Composting made easy

By Édith Smeesters
Biologist
Gives lectures & training classes on composting & organic horticulture

In the fall and especially after the first frost, it’s time to make a real big compost pile!

It is also time to collect lots of fallen leaves that you will need all year round to balance the Nitrogen (and odors) of kitchen waste!

Look at these tips for help :

1. Why make compost?

• To reduce our waste (Organic Matter = 47 % of our waste in Quebec!)
• To have healthy plants

2. Basic conditions for composting

Water  +  Organic Matter  +  Air  +  Proper Habitat

3. Materials to compost

Green & Moist (rich in Nitrogen):
- Fruit & vegetable scraps
- Tea bags, coffee grounds
- Fresh plant remains

Brown & Dry (rich in Carbon):
- Dead leaves
- Dry hay & straw
- Chipped branches
- Sawdust
- Shredded paper, cardboard

And eggshells (calcium).

Always cover “greens” with “browns”.

4. Caution!

Use with caution:
- Table scraps
- Bread, dairy products
- Seeded plants
- Diseased plants
- Wood ashes
- Cut grass
- Soil
- Manure

DO NOT use:
- Meat, bones, fish
- Oil and fat
- Big pieces of wood
- Synthetics (plastic, glass, metal)
- Vacuum cleaner bags
- Coal ashes
- Excrements (human or carnivores)

A compost bin is not a garbage can!

5. The best compost container?

Qualities needed: aeration, no bottom, easy access, size, lid, aesthetic?, price?, sustainable for your needs!

6. How to speed up the process?

• Proper balance browns/greens
• Size of materials
• Aeration
• Humidity
• Volume of the compost pile

7. When is compost ready?

• When it looks and smells like forest soil
• When you don’t recognize original materials
• When worms are gone

Now you know everything you need to know to give it a start!

Edith

Édith