‘Gardener’s Gold’ is easy to make at home

By Robin Ruehlen
C & G Staff Writer

Instead of feeding fruit and vegetable peelings to the garbage disposal or lugging yard and garden clippings to the curb, homeowners may consider making their own “gardeners gold” out of organic waste products.

Home composting not only enhances the productivity and fertility of the soil, but also provides long-term reserves of nutrients for plants, and benefits water quality in local lakes, streams and wetlands.

According to the Southeastern Oakland County Water Authority, the same decomposing materials found in forests that sustain natural plant growth can be mixed together to produce compost for lawns and flower and vegetable gardens, or spread over bulb plantings and around trees and shrubs.

Lillian Dean, SOCWA’S coordinator for the Healthy Lawn and Garden program, said she’s been teaching a master composter program for the past 10 years.

“I’ve had a project running for the past four months to educate the public on composting in the Red Run watershed,” Dean said.

“Composting and the use of compost is really beneficial for our water quality, and we’re trying to get residents to recycle water onsite and add it to their lawns and gardens.”

Compost can be used in flower and vegetable gardens, on the lawn, in containers and as mulch over bulb plantings and around trees and shrubs.

Dean said she recommends homeowners purchase a special black plastic compost bin with a cover, which makes the process easier than a pile.

“You mix the materials together and put them on top, and you can pull the compost out through the bottom with very minimal turning,” she said.

SOCWA recommends a cold compost formula of 50 percent chopped leaves, 25 percent green materials such as lawn clippings, garden debris, coffee grounds and tea bags, and 25 percent soil or compost.

“You’ll want to mix it well with a pitchfork until it’s wet as a wrung-out sponge, and that’s your mix,” she said.

“Two mistakes people make is not keeping the mix wet, or not chopping the materials well. You need the compost to stay wet, or the microorganisms can’t do their thing.”

Follow these steps, and in five months the bin should produce rich, fluffy compost.

To build the bin (or pile), start with the layer of shredded leaves, grass or garden clippings, and water the layer until it is moist. Add two to three inches of soil or compost, and mix the materials together as it builds. Continue to add organic materials, soil and water until the bin is filled, then add grass clippings in small amounts and mix thoroughly. If composting in a pile, build it to a size of 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet.

Dean said turning the pile adds oxygen and accelerates the rate of composition. The temperature of the pile is not a worry, as hot or cold piles yield beneficial materials.

“Healthy soil needs at least 5 percent organic material in it, and compost holds the moisture in while slowly releasing nutrients and preventing soil-borne diseases. That’s why we call it gardeners’ gold,” she said.

While certain food waste, such as vegetable peelings and clean, crushed eggshells, can be added to the pile, Dean cautioned against adding other food materials.

“There’s a whole other track on how to compost food waste,” she said.

“It’s a serious matter, because if you do it wrong you will attract rodents.”

Mary Ann Chupa, advanced master gardener with Michigan State University’s Oakland Extension Office, said she would advise homeowners to do their research before getting into food or worm composting.               

Dean said the best place to store a compost bin is next to the garden or behind a garage. Properly composted yard waste should not produce a foul odor.

Dean said she advises against using a wooden bin for composting, and said the black plastic bins can be purchased for about $150 at Smith & Hawken, or occasionally at Costco.

For more information on home composting classes or processes, visit www.socwa.org, or call (248) 288-5150.

You can reach Staff Writer Robin Ruehlen at rruehlen@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1105.