So many topics were on display at the first Iron Range Earth Fest a few weeks ago, it’s impossible to go into them all here. But the seeds of change, as it were, are still brewing around in my brain.

And timely, too! Turns out we’re in the midst of National Compost Awareness Week. As I work on doing as much as I can with my own home composting operation (and it really is a multi-tiered affair), I find there’s always more to learn.

Last year I wrote a basic primer on composting for the newsletter, and Darrel Swenson and Ellie Ricci were kind enough to share their wisdom for the story. Now, as Ellie moves on to more southerly pastures, she has entrusted her worm composting operation to me. This is an exciting venture, and I can’t wait to watch the worms grind through my produce scraps … and see how their juice and castings enrich my houseplants.

Also, just as we’re beginning to spend more time outside, think about your options for compost bins. You can make your own, or pick one up. In mid-May, new compost bins will be available for $15 for any household within the St. Louis County Solid Waste Management Area.

For more information on the basics of composting, check out: http://www.reduce.org.

In the spirit of composting awareness this week, I’ll post last year’s story here:

Grow Your Own Living Pile of Trash with Worms Not Weeds (or Pantyhose)

The way compost works is you’ve got to stir it up and turn it.

Otherwise it’s just a pile. —Anne Carter, July 2008

We composted when I was in college, living at the vegetarian co-op house, sure. But, really, for most us, it was just a pile out back. We saved our scraps in the steamy kitchen that always reeked of hummus. It was summer. A hot one. Was anyone turning the pile out back? Not sure. Potentially some guy from the Peace House, who, in addition to leading the revolution, knew a thing or two about compost construction and upkeep. Meanwhile, we tossed just about everything old in our hot bucket, and then later it disappeared. We slept soundly, believing our banana peels were doing some good out there somewhere. But whoever had the plan never shared it with the rest of us. Could that have been what was keeping those bugs so happy all summer long? I’m thinking that what we had there was just what Anne Carter knows as a pile.

But at this co-op, there is plenty of sharing. And no compost operation is going to work unless there’s a plan, and some maintenance. From the front to the back of our log building, people are composting. Ellie’s got her amazing red worms, Darrel’s got a homemade composter that’s pushing 30- plus years in use, and Marlyn in the Metsa garden has added a beautiful new tumbling barrel composter to her two existing methods: a black dome and a pile.

Composting ain’t nothing new, but it’s one of those things that can be a bit of a hurdle to start in the first place—kinda like joining your friendly local co-op, maybe. So in addition to a little bit of upkeep, perhaps the hardest thing about this enterprise is knowing how to get going. Fall may be on the horizon, but this bridge between seasons can be a great time to make use of all that summer yard waste.

The ideal mix of your compost should be layered materials of 50/50 green and brown waste: green refers to moist, organic produce, and brown can mean lawn clippings, leaves or twigs. Darrel has even used sawdust. It takes longer to break down, but it can also help control the odor.

Living in the country, he can attest to the fact that compost does not attract unwanted animals. Only twice in 25 years has he had a bear mess with his pile. And both of those years they were more hungry than usual because of a poor berry crop.

He started composting when he was already gardening organically. Living out in the country, he was trying to cut down on trips to the dump, and at the same time, he was keen to add more natural ingredients to the soil, while making good use of the leftovers. He built a composter in the yard, about three feet square by four feet deep, out of lumber and screens.

To dispose of home waste, he keeps a compost pail in the kitchen that has a charcoal filter on top to keep the odor at bay. Whenever it’s full, he brings it out to the compost bin, which he stirs up at least once of week. In stirring, he’s looking to keep the right amount of moisture in the pile—the consistency of a wrung-out sponge is how one resource describes it. If it seems too wet, it’s time to add more “brown” waste. Too dry? Start pitching in the old lettuce.

He empties the bin for the last time in the end of August or into September, but continues to add to his compost all winter long. In the spring thaw, he adds a bit of organic compost starter to get things going again.

Where to use that compost?

In the vegetable garden, Darrel finds that it has helped the most with the corn and plants in the cabbage family. If he still has some left over, he tosses it to the peppers. He definitely doesn’t put fresh compost where he has root crops—carrots or potatoes.

Rules to remember

  • That dirt needs air, man, so stir, stir away.
  • Layer, layer, layer, the green with the brown, the wet with the dry
  • And the pile needs moisture to speed up the action.
  • A warm pile is a happy pile. The heat of your compost means it’s cookin’, decaying, doing the break-down dance of garden life.

Worm Farm

If you don’t have a lot of space, or just want an in-home project that disposes of delicious produce scraps while giving your houseplants some fine nourishment, try Ellie Ricci’s method. Also called vermicomposting, worm composting requires special red worms that can live in a five- or ten-gallon bucket. Ellie started with Tupperware and has since moved on to a deluxe 5-level worm bin. A pound of worms can dispose of half a pound of scraps a day. Ellie feeds her precious worms the waste of fruits and vegetables, and has been known to beg for scrap from the produce department at the co-op to feed her serious worm habit. The worms break down every delicious melon rind and give back both water waste—excellent for watering those houseplants—and a bit of primo worm castings, that look like dirt, and can be used outside in the garden. The worms work slowly, moving up the layers of the bin. They don’t get stinky and they’ve never escaped—yet.

Web Resources

Gaiam: www.gaiam.com

Gardens Alive!: www.gardensalive.com

Green Cone: www.greencone.com

Purple Mountain Organics: www.purplemountainorganics.com

Vermitechnology.com: www.vermitechnology.com

What to compost

  • Unbleached coffee filters and paper
  • Cardboard
  • Yard waste: grass clippings, twigs, leaves and wood chips
  • Fruit and vegetable scraps
  • Eggshells (broken into small pieces)
  • Coffee grounds and tea bags

Do not compost at home

  • Pet waste: It can contain bacteria that’s harmful to humans

Carefully consider:

Meat or dairy: Will smell and attract pests, unless you use a special method like the Green Cone.

Weeds: Low-maintenance composting will not kill weed seeds, so if you spread your compost on your garden, you’ll also be planting weeds. A highly managed compost pile will kill some weeds, through the heat generated by the process. Your best bet is to put weeds out for yard waste collection, where they’ll likely end up in a municipal composter that will kill the seeds.

— From Real Money, published by Co-op America