Composting is home recycling.
Composting has not always been thought of as the respectable garden practice it is today.
It took too much time, too much space, was too messy, and anyway, who wanted a pile of garbage in the yard? Attitudes change.
Now people are proud that they recycle organic waste instead of filling garbage cans, stuffing kitchen waste disposal units, and calling for extra trash pickups whenever they trim a bush or two.
And since smog-control laws prohibit the burning of garden trash in many areas, composting has become a convenient disposal method.
Without much preparation or expense, you can try composting to see how you like it.
If you decide that it's going to be a worthwhile practice, then you'll want to construct one of the simple or complex compost bins shown on these pages.
You might also consider a compost grinder.
It makes the job go faster.
The article on soil improvement describes "humus," the brown or black material that forms in the ground as amendments rot.
In composting, you allow this humus to form above ground, since the varied organic materials of a compost pile are easier to use once they have rotted to a uniform substance.
You can compost kitchen waste, animal litter, lawn clippings, leaves, dead plants, or chopped up clippings or pruned material (avoid adding any diseased material).
Anything that was once alive will do.
Just pile it up in a back corner of the yard, add a handful of nitrogen fertilizer, and keep it barely moist, never wet.
To add air, toss and turn the pile with a fork.
Do this stirring at least once a week if you can.
In varying periods of time-perhaps three weeks, perhaps twice as long-the material will rot away, becoming a dark, clean-smelling, earthy mass.
The more you stir, the quicker the material will rot.
The organic process that occurs in a compost pile is simple to understand.
As the material decays, fungus and bacteria grow.
As they "eat" the piled waste, they produce heat, making the center of the pile very hot.
If the pile is not tossed and turned to keep the heat down and let bacterial action and fungus growth continue working at high speed, many of these organisms will die, slowing down the process.
Frequent tossing and turning of the compost pile will also prevent any unpleasant odor that can result from certain bacteria working when no oxygen is present.
In addition, it helps to keep down the maggots and larvae that may appear on the surface of the pile.
This is especially important in warm weather when their number increases along with the number of flies.
Composting is much quicker if you only add small bits and pieces of material to the pile.
Depending on the size, a whole branch might take months or years to rot away; even a big leaf takes longer to rot than a few leaf fragments.
The bacteria and fungus just can't digest hunks of material as fast as smaller pieces.
You can buy machines, both gasoline and electric-powered, that chop big pieces of organic matter into bits.
Some models can also be rented.
And, for the rare occasion when you'll need one, city maintenance departments and tree trimming firms often have heavy duty choppers available for rental by the hour.
When your compost pile has stopped producing heat in the center and looks and smells ready for use, fork it through a frame of fine hardware cloth to sift out the big pieces.
Use only the fine siftings for amending your soil and pile up the unrotted material for a second go round.
Composting has not always been thought of as the respectable garden practice it is today.
It took too much time, too much space, was too messy, and anyway, who wanted a pile of garbage in the yard? Attitudes change.
Now people are proud that they recycle organic waste instead of filling garbage cans, stuffing kitchen waste disposal units, and calling for extra trash pickups whenever they trim a bush or two.
And since smog-control laws prohibit the burning of garden trash in many areas, composting has become a convenient disposal method.
Without much preparation or expense, you can try composting to see how you like it.
If you decide that it's going to be a worthwhile practice, then you'll want to construct one of the simple or complex compost bins shown on these pages.
You might also consider a compost grinder.
It makes the job go faster.
The article on soil improvement describes "humus," the brown or black material that forms in the ground as amendments rot.
In composting, you allow this humus to form above ground, since the varied organic materials of a compost pile are easier to use once they have rotted to a uniform substance.
You can compost kitchen waste, animal litter, lawn clippings, leaves, dead plants, or chopped up clippings or pruned material (avoid adding any diseased material).
Anything that was once alive will do.
Just pile it up in a back corner of the yard, add a handful of nitrogen fertilizer, and keep it barely moist, never wet.
To add air, toss and turn the pile with a fork.
Do this stirring at least once a week if you can.
In varying periods of time-perhaps three weeks, perhaps twice as long-the material will rot away, becoming a dark, clean-smelling, earthy mass.
The more you stir, the quicker the material will rot.
The organic process that occurs in a compost pile is simple to understand.
As the material decays, fungus and bacteria grow.
As they "eat" the piled waste, they produce heat, making the center of the pile very hot.
If the pile is not tossed and turned to keep the heat down and let bacterial action and fungus growth continue working at high speed, many of these organisms will die, slowing down the process.
Frequent tossing and turning of the compost pile will also prevent any unpleasant odor that can result from certain bacteria working when no oxygen is present.
In addition, it helps to keep down the maggots and larvae that may appear on the surface of the pile.
This is especially important in warm weather when their number increases along with the number of flies.
Composting is much quicker if you only add small bits and pieces of material to the pile.
Depending on the size, a whole branch might take months or years to rot away; even a big leaf takes longer to rot than a few leaf fragments.
The bacteria and fungus just can't digest hunks of material as fast as smaller pieces.
You can buy machines, both gasoline and electric-powered, that chop big pieces of organic matter into bits.
Some models can also be rented.
And, for the rare occasion when you'll need one, city maintenance departments and tree trimming firms often have heavy duty choppers available for rental by the hour.
When your compost pile has stopped producing heat in the center and looks and smells ready for use, fork it through a frame of fine hardware cloth to sift out the big pieces.
Use only the fine siftings for amending your soil and pile up the unrotted material for a second go round.