News
ENLARGE
This morning was groundbreaking in my high altitude composting world. In a matter of two weeks, the Master Mountain Composters (in training) were able to build a compost pile that reached 98 degrees and climbing! It was quite exciting to pull the cover off the tumbler, smell earth, and feel the heat of organics happily rotting!
So for all those who claim composting does not happen at this altitude and in this climate, I would like to proudly disagree. For one thing, compost is always happening regardless of Rocky Mountain weather. It may be happening at the speed of a snail, but it's happening. And with a couple of hot activators, a healthy balance of food and water and some love, the process can happen in months or even weeks.
I like to think of composting as housing a million microorganisms. I've even heard a compost pile referred to as a zoo in your backyard. As all living creatures, these beneficial bacteria need air, water and food to survive.
I only provide the best for my little zoo. I make sure their food is a strong balance of nitrogen and carbon so they have plenty of energy and protein to get the job done. A good start for nitrogen is your green materials like kitchen scraps (non-dairy and meat), grass and plant clippings, coffee and tea, eggshells, and dog and human hair.
A strong nitrogen that can help jump start your bin into “cooking” mode is animal manure. We added local llama manure to our bin to get it hot. Since most of us don't have access to llama droppings, some alternatives are chicken, rabbit and horse manure. You can always contact a local farm or stables to find manure. The Conservation Center is interested in starting a listserv for a Summit compost and compostables exchange. Keep an eye out for this in the near future.
When you add hot ingredients with strong nitrogen components to your compost pile, you have to balance the carbon/nitrogen ratio to make your microorganism population continue to grow. Your carbon materials can include saw dust, hay, and straw; dead leaves; paper plates, napkins, and towels; newspaper and paperboard … to name a few.
Now this is where you find out if you are a compost scientist or artist. For the artist in you, composting can be easy. Mix your browns and your greens in a half-and-half ratio and let the microorganisms go to town. For the compost scientist, you can determine the carbon to nitrogen ratio of every item you add to your bin to achieve the ideal 30:1 ratio (carbon to nitrogen). You can enter the realm of rocket scientist and calculate the carbon/nitrogen ratio from a nightmare algebra equation using the moisture percentage, bulk density, dry nitrogen and carbon percentage. From the perspective of a die-hard artist, let's keep it simple!
Once you figure out the ingredients, you have to tackle pile maintenance. One of the reasons most bins go dormant here in the high country is dryness. Your compost pile must stay as moist as a wrung-out sponge or your microorganisms will scatter. With strong winds, a blazing sun, and Colorado dryness, compost piles can dry out in a day. I like to water my compost pile like I water my garden. Mixing your compost pile also helps to achieve consistent moisture while aerating and moving microorganisms closer to untapped food.
The good thing about composting is that there are many ways to compost and most of them will give you some kind of finished product. If you still have questions, bring them to Ask a Master Mountain Composter on Saturday, July 11, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Conservation Center (518 E. Main Street in Frisco). We'll have compost supplies and educational materials to get you started. You are also invited to take the Composting 101 Workshop from 2-4 p.m. July 11. The workshop is $10 and pre-registration is appreciated. Please visit our website at www.highcountryconservation.org for more information.
Eartha Steward is written by Carly Wier and Jennifer Santry,
consultants on all things eco and chic at the High Country Conservation Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to waste reduction and resource conservation. Submit questions to Eartha at eartha@highcountryconservation.org.
So for all those who claim composting does not happen at this altitude and in this climate, I would like to proudly disagree. For one thing, compost is always happening regardless of Rocky Mountain weather. It may be happening at the speed of a snail, but it's happening. And with a couple of hot activators, a healthy balance of food and water and some love, the process can happen in months or even weeks.
I like to think of composting as housing a million microorganisms. I've even heard a compost pile referred to as a zoo in your backyard. As all living creatures, these beneficial bacteria need air, water and food to survive.
I only provide the best for my little zoo. I make sure their food is a strong balance of nitrogen and carbon so they have plenty of energy and protein to get the job done. A good start for nitrogen is your green materials like kitchen scraps (non-dairy and meat), grass and plant clippings, coffee and tea, eggshells, and dog and human hair.
A strong nitrogen that can help jump start your bin into “cooking” mode is animal manure. We added local llama manure to our bin to get it hot. Since most of us don't have access to llama droppings, some alternatives are chicken, rabbit and horse manure. You can always contact a local farm or stables to find manure. The Conservation Center is interested in starting a listserv for a Summit compost and compostables exchange. Keep an eye out for this in the near future.
When you add hot ingredients with strong nitrogen components to your compost pile, you have to balance the carbon/nitrogen ratio to make your microorganism population continue to grow. Your carbon materials can include saw dust, hay, and straw; dead leaves; paper plates, napkins, and towels; newspaper and paperboard … to name a few.
Now this is where you find out if you are a compost scientist or artist. For the artist in you, composting can be easy. Mix your browns and your greens in a half-and-half ratio and let the microorganisms go to town. For the compost scientist, you can determine the carbon to nitrogen ratio of every item you add to your bin to achieve the ideal 30:1 ratio (carbon to nitrogen). You can enter the realm of rocket scientist and calculate the carbon/nitrogen ratio from a nightmare algebra equation using the moisture percentage, bulk density, dry nitrogen and carbon percentage. From the perspective of a die-hard artist, let's keep it simple!
Once you figure out the ingredients, you have to tackle pile maintenance. One of the reasons most bins go dormant here in the high country is dryness. Your compost pile must stay as moist as a wrung-out sponge or your microorganisms will scatter. With strong winds, a blazing sun, and Colorado dryness, compost piles can dry out in a day. I like to water my compost pile like I water my garden. Mixing your compost pile also helps to achieve consistent moisture while aerating and moving microorganisms closer to untapped food.
The good thing about composting is that there are many ways to compost and most of them will give you some kind of finished product. If you still have questions, bring them to Ask a Master Mountain Composter on Saturday, July 11, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Conservation Center (518 E. Main Street in Frisco). We'll have compost supplies and educational materials to get you started. You are also invited to take the Composting 101 Workshop from 2-4 p.m. July 11. The workshop is $10 and pre-registration is appreciated. Please visit our website at www.highcountryconservation.org for more information.
Eartha Steward is written by Carly Wier and Jennifer Santry,
consultants on all things eco and chic at the High Country Conservation Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to waste reduction and resource conservation. Submit questions to Eartha at eartha@highcountryconservation.org.
