Composting for the environment, and your pocketbook

During the pandemic, roughly 19 million people stepped away from computer screens and ventured to garden stores to put their green thumbs to the test. Keeping all of those new gardeners growing will require fresh fertilizer, but that cost has skyrocketed over 250% from where it was two years ago. 

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The typical home gardener, however, is probably over-fertilizing. That means now is the perfect time to level up your gardening skills and begin cultivating your own fertilizer utilizing compost. 

“A lot of people fertilize when they don’t need to,” says Heather Kirk-Ballard, PhD, LSU AgCenter. “People tend to over-do it, and that can be really bad for the plants and the environment.” 

Getting started does not require any fancy equipment, or container. Pick a spot that gets a good amount of sunlight, exposure to rainwater (or watering if you’re in a dry area), and is far enough away from the house so a few stray insects will not bother you. 

“Insects will always get in because you have to have holes for oxygen exchange,” she notes. “But they’re needed in there because they’re all part of the cycle. They help break everything down.” 

If critters are your concern, then you can use a closed container system, though Kirk-Ballard finds them to be a bit more difficult than an open system. 

“Speaking from personal experience, I find the bins to be difficult,” she explains. “The bins make it difficult to turn.”

Turning your compost frequently (every few weeks), will actually help keep the larger critters and flies away. It’s also the best way to make sure you’re maintaining the proper ratio of materials. 

“The most important thing for homeowners to do is to have a good ratio of carbon to nitrogen,” she says. “It’s a 30 to 1 ratio. Carbon: think of your brown materials - dried leaves, paper, paper towels, which have dried out. Nitrogen is going to come from your scraps, your vegetable peelings and fresh grass. Green is nitrogen and brown is carbon. You need the nitrogen to help break everything down. Those are the nutrients that the plants use.” 

Think of your compost as a really gross lasagna. You want layers. 

“Just know that the major mass of your compost is going to be those brown materials.” 

Hooray! No more bagging leaves! Seriously, stop bagging your leaves, that stuff is gold! 

“You can also use eggshells,” Kirk-Ballard added. “They are rich in calcium, which is part of a plant's nutrient needs as well.” 

Coffee grinds is an item that comes with a bit of controversy. But according to Kirk-Ballard, bring it on! 

“It’s excellent,” she exclaims. “Some people like to say it acidifies your compost, but you would have to use a whole lot before that would happen. It’s acidity actually makes it perfect for compost because it helps break everything down faster.

“There is some issue if you use grinds directly on plants,” she adds. “It can bind up the nitrogen and harm the plant. But that’s only if you’re using it fresh on your plants.” 

Okay, so what shouldn’t be part of the compost lasagna? 

“What you want to avoid is to never use pet waste,” Kirk-Ballard said. “They have a different diet. If you use manurer, you want to stick with animals that have a vegetable diet.”

When it comes to lawn or yard debris, you want to avoid weeds when they are flowering.  

“Try to avoid putting seeds in your compost,” she says. “That’s also why we recommend using peeling rather than whole fruits or vegetables. 

The ultimate no-no, is meat scraps. Not only will it attract those unwanted critters, but it is just not needed. 

“Avoid meat altogether,” she stresses. “Meat is a protein, and when we’re talking about getting to the elemental level of what plants need, that’s not on the list.”

What is beneficial, however, is worm castings. What’s that? Worm poop, of course. 

“They’re breaking down the materials in the meat into their essential elements,” she explains. “And that’s what the plants need to grow.” 

You can buy worm castings, or, again, you can “harvest” your own. But that’s another story for another day. 

For now, get familiar with your basic composting skills. Gather the right materials, turn your pile regularly, and keep it wet but not soaking. If you do all these things, you’ll have a source of fertilizer that will be better than what you buy at the store, and it’s free… pretty much. 

“We have been guilty of wasting fruits and vegetables,” Kirk-Ballard admits. “ I don’t feel as guilty any more because I know I'm going to throw them in the compost.”