backyard composting

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Backyard Composting Producing your own “Black Gold” MECKLENBURG COUNTY SOLID WASTE AUTHORITY

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MECKLENBURG COUNTY SOLID WASTE AUTHORITY. Backyard Composting. Producing your own “Black Gold”. The Natural Cycle. Leaves Decomposing. The breakdown releases nutrients. Backyard Composting. Where to place your compost pile. Within reach of a garden hose Convenient to your house - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Backyard Composting

Backyard CompostingProducing your own “Black Gold”

MECKLENBURG COUNTY SOLID WASTE AUTHORITY

Page 2: Backyard Composting

The Natural Cycle

Page 3: Backyard Composting

Leaves Decomposing

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The breakdown releases nutrients

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Backyard Composting

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Where to place your compost pile

• Within reach of a garden hose

• Convenient to your house

• If possible, away from trees or bushes (roots will find compost)

• At least 30’ from streams, wells or lakes (nitrogen runoff)

• Be considerate of your neighbor’s view

• Think: Two Piles

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Materials for making a bin

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Measure out 12 ½ feet of wire

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Cut one end flush, one w/prongs

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Set upright forming a cylinder

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Fasten ends w/prongs facing out

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Completed bin

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Start with a layer of leaves

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Easy measuring: 3 sections = 1’

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Break up any clumps

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50 lbs provides organic nitrogen

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Sprinkle some on top of first layer

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Use pellets instead of meal

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Mix pellets into the leaves

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As damp as a wrung out sponge

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Add another layer of leaves

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Each layer approximately 1’

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More pellets

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Mix together

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Add water to each layer

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Cap with final layer of leaves

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Completed batch

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Adding kitchen scraps

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Place scraps into the hole

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Push down into the pile

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Cover scraps with leaves

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Mark the spot for reference

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Pile heats up, volume decreases

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Turning the pile

• Turn one week after assembling

• Turn at least every three to four weeks

• The more you turn the pile, the faster it will decompose

• If you have more than one pile, you can combine piles as they decrease in volume

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Unfasten the prongs

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Unwrap the pile

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Set up near first pile

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Toss the pile back into the bin

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Add water, if necessary

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Pile starting to breakdown

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Worms love compost

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Compost in action

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Less fertilizer needed

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Compost loosens our clay soils

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What can go into a compost pile?

• Leaves

• Fruit/vegetable peels, stems

• Spoiled fruit and vegetables

• Egg shells

• Coffee grounds and filters

• Tea leaves and bags

• Hard-shelled nuts (crushed)

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What can go into a compost pile?

• Peanut Shells

• Clam and oyster shells (ground)

• Canning/preserving wastes

• Stale bread

• Used napkins/paper towels

• Manure from horses, cows and chickens

• Recycled compost

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What should not be included:

• Dog droppings

• Cat litter and droppings

• Charcoal Ashes

• Chemically treated plant material

• Invasive weeds and plants

• Diseased or infested plants

• Glossy slick paper

• Poisonous or thorny plants

Page 48: Backyard Composting

Where to use your compost

• New garden beds and plantings– Dig in 2-3” of compost in top 6”

• Vegetable gardens/transplants– 2-3” on beds and some in each hole

• Existing garden beds– 1” layer around plants

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Where to use your compost

• Natural areas– ½” under mulch

• Side dressings trees/shrubs– Scratch ½” from 1” out from the

stem or trunk of plant out to drip line

• Lawns– After aeration, spread ½” of compost

and rake in

• Houseplants– 2/3 potting soil, 1/3 compost

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Other uses:

• Compost Tea

• Unfinished Compost

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VermicompostingWorms:• Can be bred easily at home or school• Can be used to recycle organic waste from

your kitchen into valuable fertilizer• Produce castings which have a neutral pH

(around 7)• Castings increase the amount of nutrient

available to your plants by up to 10 times.• Castings increase crop and pasture yields• Increase the level of essential microbial

activity in the soil• Consume their own body weight in food every

day• Double in population every 2-3 months, in

ideal conditions

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• What do I need?

– An aerated container – Bedding such as shredded

newspaper – Moisture and proper temperature – Small amount of soil – Redworms (Eisenia fetida)

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• Q&A

Mecklenburg County Solid Waste Authoritywww.wipeoutwaste.com

CAROL BUIE-JACKSON704 814 [email protected]

Compost Central704 588 5898Steve Elliot