A toast to compost!

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Let’s talk about compost!  Ugh, where do I begin?  I could talk about this for days!! 

No need to discuss why you should compost, because, yes everyone should, even if you don’t have the ability to compost at your home. 

My mom would bag and freeze her compost, and when she came to my farm she would bring her frozen bags (I closed the farm and moved to MV to build a permaculture learning center therefore she has made other arrangements). That’s dedication!  The scraps would go to the chickens or the compost pile. Thus feeding the soil, feeding the soil helpers (animals), and reducing the amount of waste my parents disposed.  It may seem like a lot of work, but maybe your neighbor has one, or a nearby farm will take it; or like we have on the island, a composting disposal area at the local dump. Think of taking out the trash less and less “waste” rotting in a landfill!  I use “” because waste is relative. And It feels good to do even the smallest amount to make this world better, right!?

Just that small act sets in motion other small acts that empower us to start a pattern of reversing climate change. But don’t get me started on climate change!  That’s a whole other post!  Ok I got off track there!  

Let’s assume you have the space and have a compost system at home or want one. I’ll tell you right now, if you ask 5 farmers what’s the best composting system, you’ll get 7 different answers!

So I’ll describe what I’ve done, and what I was taught. 

One method I continue to use is the donut method taught to me by the gardeners at OAEC in Northern California.  Find a spot north facing, because a healthy compost gets plenty hot. You begin with thick brush or sticks laid out for the foundation. It can be 3 feet or 10 feet in diameter depending on space and usage. This allows airflow and space for the workers to move in and get busy. Then you make a layered cake with nitrogen (green material, grass clippings, garden scraps, kitchen scraps, chicken poop), and carbon (brown material, straw, brown leaves). Every time you add a new layer, tuck in the sides like you were tucking in sheets of a bed all the way around creating a tire shape...or donut!  By doing this the center may sink in (again like a donut), leaving some room to toss in more garden or food scraps. 


This is a fantastic method for large gardens and small farms. 

Another method may require some building of an infrastructure.  This can be reclaimed pallets or getting fancy with other materials. With this, you can have 2 or 3 compartments. One for carbon stored up when abundant (ie. Fall clean up of leaves), and one for the building of the pile where you toss the garden and kitchen scraps. Every time you toss nitrogen, lay down some carbon.  When it needs to be flipped, you can move compost to 3rd compartment to continue to finish brewing. Or if you chose not to have a 3rd compartment, compost can be moved to another location to finish fermenting.

Both of these are open compost systems. So critters are a consequence. For some, this is just part of life and accepted, and for others it may create some uncomfortable drama! (ie rats, mice, coyote, pets). In that case, a closed container system might be good for you. Choose what’s best for where you live and what you feel is manageable. The last thing I want is someone to start a compost and it be neglected because it wasn’t sustainable for their lifestyle.  Finding what will allow you to make this a long term routine is what truly makes a difference. 

Alright then, onto maintenance. Again, you ask 5 farmers, you’ll get 7 answers. Yes there is a beautiful science to making soil, but don’t be intimidated by that. And yes, some composts fall out of balance by getting too much nitrogen, too much water, etc. But I find that the millions of micro organisms in the soil are pretty darn smart and can work with just about anything. So if your system gets a bit funky, flip it and add carbon. Make sure it has some cover so not to get too wet and let it continue to brew.  I’d say flip your compost every six months, but that is not an exact science either. I flip it at the beginning and end of the growing season. With a new pile starting in spring, while letting old pile fully ferment. 

What to add and how much?  Here is a great list by the Planet Natural Resource Center:

Estimated Carbon-to-Nitrogen Ratios

Browns = High Carbon C:N

Ashes, wood 25:1

Cardboard, shredded 350:1

Corn stalks 75:1

Fruit waste 35:1

Leaves 60:1

Newspaper, shredded 175:1

Peanut shells 35:1

Pine needles 80:1

Sawdust 325:1

Straw 75:1

Wood chips 400:1

Greens = High Nitrogen C:N

Alfalfa 12:1

Clover 23:1

Coffee grounds 20:1

Food waste 20:1

Garden waste 30:1

Grass clippings 20:1

Hay 25:1

Manure 15:1

Seaweed 19:1

Vegetable scraps 25:1

Weeds 30:1

I hope by this post, you become inspired to start a compost, find someone who does to help add to it, or clean up and restart your old compost! I hope you find it more approachable and even fun to watch your compost grow and get excited to feed your garden beds the deli spud nutrients you built! Happy composting!!

Dani deRuyter