Show your garden some green love
We recently talked with Angel Beyde, organic master gardener and aspiring farmer, on our Green File podcast and asked her to define regenerative agriculture.
She responded: “The heart of regenerative growing systems is giving lots of love back to the hard-working soil.”
And what kind of love is that? “Organic matter,” she told us. “Lots and lots of organic matter. And compost is a fantastic source of organic matter!”
The value of compost might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of love and romance — but the results speak for themselves.
The benefits are many: Compost retains moisture, sequesters carbon and it feeds plants necessary nutrients, many of which are not found in commercial fertilizers.
The climate appreciates your composter, too, since kitchen scraps and yard waste materials that end up in landfill decompose anaerobically (in the absence of oxygen). This produces methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide for retaining heat in the atmosphere.
When you turn your gaze to the pile of fallen leaves, dead tomato plants and other garden debris this fall, consider adding all of that to your compost pile. If you don’t have your own compost pile, find one. Or better yet, build one. According to Susan Antler, executive director of the Composting Council of Canada, we throw out up to 50 per cent of compostable materials in part because only 61 per cent of Canadians have access to some form of composter.
Condos and apartment buildings are a particular challenge. However, there have been examples of resident-led community compost programs in highrise buildings that have been successful in diverting organic waste into a valuable resource. FoodShare, in Toronto, operates a compost program. People from the community can bring their kitchen scraps to add to the compost program at FoodShare.
Here are our tips for creating your own compost, for your house or condo community:
Get or build a composter. Units can vary in size and are a good opportunity to apply creativity and resourcefulness to salvaged building materials. Serviceable composting units can be made of four wooden skids, aligned in a square, providing the needed ventilation and mass to get the party started. Many municipalities provide free or discounted composting units to residents. Check with your local government.
The pre-made route provides many options. The key to success is that you mix the right materials (see below) and provide lots of air circulation either by venting the organic mass or turning it monthly to introduce oxygen.
Brown/green dichotomy. The brown stuff is carbon-rich fallen leaves and shredded newspaper or cardboard. The green stuff is kitchen scraps and grass clippings that are more nitrogen rich. The key is to maintain one part green to every five to 10 parts brown. The abundance of fallen leaves right now means that this is an important time of year to build or acquire a composter.
Turn it like a record table. Your compost pile is breathing, and by turning it you are helping oxygenate it to feed this process and accelerate the decomposition process. You can use a garden fork or spade to turn it over throughout the season. It’s OK to take a break for the winter months as microbial activity in your compost will slow down.
Heat. But how much heat? Ideally, the middle of your compost pile will reach 50Cto-70C in midsummer. It will cool through the winter, but unless you live way up north it should not freeze through.
If your compost isn’t getting warm, add more nitrogen (green material), make a bigger compost, or water it to ensure there is adequate moisture. Harvest now if you already have a composter. Fall is a good time to go spread a thick layer of compost over the garden before you put it to bed before winter. Make sure to leave some fresh compost to keep things going as you add new material — think of it like sourdough bread starter, with live bacteria digesting organic matter rather than fermenting wheat.
After another summer of bounty and blooms, give your garden back some love by investing in compost.