Composting 101: What goes in there?

The trick to making rich, quality compost is following this standard rule of Nature: You get back what you put in there. 

If you want healthy, organic soil, you need to use organic ingredients. That means nothing treated with chemicals, pesticides or fertilizers. Those substances won't break down in the compost pile. 

Use my pointers below as a guide for what to toss into the compost bin and what to save for the trash. And if you want to learn more about composting, check out my earlier post on Composting Myths Debunked.  

COMPOST INGREDIENTS: What goes in there, anyway?

1. Produce Scraps: Every apple core, watermelon rind, onion peel and potato skin that would otherwise go in the trash or down the disposable should be saved for the compost bin. If you always buy organic produce, you're fine. If you don't, make sure you've washed the skin or rind of every pre-sliced or diced fruit or veggie that could end up in compost. 

2. Whole Fruits or Vegetables: Your ingredients don't have to be scraps to be break down. Had that onion in the fridge a week too long? What about that wilted lettuce? And the Halloween pumpkin, come November? These are all great items for the bin, and even a large pumpkin will break down surprisingly fast. 

3. Egg Shells: Not entire eggs, whites or yolks, mind you. Just the shells. 

4. Coffee Grinds, Tea Bags and Loose Tea: Yes, even an entire tea bag can go into the compost bin. Just be careful to check if your brand attaches the string with a staple; that will need to be cut out. Most natural, non-bleached coffee filters are fine, too. If yours are white, not brown, throw they go to the trash instead. 

5. Yard Clippings and Garden Trimmings: It may sound counterintuitive, but I can be more picky about which outdoor items go into the compost bin. Yes, it's all part of Nature, but the backyard can be a less-controlled environment than the kitchen, especially for renters in urban areas.  Consider these possible sources of contamination: Did your older home ever sport a coat of lead paint? What about that chipping back deck? Do you know if previous homeowners/renters used lawn fertilizer? (Note: You can buy kits to test your home or soil at home improvement stores, or order them from the state environmental department). But remember: When in doubt, exercise caution. Every pruned leaf and uprooted plant from my raised-bed, organic vegetable garden gets composted. But if I'm getting rid of a store-bought bouquet, I opt for the trash, unless I know the flowers were grown organically.

Composting 101: Common myths debunked

Oh, you gotta compost. It's the key ingredient to a rich, organic, clean garden.

Did she say clean? But isn't it, like, all about keeping a big pile of rotting waste in your yard? 

Okay, technically, yes. That's true. But there's nothing dirty or icky about composting, so forget anything you've heard and read below to get the dirt on composting fact versus fiction. 

COMPOSTING MYTHS DEBUNKED

MYTH #1: It's gross. It's not, I promise. And I get grossed out easily. When you add garden waste and kitchen scraps to the pile, they aren't rotted or putrid or moldy. What you're actually handling are items like fresh yard clippings or the orange peel you just took off. 

MYTH #2: It will smell. Wrong. Even in the hottest summer heat, your compost pile will not stink. Trust me. When you take the lid off your compost bin, you won't be overcome by stench. The bins are designed to keep your pile aerated. And keep in mind, your scraps are breaking down in a natural process that produces soil. You're not making manure in your backyard. 

MYTH #3: It will attract rodents. Wrong again. It will attract worms and all sorts of insects, and that's a good thing. It means it's working. Rodents and other small animals won't care about your pile. It won't even interest your neighbor's dog. That's because they are attracted by animal scraps -- bones, skin, fat and cooking oils and grease. You're not putting those things in your compost pile. 

MYTH #4: It's expensive to get started. Not necessarily. It's true that you can buy top-of-the-line compost bins at fancy garden stops and the chain stores. But you don't need an over-priced contraption to facilitate what Nature wants to do on its own. And you definitely don't need one of these rotating bins to turn the soil. Just get the most basic model (four sides and a cover) and turn it yourself with an ordinary shovel. Or, better yet, call the DPW in your city, town or county and ask if they subsidize the purchase of compost bins. My town did, and I only paid $20 for a bin. The scraps -- and resulting soil -- are free!

MYTH #5: It's a lot of work. It's the easiest task in the garden. Keep your compost bin near your back door for easy access. Open the lid, toss in your kitchen and garden scraps and close it back up. About once or twice a week, turn the pile with a shovel. If it hasn't rained in a while, water the pile. That's it. 

Garden Fail: Stunted-growth carrots

Saddest. Carrot. Ever. This little guy -- and all his brothers -- should have grown three times this size. Where did I go wrong? I welcome your comments!Well that didn't work out as expected. 

My blogging philosophy is that I share my failures along with the triumphs. And this summer's attempt at growing carrots definitely failed. As my first veggie-growing venture, I knew the season would be about experimenting and learning, and I knew some plants would fall ... short ... of expectations. 

I planted the carrots exactly as instructed on the seed packet. Their above-ground greens sprouted tall and thick, promising a bounty below. But each carrot we pulled was short, puny and extremely bitter. We kept giving them more time underground, with the same results. 

What happened? I'm not sure. Stay tuned next summer when we try again!

Summer Squash: One plant is enough

ABOVE: This squash is nearly 10 inches long and will be even bigger in two days. BELOW: I had to let our sprawling squash plant grow over the bed.Unlike my green bean bush -- which always left me wanting more -- my colossal squash plant offered up one or two super-sized vegetables a week. You could never go hungry with one of these in your summer garden. 

But there's one key tradeoff: A squash plant takes up a LOT of space so if you don't plan carefully, it will easily dominate your garden, invade other plants beds and force unwelcome shade over neighboring seedlings. 

I would carve out at least a four-foot square for each plant, ideally more. I couldn't afford to do that, so I let my squash plant grow out over the sides of the raised garden bed. It wasn't ideal.

I expected to let the plant produce a few rounds of squash and then rotate it out. But this plant was so hearty and generous, I couldn't bring myself to do it.  We're eating grilled squash in the Food Aisle kitchen two to three times a week, and giving extra squash to family and neighbors. It's the one plant that makes us feel like successful farmers!

Green Beans: Plant more than one

This Roma II bean bush grew about 14 inches tall and six inches wide. That's a nice fit for a small garden bed, but it only produced three to eight beans at once -- hardly enough for a snack!I grew up only knowing green beans one way: boiled, right out of the freezer bag, so they were left rubbery and tasteless. If this describes your relationship with the green bean, you've got to buy them fresh in the summer. Or, better yet, grow your own.

If you do, here's an important tip: Plant at least three bushes. They grow straight and tall and so don't take up too much real estate in your garden bed. I learned the hard way this summer that one plant is just not enough. I planted a Roma II bean bush (aka, Italian pole beans) that produced a steady crop throughout the summer and early fall. But I only got about six to eight beans a week, hardly enough for a side dish. 

I promise you that growing your own is worth it. They are so crisp and sweet when eaten raw. I don't often cook or season them in the summer. I love them cut up and tossed into a salad, where their natural flavor can really shine.