Category: composting

Easy Cold Composting and You

On By durhammastergardenersIn cold composting, composting, conservation, sustainable gardening, Uncategorized

By Courtney McGuire, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer intern of Durham County  

A close-up of a shovel holding fresh compost, with a wooden compost bin in the background.
Close-up of fruit peels, including yellow grapefruit and orange skins, arranged on a wooden surface.

(Image credit: Photo: MN Pollution Control Agency / CC BY-NC; Pixabay)

My name is Courtney. I love compost so much that my husband’s nickname for me is “Compostney.” I’m a firm believer that composting should be accessible for all and fit your individual needs. We all have way too much going on right now, so adding this extra step for our environment and your garden should be as easy as possible.

Why Composting?

According to the EPA, food waste comprises 24% of all municipal solid waste. When combined with yard trimmings, wood and cardboard (other compostable materials), this percentage balloons to 51%. Municipal solid waste is the third largest source of human-related methane, accounting for 14% of methane emissions in 2022.  

Of course, the best approach is to minimize food waste by only buying what you can eat while it’s fresh, reusing vegetables scraps as much as possible, and being a member of the Clean Plate Club. But we all struggle with forgetting that spinach in the back of the fridge or not wanting to eat those beans you accidentally undercooked.  

Composting allows us to take these valuable waste products and recycle them into a valuable garden product while reducing emissions of methane, a very potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. 

In addition to reducing methane emissions, composting also has the following benefits:

  • Increases soil structure
  • Conserves water by helping soils retain moisture 
  • Supplies organic matter
  • Encourages vigorous root growth
  • Much more! 

Composting is fundamentally a local activity. It’s a direct action that you and your household can take to support our environment.

Getting Started with Cold Composting

There is a spectrum of composting methods, from hands-off (e.g. door pick-up subscription services) to mini scientific experiments in your backyard (e.g. hot composting, Johnson-Su composting bioreactor, etc). But there’s a lot in between as well. In our perpetual quest to find balance, let’s explore the easiest backyard method: cold composting.

Steps for Cold Composting in a Bin

The first step is to select your bin. The City of Durham offers an annual compost bin sale in the springtime. Wake County offers an annual bin sale in May that overlaps with International Compost Awareness Week and is open to non-county residents. You could also sweetly ask your Orange County resident friend to pick up a bin for you as they offer a year-round sale.)  You can also check out an online marketplace or order directly from the retailer.  

A composting bin made of mesh fencing and a black compost tumbler situated outdoors among fallen leaves.

My leaf and compost bins are next to each other so that I can easily add my “browns” as I’m building my pile. (Image credit: Courtney McGuire)

And now where will you put it? Select a level spot for your bin where you will actually use it. Is it convenient for you to bring out your food waste and store leaves nearby? Bingo! 

Next up: begin collecting the ingredients!  You’ll need both low-nitrogen “browns” and high-nitrogen “greens” to create your balanced compost output. For most of us, our browns will consist of leaves, shredded paper (pro tip: make sure you are removing the plastic components before shredding. Ask me how I know!), and wood chips.  Our “greens” will include kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, plant trimmings, and grass trimmings.  

A common composting mistake folks make is to not add any or enough “browns” as you throw in your food waste. You will need two to three parts “browns” to one part “greens.” 

A sweet potato placed on a cutting board next to a knife, with a countertop compost bin and a pot in the background.

Keeping your food waste caddy close to your cooking space will help you quickly collect your food waste to then take to your compost bin.  (Image credit: Courtney McGuire)

High-level tips for your ingredients:

  • A food waste caddy will work well on your countertop. You can also freeze bags of food waste to minimize insect issues (especially helpful in the summer). In general, the more often you empty and clean your caddy, the less risk you’ll run of having insect issues. 
  • Take off the plastic stickers that you find on produce. If you forget about it, no biggie. You’ll just find fully intact plastic stickers in your finished compost. There’s a big lesson there.
  • Don’t put meat in your compost bin.  (Interested in composting your meat waste? Check out the bokashi method of composting.)
  • See those neat bags of leaves your neighbors have put by the side of the road? Snag ‘em all! One haul will last you quite awhile!

Any other ingredients? Don’t forget your water and air! Your compost should feel like a wrung out sponge. You’ll also need to stir it to add air to aid the decomposition process. Stirring compost puts me at ease. It’s so satisfying, and I hope you find joy in it as well. Plus, it lets you see your decomposition in action!  

A compost bin filled with various organic materials including leaves, kitchen scraps, and paper, with a garden fork resting inside.
A close-up view of a compost bin filled with dark, decomposing organic matter, including leaves and other compostable materials, with a blue-handled tool inserted into the mixture.

(Left to right) Food waste from a summertime cold: soup ingredients and tissues ready to be blended together. Then the summertime cold mix is enhanced with fall leaves, all stirred in with a pitchfork. (Image credit: Courtney McGuire)

And time! Cold composting takes a while. It’s the turtle version of composting. But at the end, you’ll have black gold for your garden!  A well-maintained compost pile will be finished in three to five months while an untouched pile can take up to a year. You will know it’s complete when the contents start to look like soil and you can’t recognize your original compost materials.

Composting setup featuring two black compost bins and a wooden sifting frame positioned on a yellow wheelbarrow, surrounded by fallen leaves.

I recently upgraded my compost setup to sift my finished compost.  But as long as the food waste has broken down, you can always apply an unsifted compost.  (Image credit: Courtney McGuire)

Once your compost is done, you can sift it through a frame with hardware cloth.  You can throw the sifted bits back into your compost bin to continue to decompose. Additionally, you can always throw the finished compost, twigs and all, into your garden.  Just make sure to keep an eye out for an errant fruit sticker. 

A row of compost bins, including black plastic composters and a wire mesh bin filled with wood chips, situated on a grassy area surrounded by trees.

Once you fall in love with compost, you realize one bin will not do it!  Having multiple bins allows me to actively add to one bin as another is “curing” before harvest. (Image credit: Courtney McGuire)

Final thoughts: Don’t stress the small stuff and just get started!  By composting your food waste, you are directly reducing methane emissions. That’s a strong hit of climate hope right in your own backyard!

Resources and Additional Information:

For more detailed information on best practices, consult the following:

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To Do in the Garden: November 2024

On By durhammastergardenersIn Accidental Cottage Garden, bulbs, composting, dealing with fall leaves on lawn, drought tolerant plants, Durham NC, earth-friendly garden pots, fall blooming plants, fall gardening, Garden pests, garden tasks, gardening, Gardening calendar, Gardening information, gardening NC, lawn care, lawns, leaves, monthly garden tasks, nesting bees, nesting insects, Perennial, pollinator gardening, pollinators, pruning, soil samples Durham NC extension, soil test, sustainable fall pruning for insects and wildlife, sustainable fall pruning for wildlife, sustanability, Uncategorized

By Gary Crispell, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

(Left to right) The October surprise, or should we say November surprise, of the ACG is the New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae). Do you still have pumpkins and gourds hanging around through Thanksgiving? Each year an estimated 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins and gourds end up in landfills. Consider adding them to your compost or find a local participating municipality accepting them for donation. See below for more on Earth-friendly ways to deal with your organic decorations post-holiday.1 (Image credit: Dan Mullem CC BY-NC-ND 2.0; Melinda Heigel)

How ‘bout that October? Except for precipitation of any sort, there was something for almost everyone—a little hot, a little cool, and some stereotypical October Piedmont North Carolina, NC State Fair weather. There haven’t been very many State Fairs in my memory without some honest to goodness rain. We’ve been blessed unless, of course, you were trying to grow plants which is sort of what we’re all about here. So, mixed blessings? I mean, as fantastic as this area is, it still ain’t Camelot, Guinevere.


(Left to right) The ACG is still providing blooms this November. The drought-resistant African marigolds prove their hardiness. When planting for fall color, you can count on the New England aster and pink muhly grass to provide late-season interest. (Image credit: Gary Crispell; Jim Robbins CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

The Accidental Cottage Garden (ACG) is too stubborn to give in to the crazy droughty up and down weather. There are some tough characters out there. The toughest of which must be the gallardia (G. pulchella). It doesn’t know quit. The African marigold (Tagetes erecta) and the zinnias (Z. elegans) are also heat and drought tolerant along with the false vervain (Glandularia bipinnatatifida). (Somebody stayed up late naming that one!)


A delightful surprise this year is a lovely New England aster (Symphotrichum novae-angliae). It isn’t as erect as I might be as it was crowded in amongst some other things, and I didn’t become aware of its existence until recently. Next year. Most of the hardy ageratum (Conoclinium coelestinum) have succumbed to the drought and the shorter days. There are a couple of late-to-the-party purple cone flowers (Echinacea purpurea) and a stray black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta). The muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) are looking a little thin and wispy, but I attribute that to it being the first year in the ground for them. Enough about my garden, let’s talk about what we can do in yours in November.

Lawn Care

Well, if your lawn has survived “No Moisture November” the main task for November is keeping it relatively leaf free. Whatever your remove from the lawn should be composted or used as mulch. The leaves do not belong in the landfill (or the ditch out front, for that matter). Cool season lawns (tall fescue, bluegrass, perennial rye) will still need mowing at the 3½” to 4” height.

The leaf admonishment pertains here, also. If you renovated/overseeded your lawn this fall it will need watering until the drought is done with us. 1” per week minimum applied in two ½” applications is necessary to keep it going.

Fertilizing

Not this month. If your (FREE until the end of November here in NC) SOIL TEST indicates a need to raise the pH, apply the appropriate the proper amount of lime and incorporate it into the soil if possible. Lime doesn’t readily move through the soil and incorporating the lime gets to the roots where it is needed.

Planting: Yes, “Fall is for Planting”

Trees, shrubs, and ground covers planted now will have all winter and early spring to put down roots in order to better withstand next year’s drought periods. (They’re coming. Trust me.) Spring flowering bulbs can still be planted until the end of the month. Year-old asparagus crowns can be transplanted now.

Pruning

So, for years (decades, centuries?) pruning all the perennials back as the blossoms faded (Grandma kept a tidy garden!) has been gardening gospel. Well, that good news is now obsolete news. It seems that solitary native bees and other pollinators lay their eggs on/in and/or nest in those stems for the winter. So, cutting them is detrimental to the pollinator population. Ergo, don’t do it anymore (unless the HOA is going to place a lien on your house for leaving them unpruned). (I don’t suppose the “It’s winter interest”, argument will get you anywhere.) Dead or diseased wood can be removed from trees and shrubs. Make any cuts at the branch collar (flared end) to promote healing of the wound.

Spraying

Any pests still hanging around can be treated with an application of a horticultural oil that will smother adults, eggs, and all phases in between.

Other Fun-filled and/or Fantastic Fall Frolics

Take a leaf hike through somebody’s neighborhood or a state or city park. There is a plethora of opportunities nearby.


Invite friends and neighbors over for an evening around the fire pit. S’mores, hot
chocolate, cider, and donuts are about mandatory. Anything else is optional.

Do anything else you can think of to get yourself outdoors to enjoy these last user-friendly days of 2024.

(Image credit: Pixabay)

May you have Thanksgiving bountiful enough to share.

Notes

1–Eco-friendly ways to dispose of pumpkins and gourds after the holidays: https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2021-10-08-dealing-pumpkins-after-halloween-debunking-social-media-advice

Resources and Additional Information

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-5gg