GREENhillHOME: From Kitchen to Garden

image by amber in norfolk on Flickr

As a recent new homeowner, I’ve started looking for ways to green my day-to-day life more than we’ve been able to do in the past.  We’ll be making changes to our home as time and budget permit, with a goal of living as ecologically-minded as possible over the coming years.  Aside from recycling everything the DC government will allow, we’ve started looking for ways to reduce the amount of trash we generate each week that cannot be recycled or repurposed and have focused on one option this spring: time to start our urban compost heap!

Composting has strong supporters and critics.  Aside from reducing the amount of waste a household generates–DC residents can reduce their trash totals by up to 23% by composting–it provides nutrient-rich planting medium to be used in flowerpots and gardens.  It can be an educational experience for young gardeners, mimicking nature’s processes for renewing the earth.  Compost can act as a “equalizer” for various soil types, adding porosity to clay soils and acting as a sponge in sandier mixes.  Compost also attracts earthworms, which naturally aerate the soil.  Detractors of composting, though, raise strong (and sometimes legitimate) concerns about odors from decomposing food waste and the potential for the compost to attract vermin.  They say composting has no place in densely-populated areas like Capitol Hill.  New York, though, has city-wide residential composting programs for homeowners and renters.  San Francisco manages to collect compostable waste in city-provided bins alongside trash and recycling throughout the city, creating compost that is used in traffic medians and public parks.  DC hasn’t gotten there just yet.

With some planning, Hill residents can compost with relative ease, using strategies that minimize odor and diminish the attraction of rodents and flies.  For the record, we aren’t recommending a “heap” or pile.  Urban composting should be done in a container, preferably metal so rats and other critters cannot chew their way into it.  The DC Department of the Environment offers some guidelines on how to create a compost bin for about $50.  There are many commercially-available compost bins as well, though you can expect to pay anywhere from $75 to $300 for a moderate-sized product.

Smaller–and potentially indoor–compost bins can be created that use worms to digest organic materials.  This process is called vermiculture, and can be done in containers as small as a milk jug.

Most vegetable, fruit, and grain-based foods can be added to the compost bin, along with yard waste and certain types of paper.  There should be equal parts green and brown matter to facilitate decomposition.  The composted waste must be moist but not wet; fruit and vegetable matter may offer enough moisture to start but, lacking this material, a small amount of water can be added to the bin.  Grass clippings also add moisture to the mix.  The material must be aerated on a regular basis, either being turned by shovel or pitchfork or rolling the complete container with the lid on tight.  Odors are minimized by keeping the mixture properly moistened and regularly churned.   If your compost bin starts to stink it’s time to shake up the contents a bit.

How do you know when the compost is “ready”?  Compost should have an earthy smell (like soil) and a dark color.  Particles should be fine and the original “ingredients” should not be recognized.  Coarser compost can be added to outdoor planting beds but for indoor use or starting seeds the mix should be fairly fine and homogeneous.