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Still Cooking: Its Action May Slow in the Winter, but a Compost Pile's Magic Keeps Working

Posted on: Friday, 23 December 2005, 12:00 CST

By Stuart Kellogg, Daily Press, Victorville, Calif., Daily Press, Victorville, Calif.

Dec. 23--As explained by the High Desert Master Composters, decomposition -- the work of bacteria, fungi, centipedes, millipedes, beetles and earthworms -- depends on warmth. And so it slows down in winter. But there are things a gardener can do to raise a compost pile's temperature. The Recycling Council of Ontario, Canada, which knows a thing or two about freezing, suggests creating a greenhouse effect by loosely covering the pile with clear plastic sheeting. If you happen to have an old storm window, this will allow warming sunlight through the glass while keeping animals out.

Indeed, a Pennsylvania gardener, a contributor to the Web site www.compostguide.com, tried the storm-window trick and reported a 50 F difference between inside and outside on a January morning. "I could just feel the billions of happy bacteria, hard at work in the warm interior making 'black gold,' " he wrote. Hay bales stacked around a plastic- or glass-covered compost pile make it appear less unsightly while also providing additional insulation. According to the master composters program, as waste decomposes, it gives off heat. This is a good thing, for heat kills weed seeds and "bad" microorganisms ("good" microorganisms survive at higher temperatures than "bad"). Piles smaller than 3 cubic feet have trouble retaining this beneficial heat. But in piles larger than 5 cubic feet, air may be unable to reach the center, and a healthy compost pile requires oxygen in addition to water and food (table scraps, etc.). So size your compost pile or piles accordingly. Fervent composters speak of "browns," which are high in carbon, and "greens," a source of nitrogen. The Multi Material Stewardship Board for the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador recommends a composting mixture that is half-and-half greens and browns -- by weight, not volume. Greens from the kitchen appropriate for composting include fruit and vegetable matter, coffee grounds and filters, tea leaves and tea bags. Cut up hard foods like cabbages and watermelon rinds to increase their surface area and speed decomposition. Appropriate browns are rice, oats and other grains; pasta, bread and other baked goods; peanut shells; and dried corn stalks. Although neither green nor brown, egg shells are a good source of calcium. The presence of millipedes, etc., is part of the natural composting process. But to avoid attracting rodents and flies, bury kitchen scraps near the center of a pile and keep it free of all meat, including chicken; fish and shellfish; bones; fat, grease, and oils; and all dairy products. Paper egg-cartons, paper towels and toilet-paper rolls are permissible, as are shredded cardboard and newsprint. Even colored newsprint is OK, for the ink is relatively free of such heavy metals as zinc, copper and other chemicals that can be harmful pollutants if they enter soil and water. But Umbra Fisk, writing in the Feb. 12, 2004, issue of the on-line magazine Grist (www.grist.org), warns against composting glossy newspaper-inserts and magazines, for they contain a higher level of toxins. The same goes for shiny, colored gift-wrapping paper -- something to remember in this holiday season. Cold ashes from a wood-burning stove or fireplace may be composted. But because wood ashes are alkaline, www.compostguide.com recommends adding no more than two gallon-sized buckets-full to every cubic yard of compost. And never add coal ashes, for these contain large amounts of sulfur and iron, which can injure the plants you are hoping to serve next spring and summer. The best news for winter composters comes from the Recycling Council of Ontario, Canada: Cold temperatures are actually beneficial, since freezing action breaks down the fibers in organic material, an aid to decomposition once the compost pile thaws out. Then, once again, you can dig compost into your soil, to amend it, or spread compost on top of the soil as a moisture-retaining, weed-suppressing mulch. Stuart Kellogg can be reached at 951-6240 or stuart@link.freedom.com From Here: -- Back to today's news -- News Archive -- Join the discussion at the community forum

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Copyright (c) 2005, Daily Press, Victorville, Calif.

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Source: Daily Press - Victorville, California

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