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Composting
 Composting kitchen scraps, garden cuttings, grass and leaves produces a wonderful soil amendment (compost) that plants and gardens love. And since about one-third of household waste is useable for compost, it's a great way to reduce waste and avoid sending valuable materials to the landfill. Composting is a simple process. You don't need fancy equipment. Anyone can do it.
Even in Manitoba with our cold winters, you can put materials into compost all year long.
Considerations
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A great thing about composting is that you can tailor the method to suit your own needs. Whether you are an enthusiast with a large garden or someone with a small yard and not much time, there is a composting process that will work for you. Even apartment dwellers without back yards can do vermicomposting indoors.
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A bin is not necessary for outdoor composting, but lots of people use one to keep materials confined and covered.
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Finished compost has a pleasant, earthy smell and has endless uses in your yard and garden. Mix it into garden soil. Mulch with it. Use it as a top-dressing on the lawn. Add it to house plants. Use it to improve soil texture and drainage.
Five Secrets of Effective Composting
- FOOD: You need a mixture of green and brown materials in your compost pile. Green materials (e.g. fresh, wet kitchen scraps) provide nitrogen to the process. And dry brown materials (leaves, dry grass, sawdust) provide carbon. A ratio of 50-50 by weight is about right.
- AIR: The organisms that do the composting need air to survive. For optimal results, stir the pile three to five times per season using a pitchfork, shovel or aerator tool.
- WATER: The composting organisms need water, but you don't want to overdo it. Aim to have the pile about as moist as a wrung-out sponge.
- SMALL PIECES: If you cut up or shred large materials, that will increase the surface area for the organisms to work on, and speed up the process.
- VOLUME: If the pile is too large, it is hard to get air into the centre of it. If it is too small, it won't retain heat. A volume between 3'x3'x3' and 5'x5'x5' works best.
Lots More Information
The backyard composting pages of Resource Conservation Manitoba's web site have tons of information on choosing a bin, building a bin, composting in winter, troubleshooting, controlling pests, grasscycling, and composting leaves. Check it out!
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