By Sharon Omahen

University of Georgia

Each year more than 3.5 million tons of recyclable yard
waste is
unnecessarily sent to landfills. Viewed by many as rubbish, home
gardeners see this waste as “gardener’s gold.”

“Yard waste can be converted into compost,” said C.B.
Christian,
northeast director of the Georgia Master Gardeners Association.
“It’s simple to construct a container which would save much in
purchasing bags of amendments.”

Use what you have

Christian says a compost container can be anything from a
wire
cage to pressure-treated lumber or whatever material you have
available.

He suggests building two 4-by-4-by-3-foot bins side-by-
side.

“You can continuously add material throughout the process,”
Christian said. “Work out of the first bin and build the second
for later.”

Many compost bin designs are available on the University of
Georgia Cooperative Extension Web site at
www.ugaextension.com.

Whether you choose a freestanding or a contained bin,
decomposition requires four things: an adequate mix of carbon
and
nitrogen materials, plenty of air, sufficient moisture and a
population of organisms. Place your bins in a full-sun or
partial-sun location.

How to start the process

To begin your composting project, start with a 6-inch layer
of
ground leaves, grass clippings, egg shells and any raw vegetable
scraps. To that layer, add an inch of soil and shredded
newspaper. Moisten and continue with the next layer.

Ground materials collected from a mower grass bag or a
chipper-shredder decompose four times as fast as those not
ground. Make sure your yard waste isn’t contaminated with
disease.

“Compost bins need brown as well as green material for
adequate
decomposition,” Christian said. “And don’t add meat products or
you will attract rodents.”

If you add manure, make sure it has been aged at least one
year
to prevent the risk of E. coli contamination.

To jump-start the decomposition process, Christian recommends
adding a very small amount of ammonium nitrate or any
nitrogen-containing fertilizer.

“The bins should eventually heat up to 170 degrees after a
few
days and decompose gradually,” he said. Through the natural
breakdown process, in six months a pile 3 feet deep will
gradually decompose to 1 1-2 feet.

Stir weekly, or have worms do it

To maintain your compost, turn the pile weekly and keep the
material moist, but not wet.

To attract worms, add vegetable scraps and corn meal.

“Worms are great turners of the pile, and as they work, they
put
out their body weight of manure each day,” Christian said.

The finished compost should be an odor-free, ready-to-use
amendment for gardens or flowerbeds. It can also be used as
potting soil.

“To prevent still viable seeds from germinating, you may add
either a pre-emergent (herbicide) or a 3-inch layer of mulch,”
Christian said. “Otherwise, you may have tomatoes, peppers and
other unwanted plants in your compost.”

For more information on this or other gardening topics,
contact
your local UGA Cooperative Extension agent at 1-800-ASK-UGA1. Or
visit the UGA Extension Web site at www.ugaextension.com.