Ali Rutherford is a horticulturist and teacher. She is widely acknowledged as a composting authority. Costa dropped by her home for a master class on the principles and scope of the wonderful world of composting. Ali believes that every house in Australia should have some kind of compost system. It is of course essential for your garden as well as good for the environment. Problem is most of us think we can throw in whatever we like, sit back and wait for nature to take its course. The truth is like all of us compost needs to be loved, understood and nurtured if we expect to reap its rewards. Ali Rutherford knows all there is to know about loving your compost.

Tips

Creating the perfect compost is a bit like baking a cake. You need all of the right ingredients in the right order.

Setting up the bin/heap:

• Position the bin in a well-drained place, preferably in the shade and not too far away from your kitchen if possible. Like anything, the further away it is at the beginning, the harder it is to build your habit of feeding your compost.

• Put a layer in the base of the bin, about 200mm thick (4”-6”) deep of high carbon material – i.e. a woody mulch of leaves and twigs – for aeration and drainage.

• The next step is to actually seed the compost bin by adding a little bit of compost from your own garden, from a neighbour, or from the nursery. The idea here is to add something that already has all the vital micro-organisms and worms, all the microbe energy in it to get to work and start breaking down the waste. You could even use just a shovel or two of rich black topsoil from your own garden which would be alive and rich enough to get the compost heap working.

• Water this layer in well.

• Then add a layer of green waste from the kitchen, but remember each time you add kitchen scraps and green waste add the equivalent in twigs, leaves and leaves/leaf mulch.

• Again, water this layer in. Just like moisture, aeration is vital to increase decomposition, and it actually helps reduce the odours. The compost will begin to heat up which allows decomposition and transformation of scraps into compost to begin.

• Now mix with a fork or better still a purpose built spiral tool for compost turning. They do a great job and are easy to use. Cost is about $40.

Step by step success:

• Whenever you add fresh scraps and turn the heap, always finish with a layer of leaf mulch/twigs and then cover with a moist hessian bag. This breathes, acts like a skin and allows the worms to move throughout the entire compost bin by keeping it moist and dark.

• Add chicken pellets/garden pellets as these are additional nutrients and proteins that help feed the micro-organisms and therefore speed up the breakdown process.  Add a handful or two every couple of weeks.

• Now all you need to do 3 times a week is top up the compost with an equal ratio of kitchen scraps and leaf and twig matter. Add other ingredients regularly eg manures, vacuum contents, hair, herbs, weeds, grass.

• Always remember to water and stir. Once the bin is full it’s time to mature your compost. Don’t add any more scraps, just water and stir once a week for 6 weeks and then your home made compost will be ready for the garden.

• Remember you can put any organic matter in to your compost but if you add citrus, onions or teabags make sure you have some dolomite on hand that will help balance the acidity levels.

• Place your compost around the DRIP-LINE of your plants but keep it away from the stems of plants.

Compost problem solver

Below are three of the most common problems people have with their compost.

Problem 1: Smelly
Remedy: Increase Aeration
   
• Add more coarse material.

• Mix the heap more regularly with spiral mixing tool.

• Add a handful of dolomite, wood-ash or lime.

• Change site if necessary.

Decrease moisture:

• This will happen naturally with more mixing and extra coarse material.

• Don’t add extra tap water if food scraps are very wet.

Problem 2: Not heating up
Remedy:

• Add more Nitrogenous material - eg manures, young grass clippings, blood and bone, urine, etc.

• Check moisture level - add more water when mixing.

• Consider using an activator - eg Humilac, Actizyme, Yates Compost Activator, Eokomit, Urine.

Problem 3: Attracting vermin
Remedy:

• Put small mesh chicken wire on the ground under compost bin and fold up the sides and tie, or place a piece of flat gal sheet on ground (make drainage holes) and place bin on top.

• Always cover food scraps.

• Increase aeration to heat up the heap.

• Keep the heap moist (Vermin do not like a damp environment!).

• Add some wood ash, lime or dolomite.

• Reduce the amount of cooked meat and bread being added to the heap.

What things can I add to my compost?

• Meat Scraps and Dairy Products? - yes, but they can present issues. Meat scraps and the rest will decompose eventually, but will smell bad and attract pests. I suggest not adding meat scraps until you have created a few complete compost cycles and are comfortable with the actual recipe and making of compost.

• Fish Bones? - yes, but mix them through the heap, rather than leaving them on top. They can smell bad and attract undesirables... use with discretion!

• Office Paper? - not if it has been bleached or is glossy.

• Weeds? - yes, but be careful. If they are without seed heads, go for it. If they are those awful bulbous things (like oxalis) onion weed or spread on runners (like couch and kikuyu) give it a miss!

• Bird, Dog and Cat Poo? - no. There is a significant risk of disease so don’t add this to your compost.

• Wood ashes from open fires? - yes, in small amounts, but be careful if you add your compost to heavy clay soils as the ash may compound the problem. N.B. Never burn treated timbers, or add treated timber products to compost heaps.

• Tree Branches? - yes, shredded before adding, unless disease is present.

• Eucalyptus Leaves? - yes, may take a while to decompose so run them over with a lawn mower first.

• Lawn Clippings? - yes, but not in large quantities unless some dry matter is added at the same time, such as dried leaves or shredded newspaper. This helps prevent the clippings becoming a putrid, slimy mess.

• Citrus Fruit? - No, these are highly acidic and may take a while to break down, and they can really slow down the composting process.

• Coffee grounds and tea bags? - yes, yes, yes and the tiny staple on the tea-bag will eventually add a bit of iron to your soil.

• Take-away pizza cardboard containers? - tear them up first and they act as carbon matter for the heap.

• Newspaper? - yes, the better shredded the faster they will compost. Avoid the super glossy inserts!

• Eggshells? - yes, they are a wonderful addition, but decompose slowly, so should be crushed prior to popping in the bin.

• Diseased Plants? - no, this isn't a great idea as it keeps the disease rolling along in your beautiful garden.

Where can I get a compost bin?

There is a wide range of compost bins available from local nurseries and garden centers as well as some department stores. Certain councils now sell compost bins and worm farms as part of their waste reduction strategy.

The bin should be placed directly on to soil to allow drainage, away from the house and in a part of the garden, which will be cool in summer and warm in winter.

You can also build your own compost enclosure. A simple compost enclosure can be made from a length of chicken wire or mesh staked into a square or circle, in direct contact with the soil. It will need to enclose an area of approximately 1.5m x 1.5m and 1m high. More elaborate, multi-compartment structures can be made of brick or timber and can be made with one side open to allow access.

After about six to eight weeks the finished compost should be dark, crumbly and sweet smelling and ready to put into the garden. Mature compost can be used as fertilizer for your garden and lawn, for growing seedlings, as potting mix and as garden mulch.

NB: Composting is addictive!

More Information

Contact Ali Rutherford
Kimbriki Eco Garden:
Email: kimbriki@kimbriki.com
Or write to Ali Rutherford, Eco Gardener,
Locked Bag 6
Terrey Hills
NSW, 2084
http://www.kimbriki.com.au

or visit Bulleen Art and Garden's website http://www.baag.com.au