Five Ways to Compost

There are a wide variety of benefits to be gained from the practice of composting, both for the home and garden. Composting diverts food scraps and other organic waste from the trash, and ultimately reduces an individual's waste disposal at the landfill. 

Utilizing compost in soil also offers a range of benefits. Compost can help soil retain water, reducing the frequency of watering. It also reduces the erosion of topsoil, and prevents carbon from leeching out of the soil and into the atmosphere.

Furthermore, compost contains the nutritional components in fertilizer that plants need to grow healthy and strong, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers.

It sounds like a great practice all around, right?

Let's get into five methods to start, or expand, your composting.

Cold Compost

One of the most common methods, cold composting promotes the slow decomposition of organic materials, utilizing fungi, worms, and bacterial microbes. By layering greens—kitchen scraps, grass, etc.—with browns—leaves, twigs, etc.—in a 2:1 browns-to-greens ratio, the compost will keep aerated and odour-free. This process takes upwards of six months to a year to provide usable compost, with no turning necessary.

Keep the compost pile consistently moist, but not soggy. This method doesn't heat up, so it won't kill any weeds or diseased plant pathogens. But it will provide passive, year-round compost.

Hot Compost

Following the same fundamentals, hot compost can produce results in a matter of months. By using a larger space (at least three feet square), and turning frequently, the compost can generate a heated reaction. Keep the same 2:1 ratio of browns (carbon) and greens (nitrogen), but alternate layers in 4-6" sections. Keep the compost pile consistently damp, and when the temperature peaks and begins to cool, turn the pile to add more oxygen. Continue this method until the compost is dark and crumbling.

The hot composting method can produce results in far less time, and the heat can kill harmful bacteria and weeds. This method, however, is much more involved and requires careful monitoring.

Vermicomposting

This method of composting produces a soil amendment known as worm castings, valued as a high-nutrient fertilizer. Using a mixture of green and brown compost, specific types of worms, particularly red wigglers, are added because they thrive on kitchen scraps and can exist in a contained environment. This method is good for compact or indoor spaces, as the compost can be kept in a small bin.

When worms digest the compost matter, they excrete castings in tandem with the bacteria and fungi that naturally occur through the process of decomposition. These castings can be utilized as a form of fertilizer, or a soil amendment; both for outdoor gardens or for indoor houseplants.

When well-maintained, the vermicompost bin can be largely odour-free. This method does require regular maintenance, with a lower output than outdoor compost heaps, but can be done in smaller spaces.

Bokashi

A less common method of composting, bokashi is the Japanese practice of fermenting food scraps. Unlike the other methods above, this style of compost operates anaerobically, meaning it doesn't rely on oxygen. All food scraps—including meat and dairy products—can be layered in a bucket with bokashi bran, which is then sealed and kept airtight. Beneficial microbes in the bran ferment the material over a matter of weeks, which can then be buried in soil as an amendment, or as an additive to synthetic fertilizers.

This is another good method for small spaces, and as an added benefit, it utilizes all organic food scraps and not just plant matter. Bokashi does require maintenance over the course of the process, and provides a completed material that will encourage growth and function together with fertilizer, but may not be the same as a compost created through aerobic methods.

Compost Tumbler

This is a system that creates aerobic fertilizer in a contained environment. It's a sealed container that tumbles, or rotates, a mixture of green and brown compost together with moisture and oxygen. The drum is then spun a number of times every few days until the mixture is dark and crumbling. Using a double-sided barrel can allow for adding new materials to one side as the older materials decompose.

This method produces faster compost in a smaller, contained environment, but it does require sustained effort and maintenance. Monitor closely to maintain the right balance of greens and browns—and reduce potential odour—and for the right level of moisture.

There are a variety of options available for someone looking to begin composting, but perhaps unsure where to begin. Not only does composting provide usable and helpful soil additions, but it reduces household waste significantly. Hopefully one of these will suit your needs as well as your lifestyle.

Until next time!