How to Build, Maintain, and Use a Compost System: Secrets and Techniques You Need to Know to Grow the Best Vegetables

256 Pages·2011·4.43 MB·English

by  Kelly Smith

HOW TO BUILD, MAINTAIN, AND
USE A
COMPOST SYSTEM
SECRETS AND TECHNIQUES
YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GROW
THE BEST VEGETABLES
BY KELLY SMITH
HOW TO BUILD, MAINTAIN, AND USE A COMPOST SYSTEM: SECRETS AND TECHNIQUES
YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GROW THE BEST VEGETABLES Copyright © 2011 Atlantic Publishing
Group, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Smith, Kelly M., 1969—
How to build, maintain, and use a compost system : secrets and techniques you need to know to grow the best vegetables
/ by Kelly M. Smith.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-354-9 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-60138-354-1 (alk. paper)
1. Compost. 2. Vegetable gardening. I. Title.
S661.S646 2010
635.9’87--dc22
2010034382
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Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank the following people for their willingness to provide case study
information: Andrea Zuercher, Carrie Bennett, John Cossham, Kimberly Roy,
Kimberly Wolterman, Linda Stephenson, Marianne Carlson, Robert and Debra
Post, and Sara Estep. It was a pleasure to work with you all. I’d like to add extra
thanks to Robert Post for going out of his way to provide instructions and
accompanying photographs for the barrel composter section.
I would also like to thank all the amateur composting enthusiasts who spend a lot
of time and effort to share their knowledge online through blogs, videos, and
tutorials. Your work is appreciated and admired.
Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction: Why Compost?
Chapter 1: Let us begin with the Basics
Chapter 2: Getting Started
Chapter 3:The Science of Composting
Chapter 4: Outdoor Compost Bins
Chapter 5: Building a Compost Pile
Chapter 6: Maintaining a Compost Bin
Chapter 7: Using Compost
Chapter 8: Vermicomposting
Chapter 9: Winter and Indoor Composting
Chapter 10: Troubleshooting
Conclusion
Appendix A: More Information on Vermicomposting
Appendix B: Where to Purchase Composting Items
Appendix C: The Composting Community
Glossary
Bibliography
About the Author
Introduction: Why Compost?
“Garbage becomes rose. Rose becomes compost. Everything is in
transformation. Even permanence is impermanent.”
— Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh
The quote above is from Thich Nhat Hanh, founder of the Unified Buddhist
Church in France. His teachings focus on the interconnectedness of all things
and often reflect the environmentally minded, earth-caring aspect of composting.
The interrelationship of “garbage” and “roses,” or more likely manure and
vegetables, has been apparent to farmers for centuries. Composting is probably
as old as human agriculture. There are references to composting recorded on
clay tablets in Mesopotamia going back to at least 500 B.C. The Bible, the
Talmud, and other early written sources mention the agricultural use of manure
and other compost-like substances, so composting was well known even from
early times.
The use of compost as a soil enricher continued until the 19th century when
commercially produced chemical fertilizers were developed. These fertilizers
were an important part of the formation of modern agribusiness because they
were not as labor-intensive as making compost and could support enormous
commercial crops. The downside of commercial fertilizers was not apparent for
some time, but eventually it was discovered that the runoff of nitrogen and
phosphorous from fertilized fields caused algae blooms and subsequent fish kills
and dead zones in ponds, lakes, and rivers. Dead zones develop when algae
overgrows and uses up all the oxygen in a body of water, killing the fish and
overgrows and uses up all the oxygen in a body of water, killing the fish and
other aquatic creatures. Nitrates in the groundwater supply can lead to the
potentially fatal blue baby syndrome, which is an illness in newborns that
decreases the capacity of their hemoglobin to carry oxygen. As more and more
problems associated with overuse of commercial fertilizers have been
discovered, more and more people are turning to natural alternatives and are
using compost. Even commercial organic farms use compost. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture administers the rules and guidelines for the use of
compost in organic farms. These guidelines are very specific about what can and
cannot be used in compost for organic farming and closely mirror what a home
gardener would use.
Many people compost at home for purely pragmatic reasons; they want organic
nutrients for their gardens, and composting is the most inexpensive way to
obtain them. Making compost can be free if you use an open compost pile or an
existing container and tools. This can save money spent on fertilizers, potting
soil, and commercially available soil amendments because compost can
significantly reduce the need for all three items. This book discusses the benefits
of using compost as a soil amendment and tells you how to build and care for
your own compost system to yield rich compost that can feed your plants and
nourish seedlings. Compost can also save you money on your waste disposal
bill. Food waste makes up about 7 percent of the garbage sent to landfills every
year. By composting all your plant-based garbage, you could make a dent in the
amount of trash you throw out and might be able to get a smaller bin and a
reduced rate from your trash collection company.
Other people compost for the good of the planet. Taking the waste from our
meals and the trimmings from our gardens and turning them into rich soil
amendments that will help grow the next crop of food is an excellent way to
remove products from the waste stream and put them to good use. Most people
are already well-versed in recycling bottles, cans, paper, and other items that we
used to think of as garbage. Composting is a way to do the same with our
organic “garbage,” thus easing the strain on, and saving us the cost of
transporting our waste to, already overburdened landfills. Unlike commercial
fertilizers, composting also puts organic additives into the soil that help plants
fertilizers, composting also puts organic additives into the soil that help plants
grow bigger and stronger and stay healthier. Compost can not only feed plants,
but it can also prevent many common plant diseases. At the same time, compost
does no harm to the environment the way commercially produced chemical
fertilizers and pesticides can. Overusing chemical fertilizers can strip soil of
fertility and poison worms and other valuable creatures. Overusing pesticides
can lead to resistance in pests, making those that are left heartier and defeating
the whole purpose of pesticides in the first place.
Whether you are reading this book to find a cheaper way to feed your garden, or
a way to help the environment by cutting back on the waste coming out of your
kitchen, you will find something helpful here. Think of compost not as an end
product, but as part of a never-ending cycle as Thich Nhat Hanh points out. The
compost becomes food, and the food becomes compost.
Table of Contents