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• Kitchen scraps.Fruitandvegetabletrim-mings,coffeegroundsandfilters,andeggshellsaregreatitemsforthecom-postpile.Donotuseanimalproductssuchasgrease,fatormeattrimmings,ordairyproductsbecausetheybreakdownveryslowly,attractrodentsandotherpests,andhaveanunpleasantodorwhentheydecompose.

• Grass clippings. Grassclippings(Fig.1a)haverelativelyhighnitrogencontentandmakegoodcompost.Mixgreen,freshclippingswithsoilordryplantmaterialsuchasleavestokeepthegrassfromcompactingasitsettles.Compactionpreventsairfromenteringthepileandslowsorpreventsthecom-postingprocess.

• Dry leaves. Theseareplentifulinthefall,andratherthanputtingthemoutbythecurb,puttheminyourcom-postpile.Mostleavesdecomposefasterandmorethoroughlywhenshreddedbeforetheyareaddedtothepile.If

Ifwecompostedmanyofthethingswethrowaway,suchaskitchenscraps,grassclippings,leaves,andotherlandscapede-

bris,wecoulddivert20to30percentofthetrashcurrentlygoingintolandfills.Bycom-postingthesematerials,wecanreducetheamountofwastewegenerateandproduceorganicmatterandnutrientsforourgarden,landscapeandyard. Compostingissimplytheprocessoforganicmaterialdecomposition.Theresult-ingsubstanceiscalledcompost.Everygar-denbenefitsfromtheadditionofcompostbecauseitsuppliesmanyofthenutrientsplantsneedandalso

• Improvesthesoil’sphysicalcharac-teristics

•Increasesthesoilcapacitytoholdwaterandnutrients

• Increasessoilaeration

Materials for Composting Manymaterialscanbeputincompostpiles,including:

Joseph Masabni, Assistant Professor and Extension Horticulturist, and Patrick Lillard, Extension Assistant, The Texas A&M University System

EHT-0696-14

Easy Gardeningosting • composting • composting • composti

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dednewspaper,andhedgeclippingscanallbecomposted.Largetwigsbreakdownslowlysodonotusethem.

Building a Compost Pile Youcanbuymanytypesofcompostingbins,butyoucanalsomakeoneeasilywithwirefencing,cementblocks,bricks,orevenscraplumber. Lessroomisrequiredifthepileisen-closed,butifyouhaveadequateroomyoucanalsoleaveitfreestanding.Withanen-closedpile,leaveanopeningononesidesothecompostcanbeturnedwithaforktoallowairtoenterthepile.Thecompostpileshouldbelocated:

• Inasecludedarea• Preferablynearthegarden• Inapartiallyshadedareatoprevent

thepilefromdryingouttoofast• Inaspotwithgooddrainagesoit

doesnotbecomewaterlogged Ideally,acompostpileshouldbemadeupinlayers(Fig.2.)Thefirstlayershouldbecoarseplantmaterial,suchasbranches

youdonothaveashredder,placetheleavesinarowonyouryardandcutthemupwitharotarylawnmower.Rakeupthechoppedleavesandaddthemtothecompostpile.(Figs.1aand1b.)

• Manure.Chicken,cowandhorsemanuresaregreatnitrogensourcesforcompostpiles.Catanddogfecesshouldneverbeputinacompostpilebecausetheycancarrydiseaseorgan-isms.

• Sawdust.Sawdustisplentifulatsaw-millsinmanyareas,especiallyinEastTexas.Alwayscompostsawdustbeforeaddingittoyourgardenbecauseitcantieupnitrogeninthesoilasitde-composes.Addextranitrogentosaw-dusttospeeditsbreakdown.

• Other materials. Sodremovedfromthelawn,hay,non-noxiousweeds,shred-

Figure 2. Layering of a compost pile.

Figure 1. Grass clippings and leaves (a) make good compost. Leaves compost faster if they are shredded before being added to the pile(b).

1b

1a

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andtwigs,toallowoxygentocirculateupthroughthepile.Thesecondlayershouldbe6to10inchesoffinerplantmaterialsuchasleaves,grassclippings,andkitchenscraps. Thethirdlayershouldbea1inchlayerofsoilormanure,whichprovidesmicroor-ganismsandnitrogen.Themicroorganismsarewhatactuallybreakdowntheplantma-terial.Todothistheyneedfoodintheformofnitrogen. Ifyouusesoilforthislayer,add1 ⁄3cupnitrogenforevery25squarefeetofcompostpilesurfacearea.Thenitrogencanbeintheformofammoniumnitrate,bloodmeal,orbonemeal. Repeatthesecondandthirdlayersuntilthepileis5feettallaftersettling.Acompostpileneedstobeofadequatesize,usually4squarefeet,toprovideastableenvironmentforthemicroorganisms.Ifacompostpileismuchsmallerthan3feetindiameter,itwilldecomposemuchmoreslowly.

Required Elements for Composting Fordecompositiontooccur,theseele-mentsandconditionsareessential:

• Organicmaterial• Microorganisms• Air• Water• Nitrogen

Organicmaterialcomprisesalltheitemspreviouslylisted:kitchenscraps,leaves,grassclippings,etc.Thesizeofthematerialinthecompostpilegreatlyinflu-encestheamountoftimeittakesforittobreakdown.Thesmallertheitem,thefastermicroorganismscanbreakitdown. Microorganismsneedafavorableen-vironment,whichincludesair,water,andnitrogen.

Airistheonlypartthatcannotbeaddedinexcess.Turningthepileoftenwillprovideanampleamountofairandspeedthecompostingprocess.Ifthereistoolittleairinacompostpilebecauseofcompaction,anaerobicdecompositionoccurs,producinganodorlikethatofrottingeggs. Acompostpilecanhavetoomuchwater,sothepilelocationshouldhavegooddrainage.Duringthesummer,youmayneedtoaddwatersothatthecompostpiledoesnotdryout.Acompostpileshouldbemoistbutnotsoggy.Ifyousqueezeahandfulofthematerialitshouldbedamp,butwatershouldnotdripout. Organicmaterialshavevaryingratiosofcarbon(C)tonitrogen(N),andthisratioinfluenceshowfastmicroorganismsbreakthemdown.IftheC:Nratioistoohigh,de-compositionwillbeslow;iftheC:Nratioistoolow,thepilewilllosesomenitrogentotheairintheformofammonia.TheidealC:Nratioforacompostpileis30:1. OnewayofestimatingtheC:Nratioisbytheamountofgreenandbrownmateri-alsinthecompostpile.Cutgrass,kitchenscraps,andmanureareconsideredgreenma-terialsandhavelowC:Nratios.Sawdust,treeleaves,andstrawarebrownmaterialsandhavehighC:Nratios.Anequalamount(byweight)ofgreenandbrownmaterialswillgiveyoutherightC:Nratio.

Table 1. Carbon:nitrogen ratio of common organic materials.

Organic material

C:N ratio Organic material

C:N ratio

Alfalfa hayFood wasteGrass clippingsRotted manureFruit waste

12:115:119:120:135:1

CornstalksLeavesStrawSawdustWood

60:160:180:1500:1700:1

From Composting and Mulching: A Guide to Managing Organic Landscape Refuse by Wayne J. McLaurin (retired) and Gary L. Wade, Extension Horticulturists, The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service.

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Asmicroorgan-ismsbegintobreakdowntheorganicmaterial,heatisgen-erated.Withinafewdaysthecompostpileshouldreachaninternaltemperatureof90to160degreesF.Thisprocesswilldestroymostweedseeds,insecteggs,anddiseaseorganisms,producingrich,softhumusorcompost(Fig.3.) Turnthepileweeklyduringthesum-merandmonthlyduringthewintertoin-creasetherateofdecomposition.About90to120daysarerequiredtopreparegoodcompostusingthelayermethod.Ifyouhaveroom,makethreepilessoyouwillhaveonereadytouse,onebeingtilled,andonebeingfilledup(Fig.4.)

Figure 3. Humus ready for use in the garden.

Figure 4. Compost bins.

Figure 6. Cover the composting material with the original soil from the hole or trench.

Figure 5. After digging a hole or trench, fill it with newspapers and dry leaves.

In-Ground Composting Compostingcanalsobedonedirectlyintheground,preferablywhereagardenrowistobeplantedthefollowingseasononcetherawmaterialhascompletelycomposted. Todoin-groundcomposting:

1. Digupthearea—alongroworaraisedbed—andremovethesoil.

2. Filltheholewiththeorganicmate-rials,suchasshreddednewspapersanddryleaves(Fig.5).

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The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is implied.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

AgriLifeExtension.tamu.edu

More Extension publications can be found at AgriLifeBookstore.org

Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status.

The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.

AcknowledgmentThe original version of this publication was authored by B. Dean McCraw.

3. Coveritupwiththeoriginalsoil(Fig.6).

4. Letthisarearest,orcompost,forafewmonths.

5. Turnthesoilanduseitasanewplantingbed(Fig.7.)

Table 2. Troubleshooting guide to composting problems.

Symptoms Problem Solution

The compost has a bad odor.

Not enough air

Turn it. Add dry material if the pile is too wet.

The compost is not breaking down, and the center of the pile is dry.

Not enough water

Moisten and turn the pile.

The compost is damp and sweet-smelling but will not heat up.

Not enough nitrogen

Mix in a nitrogen source such as fresh grass clippings, fresh manure, or blood meal.

The compost is damp and warm only in the middle.

Too few materials and too small area

Collect more material and mix the old ingredients into a new, larger pile.

From Composting and Mulching: A Guide to Managing Organic Landscape Refuse by Wayne J. McLaurin (retired) and Gary L. Wade, Extension Horticulturists, The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service.

Figure 7. After the compost area has rested for a few months, turn the soil. It is ready to be used for planting.