iga k asked:


I have finally started composting! I am using a plastic storage container with a lid, and am dumping tea, coffee grounds, vegetable, and fruit waste. I also put in either potting soil, or hummus about once a week. ( Just sprinkle a layer on top.)

I have been doing this for about 2 months. I just went out to turn it ( I have not turned it in about two weeks), and I noticed these large larvae things in it. I am guessing that they are some kind of fly larvae, but they are larger than any I have seen, being about an inch long and about as big as a pinkie.

I worry that I might not have enough carbon material, but other than that I think that I am doing what I am supposed to do.

I would just like to hear from my fellow composters – hopefully with more experience than I!

–Just want to make sure that I am not creating a health hazard, or breeding some kind of mutant creature.

Does anyone know what these things are? Everything seems to be decomposing okay.

By: james ellison

Compost, made from decomposed grass clippings, leaves, twigs, and branches, becomes a dark, crumbly mixture of organic matter.

Learn how composting works. Even a newbie to composting can make good quality compost. It can be compared to cooking as art or part science. The following 7 factors will help you master the art of composting.

1. Materials

After a time anything that was once alive will naturally decompose. But, not all organic items should be composted for the home. To prepare compost, organic material, microorganisms, air, water, and a small amount of nitrogen are needed.

These items are safe to compost at home:

* grass clippings

* trimmings from hedges

* vegetable scraps

* leaves

* potting soil that has grown old

* twigs

* coffee filters with coffee grounds

* tea bags

* weeds that have not went to seed

* plant stalks

These items are Not safe to compost at home:

* weeds that have went to seed

* dead animals

* pet feces

* bread and grains

* meat

* grease

* cooking oil

* oily foods

*diseased plants

2. What To Do To Make It Work

There are small forms of plant and animal life which break down the organic material. This life is called microorganisms. From a minute amount of garden soil or manure comes plenty of microorganisms.

Nitrogen, air, and water will provide a favorable environment for the microorganisms to make the compost. Air circulation and water will keep the microorganisms healthy and working. The nitrogen feeds the tiny organisms. You may have to add a small amount of nitrogen to the pile.

Putting on too much nitrogen can kill microbes and too much water causes insufficient air in the pile. You just cannot add too much air.

3. Beneficial Microorganisms

Bacteria are the most effective compost makers in your compost pile. They are the first to break down plant tissue. Then comes the fungi and protozoans to help with the process. The arthropodes, like centipedes, beetles, millipedes and worms, bring in the finishing touches to complete the composting.

4. Smaller is Better

The materials will break down faster if the microorganisms have more surface area to eat. Chopping your garden materials with a chipper, shredder, or lawnmower will help them decompose faster.

5. Size of The Pile

The activity of millions of microorganisms generates heat in the compost pile but a minimum size 3-foot by 3-foot by 3-foot is needed for a hot, fast composting pile. Piles that are any larger may hamper the air supply needed in the pile for the microorganisms.

6. Moisture and Aeration

If you can imagine a wet squeezed out sponge with its many air pockets, then this would be the ideal enviroment for the microorganisms in the pile to function at their best. Pay attention while your pile is composting, to the amount of rain or a drought you may have. Water in a drought and maybe turn the pile in a lot of rainy days. The extremes of these two may upset the balance of the pile. The use of a pitchfork would come in handy at this time.

7. Temperature and Time

Keep your pile between 110F and 160F and the beneficial bacteria will love it. Not too cool nor too hot.

The temperature will rise over several days if you keep a good ratio of carbon and nitrogen, maintain lots of surface area within a large volume of material, and maintain adequate moisture and aeration.

-Importance of Compost-

+Compost has nutrients, but it is not a complete fertilizer.

+Compost provides nutrients in the soil until plants need to use them.

+ It loosens and aerates clay soils

+ Retains water in sandy soils.

-Using the Compost-

+ A soil amendment, mix 2 to 5 inches of compost into gardens each year before planting.

+ A potting mixture, add one part compost to two parts potting soil.

+ Make your own potting mixture by using equal parts of compost and sand or perlite.

+ A mulch, prodcast 2 to 4 inches of compost around annual flowers and vegetables, and up to 5 inches around your trees and shrubs.

+ A top dressing, mix finely sifted compost with sand and sprinkle evenly over lawns.

The final thing I would suggest once you have mastered the art of composting is to look very seriously at making your very own aerated compost tea. This elixir will give you results that are hard to believe.

By: Ellen Bell

Have you heard of composting, but just aren\’t sure what it means?  Not sure why how compost can benefit you?  If you haven\’t started composting at home yet, now is the time!  Home composting is more than just a growing trend among gardeners, it\’s a great way to recycle your kitchen scraps and yard refuse into something you can use-compost!

So what is compost and why is it so beneficial?  Compost is a fresh black material similar in appearance and texture to potting soil.  It is produced naturally when organic material breaks down and decays (a process also known as composting).  The resulting compost is rich in nutrients that plants love, making it one of the best types of fertilizer you can use.  Compost, also known as black gold, can be tilled into the soil before trees, shrubs, or other plants are planted.  It can also be applied to the soil around existing plants.  Compost will help plants grow bigger, faster, and stronger than you ever thought possible.

Better yet, composting is a way to recycle!  We all know that recycling is the right thing to do.  The more items we can keep out of our landfills, the better.  And after all, why throw away things that you can turn into valuable compost?  Simple things like vegetable peelings, dead leaves from your trees, and plant clippings can all be turned into compost.  It just makes sense to recycle these things into compost rather than throwing them away.

So how do you get started with home composting?  Well, first you need to decide what type of composting you want to do.  There are two basic types of composting, aerobic and anaerobic.  Anaerobic composting refers to methods such as a compost pile.  Compost piles are one of the easiest methods of composting.  They require little effort and virtually no maintenance.  Simply pick a spot in your yard (preferably far away from your house; keep reading and we\’ll explain why) and begin a pile of the organic materials to be composted.  Sounds easy, right?  While anaerobic composting is easy, there are also some downsides.  First is the length of time required.  The microbes that break materials down in anaerobic composting are very inefficient.  When you pile things up in a compost pile, it can take several years for them to fully break down and become finished compost.  The second problem is the odor produced.  Many people think of composting as a smelly process, and when it comes to anaerobic composting, they are correct.  Anaerobic bacteria produce methane and sulfate gasses as a byproduct of the composting process, and these are gasses that we find very offensive and smelly.

Aerobic composting, on the other hand, is an entirely different process.  Just like the name would suggest, aerobic composting requires oxygen, meaning that the organic materials being broken down must be aerated regularly.  A compost pile can be mixed and turned regularly to encourage aerobic bacteria; however, this is often a difficult and labor-intense process.  The easiest way to compost materials aerobically is to buy a compost tumbler.  Compost tumbler bins are designed to be rotated, so that the aerobic microbes get the oxygen they need to create finished compost.  In contrast to anaerobic bacteria, aerobic microbes are very efficient and quick.  A compost tumbler, under the right temperature and moisture conditions, can usually produce finished compost within about 6 weeks.  Even better yet, aerobic bacteria do not produce smelly gasses like anaerobic bacteria, meaning that aerobic composting is a virtually odorless process.  Compost tumbler bins can be easily purchased through many online and mail order stores.

No matter what type of composting you decide on, home composting is still a great idea.  Not only is composting good for the earth, it\’s also great for your plants and garden.  Plus, you\’ll have the satisfaction of turning garbage and yard waste into something really valuable that you can use.  Home composting isn\’t just for master gardeners anymore, so what are you waiting for?  Start composting today!

By: Jim Allen

If you’re looking for another way to make a positive impact on the planet, in addition to recycling, look no further than the wonderful world of composting. In basic terms, composting is the act of breaking down organic food and yard waste into a potent soil amendment called humus. But actually, composting is a bit more. It is about providing an environment where this process occurs quicker, usually in a compost bin or compost tumbler, and with the correct ratios of certain organic matter – you can’t just go throwin’ everything in and hope for the best.

Composting really is an art. Depending on your climate and time of year, your pile may need more or less of certain things to achieve the optimum carbon to nitrogen ratio for the organic matter to properly break down. Also, composting is not a free-for-all for your food scraps and waste. There are many things that are no-no’s as far as the compost bin goes, including meat and bones, grease and oils, dairy products, fecal matter (that’s right, no poo), diseased plants and weeds. Actually, it may be better to give a list of compostable items, so here goes:

From the yard: chemical-free grass clippings, dry leaves, shrub and tree waste, sawdust and wood chips from untreated wood, straw and hay, dead plants and flowers, potting soil, dead insects.

From the kitchen: coffee grounds and filters, tea bags (no staples) and leaves, fruit and veggie scraps, corn husks, crushed eggshells, hair from brushes, cereal (oatmeal for example), bread and flour, leftover pasta without oil or dairy-based sauces, rice, all-natural fibers like cotton, shredded black and white newspaper, paper towels.

All you need to get started is a compost bin of some sort, a suitable place to put it, and some basic information that can be found in any composting guide. If you’re an apartment dweller without a yard, there are smaller indoor units that can be kept indoors or on a patio. And don’t worry if you’re not into gardening, if you produce rich, fertile humus, there will be no shortage of people vying to take it off your hands. So start composting today, its fun for the whole family and is great for the environment.