Seattle Press on Line - December in the Garden

December in the Garden

By Kimberly Christensen

Dec 06, 2001 -- The holiday season, with its cornucopia of vegetables and fruits, reminds us to be grateful for the bounty of the earth that feeds us. But in order for the land to be fertile and to continue to supply us with its rich harvest, we have to give something back. Luckily, composting makes this easy.

Many factors contribute to the overall quality of soil. Soil needs to be loose and aerated so that roots and grow and be properly oxygenated. It needs a variety of nutrients to nourish plants and their beneficial microbe and insect companions. It also needs adequate water with good drainage. Healthy soil traps water and nutrients for use by plants. It shelters beneficial fungi, bacteria and bugs so that plants grow better and are more resistant in disease and pests. Healthy soil can also break down some types of pollutants.

The simple act of adding compost to a garden or lawn can vastly improve the overall health of the soil. Compost is the dark, earthy material that is produced by decomposing organic substances like vegetation and animal wastes. As decomposition occurs, nutrients are released by the breaking down of these materials. The nutrients are then available for absorption directly by plants, or for consumption by friendly microbes, which in turn produce the types of nutrients needed by plants.

Resources for Composters

King County residents can obtain low-cost compost bins by calling the King County Compost Hotline at (206) 296-4466.

Seattle Public Utilities has composting information online at http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/util/composting/. A copy of their brochure, along with friendly composting advice, can be obtained by calling their Compost Hotline at 633-0224. Their Master Composter Program also supplies plans for building your own compost bin.

Seattle Tilth's demonstration garden at the Good Shepherd Center at 4649 Sunnyside Avenue in Wallingford includes composting. Seattle Tilth also sells compost bins and offers free advice about composting. Their website has downloadable instructions for making compost bins at http://www.seattletilth.org/download/download.html. They can be reached at 633-0451.

Several garden centers carry compost bins. Try Sky Nursery (546-4851), City People's Garden Store (324-0737) or Recycled Plastic Manufacturing (425-867-3200).

In gardening circles, it is often assumed that everyone knows how to compost. And while we all do know how to compost, as is often evidenced by the rotting veggies in our refrigerators, we may not know how to compost on a larger scale. Luckily, compost happens if we learn a few simple tricks.

One of the easiest ways of composting is to designate a bin into which kitchen scraps and yard clipping can be deposited. Only vegetable and fruit matter should be added to the bin, although small amounts of other material (oils, dairy products, etc.) are fine as long as the majority is vegetation. Many manufactured bins have slots in the sides which are large enough for insects, air and water to enter and speed the compost cycle, but small enough to keep pesky rodents away. Composting materials do not need to be turned. However, they do need water and should be kept as close to the consistency of a wrung out sponge as possible. Turning the pile with a shovel or pitchfork increases aeration and will hasten the decomposition time. A favorite manufactured bin has a door at the bottom so that finished compost can be harvested while leaving more recent additions to the pile untouched at the top of the bin.

Another easy way to compost is to make a big pile of leaves and yard clippings. Greens (grass, pruned leaves and branches, stuff that was recently alive) and browns (dead leaves, lawn clippings that have been left out to dry for a few days, coffee grounds from the local cafe) should be placed in alternating layers when possible. The pile can be left uncovered and will decompose slowly. It also can be covered up with a tarp or large plastic garbage bag, which will trap heat inside and hasten the decomposition. In either case, it is a good idea to turn the pile a couple of times to increase air circulation and prevent the pile from getting too hot or too cold. Beginning composters should avoid placing weeds or diseased plants into the pile, as weed seeds will germinate if the pile doesn't get hot enough, and disease-causing organisms will not be killed. These items can be placed in a yard waste collection bag.

The decomposition time can be long or short, depending on how much attention is given to the pile. The process can be hastened by chopping up all material into small pieces, no larger than one inch in diameter. Hot piles, which contain a good mixture of greens and browns and are watered and turned once or twice, can produce compost in one or two months. Cold piles, or piles that consists of table scraps tossed into a bin and ignored, can take up to two years to produce compost. The important thing to remember is that compost happens, whether or not the pile is attended to regularly.

Compost is finished when it is dark and crumbly, and smells like good earth. If most of the compost seems finished but a few things, like woody bits, aren't fully decomposed, the compost can be filtered. The items needing more time can be tossed into the next pile. Finished compost can be dug into existing plant beds and lawns, mixed with potting soil for container plants, or spread as a layer onto bare gardens.

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