Dan's Papers - April 4, 2008 -

Composting is a natural process of decomposition. When plant material dies, organisms like bacteria, worms and fungi eat what's left. They can chew their way through a pile of leaves, lawn clippings, vegetable scraps and old flowers and turn it into soil that is used to feed the garden. It happens in the woods and fields around us all the time.

Experts may argue about the technical name for the process, but they are now using this cycle of life in high tech composting facilities to produce good garden amendments and methane for fuel. Will Brinton, Phd, an agriculturalist and agronomist who runs Wood's End Laboratory, recently spoke at the Silas Marder Gallery in Bridgehampton. He has advised Prince Charles of England, worked with the United States Army and now is helping nurseries across the country replace peat moss with a uniform type of compost in their growing mixes.

However, odors from large composting facilities, zoning issues and run off have caused concern for some people, so he now works with contained steel units - much like whiskey stills - that produce consistent, clean results. Brinton has invented some interesting tests that show what nutrients are available in any given compost sample and if it's "ripe."

Everyday gardeners don't have to make big investments in equipment or time even though there are countless products in garden catalogues that guarantee great results in just three months. Rotating barrels, stacking bins, and herbal additives all claim to contribute to the end result. Some create the right balance of fungi and bacteria to improve the soil, others minimize labor as turning compost seems to be de riguer.

Yet there is a lazy person's way to get rich crumbly soil while letting the worms do the work. Building a series of bins from some chicken wire or old pool fencing is the easiest way. Fill one up with all your yard debris, layered with kitchen scraps, lawn cuttings and maybe some manure from the neighbor's horses. Throw in all the herbs and annuals from your garden clean up in the fall. If you're energetic, give it a turn once in a while. Then next year begin to fill the middle bin, and eventually fill the last bin. By the time you finish filling the last bin, the first one will be ready to use and you will have saved some money in dump fees and fertilizer costs.

Certain conditions are necessary to promoting the process of decomposition.

A shady spot with overhead irrigation is ideal. Water is essential to the process and speeds it up remarkably. Having the compost on the ground versus in elevated bins or concrete floors, means that existing soil organisms can colonize the pile. No fancy additives are necessary to enhance bacteria or worm populations that will get the job done while you're picking apples or planning for next year's harvest. The enormous pile that you heaped up will slowly shrink over the following winter and spring.

What goes into the pile determines the quality of the dark, rich crumbly soil that you are hoping for. Maple leaves break down easily but oak leaves do not. Impatiens seem to liquefy with the first frost, but some herbs and perennials will leave stalks behind. Brinton recommends putting some wood ash in with the kitchen scraps to maintain the correct ph.

Kitchen scraps may attract raccoons or possums but when these nocturnal neighbors dig around in the pile they mix up the organic material much in the same way turning would. Of course some bits may get distributed across the lawn as well, which is why the wire enclosure should be big enough for them to turn around in. And on their way to and fro they may have a snack on some slugs.

So when is it done and ready to use? "The older the better" says Brinton. "Immature compost can inhibit your plants' growth." Compost should look like chocolate brownie mix after the egg and butter is mixed in, but before the milk is added. It can be screened for use or simply sift out the biggest sticks with your hand or a pitchfork when you are ready to dig into it.

The benefit to your garden can be measured by the nutrients available in your compost. Cornell Co-operative Extension can do a soil test that will analyze the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in your compost.

Many commercial companies that produce compost test it regularly to ensure a consistent and clean product. The real beauty of the composting process is that a lot of contaminants are neutralized, which is why Phd's are now studying the process so carefully. Brinton worked with the United States Army to see if they could decontaminate an Oregon Base. Material from explosives stored on the base in WWII washed out of their shells and into the surrounding soil. They mixed the contaminated earth with alfalfa, hay and manure. After microorganisms broke everything down the compost was tested. The results found that the contaminants were practically undetectable. It is encouraging to know that while we are cleaning up the yard by composting, people like Brinton are cleaning up the environment.

This is the week for final spring clean ups in areas where daffodils are coming up, otherwise they can get beat up by the rake. Also, carefully cut back the old dead foliage from your hellebores as the tender new leaves and flower buds are just beginning to emerge. If the magnolias or apples have any branches that broke in recent wind storms, bring them in and put them in a vase in a sunny window. A last chance to prune the peaches can also give you some nice branches to force.