April 27, 2008...12:18 pm
The Haphazard, Broke Gardener, Part 2 (A.K.A.: The Compost Talk)
By golly, they grew! I will have you know that if treated nicely, Buttercos lettuce comes up lightening-fast. My Peacevine cherry tomatoes are also doing quite well. I have a few lime basil and anise hyssop shoot poking through the dirt, but none to raise a stink over. I’m a proud plant mama, that’s for sure.
That being said, I promised composting for fun and profit. Meh, forget the profit. I reckon if you got a good groove going with enough compost you could work out a bartering arrangement, but do it because it’s a good thing to do. Now as I see it, there are five ways to get compost in your garden:
- Buy it
- Get it free from a local source (neighbor or neighborhood composting program)
- Vermicomposting
- Open-bottom compost bin
- Compost pile
Now, there are varying levels of work, money, and time required for all of these methods. Shall we discuss?
- Buying compost: A positive is that it’s there instantly. Personally, I would avoid this as there are usually additives. Making your own is nearly free!
- Getting it from a neighbor or neighborhood compost initiative: This is a great option if you can figure out how they composted and what they composted. You’re supporting community here and you don’t actually have to compost yourself, which can save time. Nothing wrong with going this route.
- Vermicomposting is the use of “red wiggler” worms (not earth worms) to speed up the decomposition process. The overwhelming positives of this method is that you can do a relatively inexpensive, stink-free composter right inside your house, provided it doesn’t get too beastly hot (or too beastly cold). The end product here is worm castings, or humus (a.k.a. worm poo), which are rich in nutrients that soil loves. (If soil could wear a t-shirt it would say, “I <3 Worms,” which in everyday language is “I love worms.” It would… I asked it.) Negatives to this method are mostly in the temperature and ensuring that your compost maintains the right pH and moisture to allow the worms to thrive. You also have to ensure that you can actually separate the castings from the dirt, which is a wee bit trickier with a homemade set-up, but easily remedied with a store-bought set-up, which will help you collect liquid (”tea”) as well as castings. (Read more about this at sparrowpost.net‘ s vermicompost page, for one.)
- Open-bottom compost bins get my vote for “personally most practical,” if you have a 2×2′ patch of land to put them on and if you have a few minutes each week to devote to it. You can make a bin out of chicken wire or by cutting the bottom out of a trash can, or by buying a commercially-available composter [link to Google search]. Basically, most composters allow the user to put what I like to call “stinky cake layers” into them, which then decompose with the additional benefit of bugs and worms coming up through the bottom to help the decomposition go faster. You have layers of “brown” (dried leaves, saw dust, etc.) and layers of “green” (kitchen scraps, fresh, green plants/weeds, etc.). Alternate layers, turn the compost once a week or so, and voila… compost available in four to six weeks, oftentimes with a little door at the bottom to scoop out the good stuff. These are often covered with a lid and, if you maintain it, are low on the stink factor. The big “IF” here is: Do you have the time? On an average week, I spend about 20 minutes, tops, with my compost. It’s not that much time, but it’s necessary to make it.A similar option, which I will discuss briefly, is the compost tumbler. It works on the same idea as the open-bottom tumbler, but it’s in a giant tumbler that makes it simple to turn. It works on mostly the same principles, but tumblers to get a bit more pricey than open-bottom composters. Check the debate and see which one is best for you.For an example on the open-bottom variety, here is SaveChange’s “Quick-Clip” 116.25 gallon composter, courtesy of Target:
- Last but not least is: the compost heap or compost pile. This is usually a fenced- or boarded-in pile of compost. Think #4 above, but without sides. This can be great in a large-scale operation or in a more rural area where neighbors aren’t down wind. Again, you must have time to spend turning the pile, layering it up green/brown, and checking that pests (not bugs and worms, but “critters”) don’t come a-foraging in your pile. This is typically the most frugal way to go, but again, weigh the costs and benefits for yourself. While you’re doing heap composting, you can remember Marjorie, the Trash Heap from Fraggle Rock. I’ve lovingly named my compost Marjorie the Oracle. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, CLICK HERE.
So… Thems yer options, pardner. I would love to hear your composting experiences and what types of composters that you prefer! Comment with your likes and dislikes!
Because we’re not reviewing a particular service or company, let’s review composting as a whole on our 1-5 scale.
RATING
Social Action: 2.5 - We’ll assume this for all of them. It could be a community event and it’s sure not hurting any fair trade workers, but neither is it supporting them.
Environmental Action: 5
Frugality: 4
Total Cost: $0-300, depending on choice of composter, but it certainly does pay for itself.
RATING COMMENTS: Anyone, rural, urban or suburban, can compost. Give it a shot or get involved in community composting!
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