Spring is Here! Is Your Garden Ready?
Posted by Paige
We’ve all been waiting for it and Spring has finally arrived! I seem to get dozens of gardening questions each day–the true mark of Spring at the Blue Ridge Eco Shop.
Over the next few posts, I thought I would discuss some of the most common gardening questions. Starting with Composting.
What is this composting thing all about?
Composting has many benefits. Not only does it divert food and yard waste from the land fills and water treatment plants (that’s where it ends up if you put it down the garbage disposal), but it saves you money by creating highly enriched fertilizer and dirt, so you can stop buying expensive bags of soils and fertilizers. Your compost is far more enriched and better for your garden and yard.
Composting is very easy. By combining your food waste and yard waste at equal amounts (50/50), adding oxygen (when you stir the compost) and heat (generated during the process of break down, this is also where a compost bin can help), your waste biodegrades and becomes a pure, dark, rich soil that can be used anywhere around your yard and garden.
What is the difference between a Compost Pile and a Compost Bin?
I encourage everyone to compost. It is very easy and is a small way for us each to make a big impact. There are many ways to compost from worm composting to batch composting to using bins or simply starting a pile in your yard. All work and I encourage you to use whichever method works for you. The biggest difference between a pile and a bin, besides the added cost of buying or building a bin, is that your compost will break down more efficiently. Bins encourage air flow to all portions of your compost, not just when you stir the compost, and the container itself collects and traps heat. Both of these factors help your compost to break down faster. It also keeps your dog out of last nights scraps.
What’s the Difference Between a Compost Tumbler and a Compost Bin?
At the Blue Ridge Eco Shop, we sell several different styles of composters. All styles will break down your scraps, but have different features to help you compost. The most common style is a Compost Tumbler.The Urban Compost Tumbler and Enviro-Cycle are two different designs of the tumblers that we sell. These are great because they encourage you to stir them more frequently since it is so easy. Whereas bottomless bins (Garden Gourmet) are a manual stir with either a shovel or a pitchfork. Tumblers also capture any juices that are produced during the compost process. This is called "Compost Tea" and can be diluted with water to make a wonderful all-purpose fertilizer. The other main difference is that with a compost tumbler system you will make "batches" of compost. This means that you will add scraps and at some point you will stop adding so that the entire tumbler will break-down completely. You will then have an entire tumbler full of compost to use, but there will be a period of time where you won’t be able to add to your tumbler and will have a stock pile of scraps. Many avoid this by having two tumblers at different stages so there is always a place to add scraps.
A Compost Bin has an open bottom and does not tumble or spin. The Garden Gourmet is an example of an open bottom bin. An open bottom allows two things, 1) for grub to get into your compost and help it break down and 2) since you aren’t trapping the liquids, you are actually enriching the soil beneath the composter. I prefer this style and actually move my composter around my yard and over my garden in the winter months to improve my soil quality. With a bin, you add scraps to the top of the bin and remove the finished compost from the bottom. This design allows for a continuous composting process, but smaller, more frequent yields of finished compost.
I have really become a Compost Doctor at the shop. It’s fun to hear customers problems and help improve their compost. Feel free to post your compost successes, problems and stories right here to help others!
I have also put together this little Composting FAQs page for more composting information.
I want to start composting, how do I start?
Now is the best time to start composting. The weather is getting warmer and your scraps will break down much faster than the winter months. I recommend starting with a layer of leaves on the bottom of your compost bin and a 1/2 cup compost activator followed by a small pitcher of water (to activate the cultures in the compost starter). From there, begin adding in your food waste and layering in additional browns. After the first week, toss the bin to mix its contents and you are well on your way!
Spring showers and humidity will aide the break down of your compost and by late Spring you should already have compost to start using around the garden.