CUISINE & CULTURE
Now that October has arrived summer gardens are getting cleaned up. After our harsh summer, many gardeners threw up their hands and eliminated scorched plants. Rather than disposing plants in the trash bin, try composting plants.
Compost is decomposed organic matter. Waste foliage can be recycled into an organic amendment rich with nutrients. Leaves that have fallen, grass clippings, kitchen waste can be recycled in compost bins. Done properly, composted material is a terrific, and free, source of organic matter.
Containers in which to compost are not essential, but sure make the process easier as a successful compost pile is no less than 3 feet deep and not more than 4 feet, by the same width. A container keeps the pile from spreading so it is helpful to have a dedicated structure for only composting.
The most successful composts have ingredients that are easily decomposed. Organic material like wood chips take years to decompose and are not much benefit in a compost pile; same with straw, cardboard, and leaves that have not been crushed or mulched. Add organic material that can be easily broken down. Coffee grounds are excellent in the pile as they are already in tiny pieces and can acidify the final product.
Things to never add to a compost pile are human or animal waste as the microbes present in the waste will persist into the final product. Never add bones or dairy products. Never add garden, yard waste or grass clippings to which pesticides have been applied.
Compost bins do not need to be fancy. They just need to be sturdy enough to contain the plant matter and withstand the turning of the matter as it is decomposing.
Compost structure possibilities:
Wire fencing works just fine. The netting should be small enough to contain the matter as it breaks down into smaller pieces. The advantage of wire fencing, like chicken wire, is that oxygen is available to hasten the decomposition process.
Wood boxes can hold the matter but the pile needs to be more frequently turned to supply oxygen to the decomposing material.
Wood pallets can be assembled into a box. Wire may need to be affixed to the spaces in the pallet boards to keep the material from leaking out.
What will not work well: unfortunately, carboard boxes decompose over time and the cardboard falls apart.
Ellen Peffley Harp, a retired professor of horticulture at Texas Tech University, writes about gardening for several Texas newspapers.
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