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Composting in the Garden
Composting is defined as the breakdown of organic material such as garden or kitchen waste by organisms that feed on waste and convert it into a mulch which can then be used as a soil conditioner in the garden.
Quite an amount of your household waste is composed of organic materials, most of which can be turned into compost by using a compost bin (or if you have the space a compost heap). There are two main advantages to composting:
Quite an amount of your household waste is composed of organic materials, most of which can be turned into compost by using a compost bin (or if you have the space a compost heap). There are two main advantages to composting:
- You significantly reduce the amount of organic waste that has to be disposed of by other means, such as in landfill.
- You can use the resulting compost to enrich / condition the soil in your garden, by returning nutrients to the soil, and improve soil aeration. You will know when your compost is “ready” when it appears crumbly, and has a neutral odour; it is best used as mulch around trees or bushes, or dug into the soil of your vegetable or flower patch.
Composting is going on around us all the time, the leaves which fall in the Autumn rot back into the ground each year, a composting bin simply speeds up the rotting down of these waste organic materials.
Is there a down side to composting?
Yes if you do not follow a few simple rules and are careless in your method of composting you can have problems with flies, rodents and foul smells, follow the simple rules and you should NOT have problems with your composting bin.
Yes if you do not follow a few simple rules and are careless in your method of composting you can have problems with flies, rodents and foul smells, follow the simple rules and you should NOT have problems with your composting bin.
- Best results will be achieved if you ensure that coarse materials are shredded or chopped into small pieces before being added to the compost bin. Ideally you should build the compost material in layers of about 6 to 9 inches, moisten vegetable matter if dry, and layer grass, woody matter, kitchen scraps to ensure there is a good mix of materials. Generally the product in the composting bin should feel dampish, add small amounts of water if necessary, but do not allow the composting material to become very wet or waterlogged or it will begin to emit an odour.
- Try turning / mixing the composting materials from time to time as this will speed up the rate of decomposition, if you just leave the material to decompose naturally without turning, composting will take somewhere between a year and eighteen months under normal conditions.
- If you get odours , you can spread a thin layer of soil on top of the composting materials, damp shredded newspaper can also help with this problem. Check that you are not accidentally putting cooked / boiled kitchen waste into your compost bin, because this could attract vermin .
- Flies can sometimes be a problem, solutions can include spreading a light layer of clean soil or even sawdust (if available), turning the composting material will increase the amount of heat generated in the compost bin, and this heat will kill fly larvae / eggs, don’t use an insecticide as the chemicals may kill the beneficial insects and earthworms needed to compost, and will result in a significant slowing down the composting / decomposition process.
What do I need?
A compost bin is a good start for most households with a reasonably sized garden, where you have a flower bed or vegetable patch to use in resulting compost in. Composting bins are readily available in your local hardware store or can often be purchased directly from your Local Authority.
The bin needs to be open or “holed” at the bottom, and really needs to be placed directly on the ground so that the compost inside will come in contact with the soil, this will allow earthworms to work their way into the composting material and in doing so the composting material should compost more quickly.
Consider digging the area under the compost bin prior to positioning it as this will assist the transfer of earthworms and ground insects from the ground to the bin. The ideal location for your compost bin would be in a sunny area of the garden, although in an area protected from direct sunlight, but somewhat away from the house.
It can be useful to have a small container in your kitchen where you can collect your organic waste for composting, as this will reduce the number of trips to your compost container. You will also need a garden fork for turning the material in the compost bin.
The bin needs to be open or “holed” at the bottom, and really needs to be placed directly on the ground so that the compost inside will come in contact with the soil, this will allow earthworms to work their way into the composting material and in doing so the composting material should compost more quickly.
Consider digging the area under the compost bin prior to positioning it as this will assist the transfer of earthworms and ground insects from the ground to the bin. The ideal location for your compost bin would be in a sunny area of the garden, although in an area protected from direct sunlight, but somewhat away from the house.
It can be useful to have a small container in your kitchen where you can collect your organic waste for composting, as this will reduce the number of trips to your compost container. You will also need a garden fork for turning the material in the compost bin.
What Can I put into my compost bin?
- Grass Cuttings , however don’t add grass cuttings to compost bin if you have recently treated the grass with week killer, only add grass cuttings in layers of approximately 6 to 9 inches at a time.
- Tea Leaves / Tea Bags.
- Flower Cuttings / Dead Flowers / Vegetable Patch Waste
- Leaves from deciduous trees / flowers and shrubs will compost nicely, though some will take a long time to decompose. Avoid Conifers and Evergreen plants / leaves / shrubs as these are not really suitable in the general composting bin (put these into your Brown Bin though).
- Weeds / Nettles will compost, but try to avoid putting the seeds / bulbs into the compost bin, as this could result in spreading the weeds when you use the compost later.
- Uncooked Kitchen Waste, such as vegetable peelings, fruit, washed and crushed eggshells can also be added to your compost bin, but cut vegetable peelings and fruit waste into small pieces to aid the composting process. Avoid citrus fruits such as lemons, limes etc.
- Paper / Cardboard, Sawdust / Wood shavings slightly dampen and shred to small pieces, limited quantities, same for cardboard egg cartons.
- “Woody” materials such as tree and bush pruning’s can be included but only when shredded and in small quantities , these can help aerate the composting material.
What NOT to put into my compost bin?
- Meat or Fish cooked or uncooked if placed in your compost bin will attract vermin, some Brown Bin Contractors permit disposal of cooked / uncooked meat products in their Brown Bins – check with your contractor.
- Cooked Food if placed in your compost bin will attract vermin, some Brown Bin Contractors permit disposal of cooked food waste in their Brown Bins– check with your contractor.
- Dairy Product waste does not compost
effectively and may attract vermin. - Dog / Cat / Pet faeces may contain disease and should not be added to your compost bin.
- Thorny material such as rose clippings etc.
- Garden Waste treated with weed killer / pesticides shouldn’t be included, wait for at least two cuttings after application of garden chemicals.
- Plastics / Metals / Glass this may sound obvious but they do not decompose.
Alternative Composting Methods :
- Wormerys : An alternative to the Compost Bin would be a Wormery, not for some but this method of composting is equally effective….the worms are kept in a specially designed container, into which you deposit ordinary kitchen waste such as peelings, cooked / uncooked scraps, tea bags, eggshells etc. The worms then feed on the waste and convert the waste scraps into a liquid organic compost feed; this liquid is collected in a container, and when diluted with water can be used as an excellent organic plant food for your house plants, garden flowers, shrub bed, vegetable bed or it can even be used as a lawn feed. The liquid does not have any unpleasant odours.
Email: Irish Earthworms
- Your Brown / Composting Bin: Most garden waste, such as grass cuttings, hedge clippings, old plants, weeds, garden cuttings, fallen leaves and vegetable waste can be composted in the Brown Bin. Kitchen waste like fruit and vegetable remains, tea bags and coffee grounds, crushed eggshells, flowers, newspaper and light cardboard can also be composted. Some service suppliers also permit cooked food waste, including meats....where a Brown / Compost Bin is supplied you should ensure that it is left out for collection regularly, even if it has little contents.
- Civic Amenity Centres : Organic materials can also be brought to civic amenity centres to be composted, look out for Christmas Tree recycling facilities which are organised by Local Authorities in January each year.
For more advice on composting contact:
ENFO Website
Irish Peatland Conservation Council Website
Cré Composting and Anaerobic Digestion Association of Ireland
KCC Composting Information
Email: Kildare County Council - Environment Section
12082011
Recycling in Newbridge
-
Composting in the Garden
- Conserving Energy in The Home
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Conservation of Water
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Recycling Electrical / Electronic Equipment WEEE
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Recycle - Repak & Rehab
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Recycling Survey 2008 - Newbridge
