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Winding down: Fostering growth with decay

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If you get a thrill turning compost with a pitchfork or getting a load of horse manure delivered from the neighbors to use in the composter, does that mean you’re crazy or just a happy Ramona backyard farmer enjoying that rotten world around us? Either way, that’s the way my wife Nancy is, happy to have her hands in the soil, fostering growth with decay.

Composting does not require an expensive apparatus or enzymes to make it work — just leftover greens from the kitchen, chicken or horse manure, some freshly cut grasses or other organic materials, and away you go. The chemical reaction of properly proportioned materials can create a hot compost pile in no time, and if you provide it oxygen through turning it will reduce to a pile of incredible soil that your plants will love.

When I was young in New England, the animals would lay on the steaming compost pile in winter to stay warm. Of course that was a huge compost, but for we backyard gardeners a small pile in the corner of the yard will do.

Many cities are now giving their residents incentives to recycle through composting. The US Composting Council says that two-thirds of our waste going to the landfill is organic material, and that is filling our landfills too quickly. See tinyurl.com/6ngjkh9 online. Worse yet, when the organic material breaks down it produces methane and other greenhouse gasses, not good for our already hot planet.

I like to think that through her vigilant composting Nancy might help save the planet eventually. We have found that using homegrown compost on our fruit and decorative bushes reduces or eliminates several types of pests. Fewer pests, less need for insecticides, and wonderful fruit.

When composting there are certain items to avoid, such as meats and cooked vegetables. Such items will only draw roaches and who needs politicians in our gardens? Nothing cooked, frequent turning and watch how your plants blossom when it’s all done.

I have to note that compost piles can catch fire if not worked properly, so don’t burn down the town trying to save the planet! Another caution is not to water the compost too much. When the material gets too wet, down inside it can mat up like a bog and lock out oxygen; try turning more and watering less. Sadly, here in dry Ramona watering may be necessary in summer, one down side to reducing waste.

Another problem is using the compost before it’s fully broken down. Unfinished compost is nitrogen hungry and can take it away from your plants that need it to grow. So if you aren’t sure if it’s done, turn it and wait another month or so, until it’s crumbly like good soil and not warm to the touch.

So what’s the best part of composting? For Nancy and I, it’s digging up the big grubs while turning and feeding them to the chickens. The chickens love them and we get highly nutritious eggs to boot! Happy composting!

If you have items to share with others in Ramona, send them to dpatterson998@yahoo.com.

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