Composting A How-to Guide
A survey, prepared by DataFax Inc. for the Washtenaw County Department of Public Works in April 1988, showed that close to one-third of Ann Arbor's residents do some type of composting. Basic composting is the piling up of plant materials so that they can tum back into soil in a comer of your yard. You can join this growing trend and stop bagging your grass clippings for trash collection. By composting you will produce a rich soil supplement good for improving the health of your garden and save space in our landfill.
To compost grass clippings, select a convenient place in your yard for emptying your mower hag. You can build a free-standing pile or make an enclosure to hold your heap in a tidy, vertical shape. The minimum size for good pile dynamics is four feet square.
The best way to compost is to thinly layer the clippings with other yard waste. These wastes could be twigs, dry leaves from the previous fall, straw, or sawdust. One necessary addition is a one-inch layer of garden soil. Using grass clippings alone will result in a foul-smelling heap. Building the pile in layers, however, ensures the proper mixture of ingredients to promote the bio-chemical decomposition process. Although fresh grass clippings provide some moisture, you must water the pile lightly as you add each set of layers.
If you prefer to compost in an enclosed space, a container can easily be constructed out of wood pallets, chicken wire, or einder blocks. Ready-made compost bins can also be purchased from gardening supply stores.
After creating your compost pile, you can speed up the process of turning it back into rich, dark soil by following a few simple guidelines. Remember to turn or stir the pile inside out, periodically , with a pitchfork to aerate all parts of it. Second, be sure to water while turning if the contents are drier than a damp sponge. The pile will decrease substantially in volume as the elements decompose.
If you have a large, fertilized lawn and mow frequently , you may soon outgrow a four-by-four compost pile. In order to prevent this, and help maintain a vigorous, more durable lawn, remove the mower bag and let the clippings remain on the lawn every other mowing, or more often. A third option is to use the clippings as mulch around the base of garden plants . The nitrogen in grass will reduce the growth of weeds and also enrich the soil.
Backyard composting has other benefits. Even though, at present, you can put yard waste out for collection with the trash, this may not continue to be an option in our city. The Ann Arbor Solid Waste Commission plans to recommend a ban on the disposal of yard waste in our landfill, a necessity arising out of rapidly diminishing landfill space. As a result, City garbage crews would no longer collect leaves, grass clippings, brush and Christmas trees. If passed by City Council, the policy could reduce the City's waste by 15%.
Those residents who prefer not to compost in their backyards may drop yard trimmings without charge at the City's compost site located at the landfill on Platt Road.
To see a variety of compost containers, including a commercial spinning bin, in operation, visit the Project Grow Compost Education Center at 1831 Traver Rd., Ann Arbor. For information, call 996-3169.
This compost container, made of wooden pallets wired together at the corners, is easy to build yourself. Pallets can be obtained from many businesses for free!