight knows the value of backyard compost.

So I promptly put my less fashionable but still respectable bin in the perfect spot. Not only was I reducing my waste and shrinking my carbon footprint as every good little environmentalist should, but I was one step closer to becoming a more serious, albeit not quite English-knot-garden-cascading-waterfall serious, but still serious gardener.

Compost Soup for the Soul

2009-12-21T13:43:00.000-08:00

Making compost is a lot like making soup, throw in the right mix of ingredients, add water, stir, and let it cook (luckily compost "cooks" itself). The key to perfect compost soup is balancing the brown or high-carbon ingredients (dead leaves, straw, paper) with the green or high-nitrogen ingredients (grass clippings, veggie scraps, coffee grounds).

I go for about a 2/3 brown and 1/3 green mix, but a compost snob (throat-clearing sound) will tell you to achieve a much more specific mix. Just eyeball it, no need to get out the measuring cup, people, we're talking about dirt!

Some composters prefer to make more of a compost lasagna with carefully constructed layers of brown and green and if you have this type of patience more power to you. My bin is definitely a soup- I throw stuff into the pot and just like when I cook my favorite potato leek or lentil soup, I test it occasionally for consistency. If the pile is dry, I add water or leave off the lid before rain. If it's too wet, I'll hunt down some leaves or shredded paper.

Of course just like with soup, sometimes the pile needs a stir. This is where you need what my mom would call "elbow grease." Get that pitchfork or compost turner in there and mix it around. Mixing adds air heating up the pile and speeding up the composting. And you know what they say- if you can't stand the heat, get out of the compost bin.

Bon appetit.

In Search of a Compost Bin

2009-12-11T07:18:00.000-08:00

Seeking: Single, down-to-earth composter, who enjoys contributing to the garden and spending time lounging in the sun. Looking for an outdoorsman who doesn't mind eating leftovers and is not afraid to get dirty. Only those willing to take my trash need respond.

We all want the perfect compost bin in our lives but your search need not involve a personal ad. When looking for a composter, you want to think about what features you'll need in a bin. This post focuses on run-of-the mill, humble composters. If you are looking to spend more than $100 on a bin, I'll have a post for you later on tumblers and other fancy composters. For your basic bin, add these to your checklist:

Durability: Will it stand up to the elements? Does it have a warranty?

Size: Is it small enough to fit in your yard but big enough to hold all your compostables? Think about leaves too!

Lid: Does it lock to keep out curious critters? Are there holes to allow rainwater in?

Recycled Content: Does the bin contain recycled plastic? Close the Loop!

Open Bottom: You gotta invite all the great creepy crawlies living in the soil.

After making a checklist of features, you can proceed in the quest for the perfect bin. Hamilton County has a composting event once a year to sell discount compost bins with experts on hand offering demonstrations and answering questions.

Of course, not everyone is lucky enough to catch the sale, but fortunately we have several great local stores who sell compost bins year round. Park + Vine (appropriately named for their location at the corner of Vine and Central Pkwy) sells a number of compost bin types and the necessary accessories. Worms Way in Erlanger also sells different bins for a variety of budgets. Sam's Club on North Bend usually has bins at a very reasonable price (just don't expect employees to offer composting advice).

For the DIY types, I will soon be posting info about making your own bin at home but in the meantime you can check out this site for some good models:
http://www.hcdoes.org/SWMD/Residents/Yardwaste/ywcompost.html.

Scraps to Soil

2009-11-23T10:38:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has composted for a while understands the satisfying feeling of turning your garbage into a dark, crumbly soil amendment. It's not something we usually talk about- probably because our friends would think we're nuts- but I will give composting the full attention it deserves on this blog. Every week I will add a composting story, tip, or news update.

Feel free to send me your questions or experiences. And thanks for reading!