Composting Offers Ultimate Recycling System

By Douglass Oster Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

PITTSBURGH (AP) – One of the most misunderstood garden tools is the compost pile. Whenever I bring it up, I hear comments such as “I don't want to attract rats” or “Don't they smell?”

When a few basic rules are followed, the compost pile does not bring in rodents and is almost odorless.

The first rule is never to add meat products to your pile. This is what the animals are after. The second rule is that anything else that's organic is fair game. That includes vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, paper towels, leaves and sticks.

The trick is to construct a pile that is efficient, meaning it will provide good compost in a reasonable amount of time. The best way to make compost is to fill a 4-by-4-by-4-foot area with a mixture of manure or grass clippings and shredded leaves or wood chips. The ideal ratio is 30 parts carbon-rich material (such as leaves) to one part nitrogen-rich materials (such as manure or kitchen scraps).

Of course, most people don't have 64 cubic feet of stuff to compost, so they put in what they have when they have it. Don't worry about ratios; everything organic composts, eventually. The most common pile is built day by day with yard waste and kitchen scraps.

The hardest thing is getting started. There needs to be a system of separating what goes into the compost and what is sent to the trash. The easiest way to accomplish this is to have one container for each. In our house, we have a double shopping bag inside a plastic bag. Every day or so, we pull the paper bags out and take them outside to the compost bin.

One benefit to composting is that you will cut in half the amount of trash hauled to the curb. It's the ultimate recycling bin. Besides doing your part to save the planet, you get wonderful, sweet-smelling compost. Once you unleash this rich fertilizer on your plants, you'll never have enough.

Compost can be made in as little as a couple of weeks or it can take a year. It's all a matter of how much work you want to do. I use a three-bin system: One is in the process of being filled, one is rotting and the last is filled with finished compost.

Every time you turn the pile over, it decomposes 50 percent faster. My piles usually get turned over once, but if I turned them over once a week, I'd get compost pretty quickly. If you don't mind waiting, just let it rot – you'll get the same compost.

The last thing that goes into my new pile is the annual flower and vegetable plants at the end of the season. That pile will be ready next spring.

Here's how to build an easy, cheap compost bin. It's not essential to have a bin, but it helps to keep varmints out and it looks nice.

For the three-bin system, you'll need 10 pallets – 13 if you want your bins to have lids. I've never had a problem with raccoons, but sometimes the neighborhood dogs (or my own) get into the bin by pushing down the front gate of the active bin. I've solved that problem by screwing them shut. In a year or so, when that bin is ready, I just remove the screws.

You probably can pick up some pallets for nothing, maybe even where you work. The pallets are used as the back, front and sides of the bin. Place two perpendicular to each other, drill a few holes and then drive in some nails. Once the two pieces are freestanding, add the other pieces. I don't use a pallet for the floor. Even though it would help aeration, it makes it hard to dig out the compost.

Some tips:

*Don't use pressure-treated wood. Some experts say the arsenic used in it can leach into the compost and be absorbed by vegetables. Your pallet bin will last for years but not forever. If you want it to last longer, paint it with latex paint that is nontoxic and that won't contaminate the compost.

*It's probably not a good idea to compost grass clippings that have been treated with pesticides and herbicides. There's really no way to know how these chemicals will break down in the pile or, in the case of herbicides, if they are completely gone from the compost. The last thing you want to do is introduce a herbicide to your little tomato seedling, right?

*Shredded newspaper, on the other hand, is fine for the compost. Soy- and water-based inks decompose naturally. Do not compost slick color inserts from the paper.

Composting is easy, whether you drop a little into a planting hole or top-dress some perennials. You're not only helping the planet, you'll be helping your plants.