EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO Embracing change can also be about learning the art of composting. Composting at home, and teaching and encouraging children at local schools to close the loop of their lunchtime waste, can initiate generational change. When we think of the food scraps turning back into rich, viable soil, we’re heading back in the right direction and going some way toward replacing the soil that we’ve collectively lost. Creating soil is an act of reparation, and something that we all can do. Composting is a huge topic, but we want you to think about it as a way that you can take your organic waste and create soil. That’s the easy definition but it goes a little deeper. Closing the loop of our own waste is a powerful thing: energetically we’re stopping a leak and retaining a lot of energy that would otherwise be dumped into a roadside bin. Taking charge of our own personal loops and energy leaks can be empowering. Turning our own waste into a nutrient-dense growing medium is the perfect inspiration to then plant a seed! The household waste holds a little of a family’s life force, so the soil we brew from our own rich compost is already like a potion that can’t be replicated. It’s yours, and if you should plant a seed into soil that you’ve added your compost to, the seed will be born into your family to start its journey knowing YOU!
MAKING EPIC COMPOST Compost can mean many things to many people. Often, it’s a well-meant black plastic bin placed somewhere close to the back door where food scraps are gathered over a long period of time, creating bad smells and attracting rodents. Sometimes, a swarm of vinegar flies makes the whole process unpalatable for even the keenest, environmentally conscious person wanting to make a difference. For some, it’s a question of ‘When do I stop?’ – with the end result being a little unclear, so the bin remains full and the contents are never disbursed. Instead, another black bin, a twin of the first, is placed beside it, and on it goes. It doesn’t have to be this way! We want to share some fun tips with you that will have you tending your compost in a way that sees you checking it daily, proud of the rich and useful humus you’re creating. Even experimenting with your own recipes as you add and build. Consider our tips as a guide only and an invitation to experiment; after all, the greatest teacher of compost is the compost itself!
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28 | PENINSULA
September 2021
LAYERING OR ‘COLD’ COMPOST The most wonderful secret to successful composting is layering the ingredients. If your compost bin is predominantly used for food scraps (yay, full of nitrogen!), it’s important to balance those scraps with carbon: a layer of shredded newspaper, dry straw, autumn leaves, sawdust or cardboard is a great way to balance your brew. We like to think of compost as a little like building a lasagne: thin layers are the best way to encourage decomposition. Your compost should not be wet, but damp enough to encourage the breakdown process. This is a brew that takes considerable time to break down but requires minimal input to maintain. It encourages worms into the system that do the bulk of the work, making their way up through the hollow base of the bin to help. As this system is a slow process, it’s called a ‘cold’ compost. It’s a gradual way to build a nourishing end product that can easily be fed back to your fruit trees, scattered and built into your garden beds or even spread lightly over lawn areas. Full of nutrients, it’s a wonderful way to turn waste into gold. If rodents are already an established pest in your area, wire mesh cut to the shape of your bin’s base will help. The mesh should be fine enough to exclude the rodent pests but a wide enough gauge to allow your worm helpers easy access. Scraps you can happily add to a kitchen compost include (but are not limited to): • Coffee grounds
• Tea bags and tea-leaves
• Eggshells
• Newspaper
• Cardboard
• Vegie scraps
• Autumn leaves
• Grass and plant clippings
• Wood chip • Rabbit or guinea pig bedding, straw or shredded paper • Animal manure (rabbits, chickens or grazing animals) There are a few scraps to avoid adding when composting: • Avoid citrus. Our worm friends really don’t like citrus including orange peels, lemons and grapefruit. If citrus does make its way into the compost bin, make sure that it’s only in small amounts.