What if you could turn your food waste into the perfect fertilizer for your garden? Let’s talk about composting and why it’s called “black gold” by gardeners.
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, 40% of the food produced in the United States goes to waste. This amounts to $165 billion in uneaten food every year*. When you factor in the uneaten food left rotting in landfills, you begin to appreciate how big this problem truly is.
When food ends up in a dumpster or landfill, it sits and rots, releasing major greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.
In fact, the single largest component of U.S. municipal solid waste is methane emissions from rotting food. And methane, the greenhouse gas in question, is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Thankfully, there’s a simple solution.
Composting prevents food from going to waste.
Nothing feeds your garden plants like compost. Not fertilizer, not Miracle Gro . . . only compost.
All of these can break down into compost for your garden.
Starting a compost bin or pile is not as complicated as it sounds. When your plants have the best possible environment to thrive, it’s incredible how fast they grow.
At Serenity CBD, we’re always excited to hear about customer experiences. In October, I met with a Serenity CBD customer and close friend, Deborah.
Deb has shared her passion for ecology with students for the last 30 years. Teaching science at both middle and high school levels, she educated her students about the importance of composting.
Newly retired, Deb has returned to gardening.
During our conversation, she mentioned she was thankful she kept composting — even during her busiest years.
I asked Deb about her composting process. It was the perfect opportunity to learn the steps to a healthy compost bin without breaking the bank.
Sitting down, Deb explained her simple process for turning kitchen and lawn waste into compost.
“It’s all about balancing your compost ratios,” Deb remarked. “You don’t need a fancy composting barrel to get started. I composted for years before I invested in this rolling composting barrel”.
She propped her elbow on the barrel and opened the door — inviting me to inspect the inside of the barrel.
I held my breath as I looked inside, expecting a smelly mess. Surprisingly, it smelled more like dirt from the garden than my kitchen trash bag.
She then closed the latch carefully and gave the barrel a good spin before offering me a turn.
“Mixing compost doubles as a great stress reliever,” she chuckled.
Simply put, “black gold” is the nickname coined by gardeners for the rich fertilizer created by decomposition. We call this process composting.
It takes time and know-how to transform kitchen scraps into nutrient-rich compost, but it isn’t complicated.
Nature’s way of recycling wastes and replenishing the soil is through decomposition. Billions of tiny organisms — bacteria, fungi, worms and more — digest the sugars and proteins found in dead plant matter.
Composting your kitchen scraps allows them to decompose or break down solid waste in a controlled manner — so that you can reap the benefits. And every gardener knows nutrient-rich soil ensures a healthy garden.
The end product of all that microscopic eating is moist, dark, rich-smelling soil that gardeners call “black gold.” It’s hard to resist touching it — it feels so good between your fingers.
There are many ways to compost, but one of the easiest ways is to use a bin. You can buy a bin or make your container using wood or plastic.
If you buy a composting container, check for air holes. You’ll need oxygen for decomposition to happen properly.
Knowing the dos and don’ts of adding kitchen scraps to your compost bin is essential. The wrong mix of plant materials and food becomes a smelly disaster fast.
To ensure that microorganisms break down the mix and multiply steadily, feed the pile a balanced diet.
As important as it is to know what you can put into your compost pile, it’s just as critical to know what to avoid.
Bones, fats, and oils added to your compost will attract pests and create odors. These stink-makers prevent your compost from breaking down properly. A healthy compost pile won’t smell.
Understanding what goes into your bin is key to ensuring your compost pile works efficiently. You’ll need the right mix of browns and greens — browns for carbon and greens for nitrogen.
The ratio is typically 3 parts browns to 4 parts greens, but don’t worry if you don’t get precisely that ratio right — you can always tweak it later.
These foods help the organisms in your compost pile multiply. Wet or recently growing materials comprise the majority of green materials.
Adding too much green material raises the nitrogen level in your pile — that’s what keeps your compost cooking.
While you want a little heat to keep your compost decomposing, too much heat kills the microorganisms in your bin.
Most materials such as dry or woody plant matter, are brown or will turn brown naturally. Brown material helps feed the organisms living in your compost. But too much brown material leaves your compost dry and unusable.
If your compost pile isn’t heating up — add more green materials. And if it isn’t breaking down as fast as you’d like, try adding more brown material.
Here’s a chart to refer to if you’re unsure whether your waste fits into the “browns” or “greens” category.
Now that you have the right ingredients, it’s time to add water. Don’t skip this step! Adding the right amount of water speeds up the decomposition process.
Water keeps bacteria alive and healthy and keeps your compost from turning into mud. Your mix turns into a soupy mess if you add too much water.
On the other hand, if there isn’t enough moisture in your bin — all those helpful microorganisms die out before their job is complete.
The moisture level needs to stay between 45-50% to keep the micro-nutrients alive.
To check the moisture content of your compost, try squeezing a bit of compost between your fingers. If one little drop of water comes out, you have the ideal balance in your compost.
If you don’t stir your compost, you might end up with a heap of smelly brown goo at the bottom of your bin.
So grab a pitchfork or shovel and push all of the contents of your pile to one side. Then start adding more materials from the outer perimeter. Repeat until there’s no more room in your compost bin or pile and everything has been turned over.
Stirring helps distribute the microorganisms evenly throughout and oxygenates the pile.
Pitchforks are a helpful tool for stirring because they are long and have prongs that reach all over the compost bin. But you can also use a shovel or hoe if you have one handy to stir.
If you purchase a compost bin, they often have long handles to help you turn them over. This helps to get underneath — where all those pesky hot spots tend to hide.
Depending on the type of materials in your pile, it may take as long as six months for your first batch of black gold.
If your compost looks dark brown, crumbly, and still like a pile of rotten vegetable scraps, it’s not quite ready. Continue turning, watering, and adding to your compost bin. Once that’s complete, it’s time to go to work in your garden.
Once it’s ready, use the compost on your plants or garden as fertilizer instead of buying it at the store. You’ll soon see why gardeners have fondly nicknamed compost “black gold.”
Composting reduces your dependence on store-bought fertilizers. And it’s much safer for the planet and your garden. It’s an easy way to turn all your food scraps into something useful and save you money in the long run.
It might seem like a lot to remember. But if you keep adding things as they come up, eventually, all those scraps turn into rich fertilizer for your garden.
While composting won’t solve every problem in our world by itself, small changes like these can go a long way. Small, consistent changes are the key to living a sustainable, healthier life on planet Earth.
Happy Gardening!
As always, Serenity loves you. All of you. Regardless.
