composting

Composting is something every organic gardener should be involved with.

If you have been thinking about it but have been putting it off…, NOW is the time to get with the program.

It is a relatively simple concept, and you can make it from kitchen waste, leaves, and other organic waste that you would end up sending to the landfill.

Although the principle is the same, almost everyone has their own particular style. You can choose to do it in a pit out behind the barn or in an ornate bin at the back of your garden.

It can be a prefabricated unit that you have purchased at a local gardening supply store or made out of old cinder blocks, bricks, or wood that you may already have lying around.

There is no right or wrong choice; it is only a matter of personal preference and budget. But the only way you are going to get the benefit is if you actually do it.

What is Compost?

It is the end result of organic material that aerobic bacteria have decomposed, which breaks down waste into a readily available form for your plants. It is a natural fertilizer, soil conditioner, and excellent source of humus.

It also helps to repopulate the soil with diverse species of microorganisms vital for plant growth and reproduction. It is also another word for “organic matter.”

Every organic gardening book worth its salt will at some point state that you are going to need to add it on a regular basis.

The reason why is because your plants are using it up! In order to build and maintain the optimum health of the soil, you are going to have to add some kind of organic matter on a regular basis.

Organic Matter

The first time most people hear those words is after getting the results of their soil test and wonder how they are going to raise a low organic matter level.

No matter what the crop is that you are growing, from azaleas to zucchini, it is going to deplete the soil of nutrients, minerals, and trace elements. These must be replaced, or the soil will deteriorate until it is dead and lifeless. This is where the term “Farmed-Out” originated.

With a bit of thought and a plan, you can easily make your own. Unfortunately, this is where a lot of well-intentioned people throw in the towel.

How to make your own compost

Just get started. At first, you may have to buy a retail product to get the ball rolling. But in time, you will have learned to make your own with what you would typically throw in the trash.

A word of caution!

Beware of amending your soil with lifeless “soil mixes.” These are typically made with waste materials (i.e., ground-up pallets) and toxic chemicals!

Unless you like the thought of that, stay away from the stuff being sold in bulk stores. No one knows precisely what’s in the bag, where it came from, or even when it was packaged.

That is why it is so cheap! You get what you pay for is particularly accurate in this case.

I suggest calling your local nursery and asking what they carry along the lines of compost. Cotton Burr Compost can typically be found at most garden centers.

Locally made amendments will always be cheaper because of freight costs and typically have higher populations of microorganisms because they are fresher. If you call first, you will save time and aggravation.

How Do I Make Compost?

There are a few things to bear in mind when starting out. The main thing is aeration. The process is accomplished by aerobic microorganisms that break down organic materials and cause decomposition. (aerobic – meaning that they need air to survive.)

It is generally recommended to turn your pile once a week or so using a shovel or pitchfork. This helps keep the pile supplied with oxygen so that the process remains active and so the pile from going rancid.

Your pile needs to be kept moist but not soaked!

When you first put your pile together, you will have to water it with a hose or watering can because it is likely to be on the dry side. The keyword here is “moist,” not waterlogged.

The other thing you need to be aware of is that your pile needs to have both green waste (high in nitrogen) and brown waste (high in carbon)

Some common examples of green waste are fresh cut grass clippings and weeds, coffee grounds, and kitchen scraps such as potato peelings.

Examples of brown waste include shredded newspaper or cardboard, sawdust, and wood chips or shavings. It is as simple as that.

I recommend visiting Google for some excellent detailed information that will assist you in understanding the ratio of brown waste (carbon) and green waste (nitrogen) to use.

Remember the motto for organic gardening “It is a process – Not an event”

After becoming familiar with how your pile works, you may very well be able to get two harvests. One that you add to your soil in the Spring and another that you can add in the Fall after harvest.

Once you see how well your organic garden responds, you will never be without it again.

I don’t have space!

If you are limited on space to put a compost pile, can’t buy any locally, or just don’t have the time to wait, Bokashi maybe your best alternative.

Bokashi compost can be made in a 5-gallon bucket and be ready for your soil in just a few weeks. It is the primary method that I now use to produce quantities of organic matter for my raised beds and containers.

Cotton Burr Compost (CBC) is arguably the best compost in America. What makes it work so well? It’s alive!

And they are loaded with nutrients and diverse populations of microorganisms. Both are vital to your organic garden.

As the cotton plant grows, it absorbs nutrients that end up in the stalks, leaves, and seed pods. The pods are also called “burrs” or “bolls.”

These end up at the cotton gin, where they are discarded as “gin trash.” As the cotton and the seed are separated, everything else gets blown outside to an enormous pile.

The Reasons To Make Make Organic Cotton Burr Compost

For generations, these piles have been an eyesore and a nuisance for gin operators. They were often burned, buried, or dumped somewhere else.

It wasn’t until some entrepreneur realized that it could be composted that gin waste was transformed from trash into a commodity. That was the beginning of what we now call cotton burr compost.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of false information that gets recycled on the internet from writers who wouldn’t know what compost was if they fell into it.

One of the biggest misconceptions perpetuated is that composted cotton burr is somehow laden with chemicals and toxins that will ruin an organic garden. That is just plain untrue.

Anyone in the cotton industry will tell you that it is illegal to spray anything on a cotton field unless it dissipates before harvest.

You might want to see this: How to make Bokashi Compost at home?

The other point worth mentioning is that the composting process would break down any chemicals if present into their essential elements and render them inert.

You might like to see this: Building A Raised Waist High Garden Bed – The Ultimate Guide

“Cotton Burr Compost is “unsurpassed in its ability to break up clay soil.”

CBC contains twice the nutrient value as manure composts but without the e-coli concerns. It is capable of holding as much moisture as sphagnum peat products, but unlike peat, it re-wets easily.

Sphagnum peat moss is known for its anti-bacterial properties that destroy microorganisms. In fact, it was used in earlier times as a dressing for wounds.

Good composted products are free of pathogens and weed seeds because they are broken down during the composting process.

In recent years, scientists have discovered that CBC is a natural fungicide and helps reduce the plant diseases Pythium, Rhizoctonia, and fusarium. This is excellent news for rose growers.

As it reacts with water, CBC releases massive amounts of beneficial microbes and soluble nutrients that also serve as fungicides and disease controllers.

In the region of Memphis, TN, they have clay rather than soil. When new homes are built, the contractor grades the clay and then has a crew come and lay sod grown at a local sod farm.

This is a recipe for short-term green and long-term failure. Experts agree that a layer of CBC between one-quarter to half an inch thick be applied before the sod is installed. This is also the time to fill in low spots and contour surfaces to personal taste.

Established lawns lacking in organic matter can benefit significantly from a top-dressing of CBC. It only takes about two weeks, and then the lawn begins to explode into green as microorganisms and nutrients are reintroduced to the soil.

You can also add CBC to your organic garden and raised beds to help restore soil fertility and increase organic matter levels. You can even spread it around pre-existing plants to enjoy its remedial benefits.

I have used CBC on bare clay to start new lawns directly from seed. If you have ever done that, you know just how tricky that can be. Rarely do you get consistent growth over the entire area, and you end up re-seeding.

CBC has taken all the guesswork out of the equation and has produced incredible results for me. This is an excellent product for professional landscapers who specialize in design and installation.

CBC also helps increase the survivability rate of transplanted flowers, trees, shrubs, and grasses. As any businessman will tell you, when you have to return to a site and replace dead flowers and shrubs, it eats up the profits reasonably quickly.