Compost Q & A: Meet a Master Composter, Part 1

Today I am pleased to introduce you all to a dear friend of mine, Sarah Ferry. Sarah is a Master Composter and she’s here to answer some questions about composting, submitted by our very own readers.

First of all, I asked Sarah to explain what a Master Composter is, and then she tackled answering your questions. We’ll start with the first set of questions today, and then take a look at the rest later this month.

Simple Organic: What is a Master Composter?

Sarah Ferry: Many cities have organizations or groups offering Master Composter courses to allow people in the community the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge and experience in the area of composting. The purpose of these courses is to create more ambassadors for composting throughout the region by preparing people to properly educate the public on the virtues and process of composting.

The master composting program I participated in was through the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation in Encinitas, CA. This is a six-week course covering the science and mechanics of both vermi-composting (composting with worms) and backyard composting. This course is for all people from all walks of life and levels of prior composting experience.

If you are interested in gaining a greater understanding of composting and want to meet other people with the same interest and passion in your area I would recommend looking into a Master Composter course near you! (For example, if you live in San Diego and might be interested in the program there are courses beginning April 26th and 27th in Fallbrook and San Diego. Click here for more information.).

SO: I would like to know a bit more about composting on a balcony. We are just setting up a heap on ours, but aren’t sure about having it sitting directly on the (brickwork) balcony.

SF: If you are composting on a balcony your best option is to practice Vermi-Composting (composting with worms in a container). Vermi-composting is the solution for people who want to recycle their food waste but have limited space on balconies/ patios etc., and who cannot use the ground as a base.The worms break down all the food and organic matter in an enclosed container that you can manage with relative ease.

You can create your own worm bin using a Rubbermaid container or purchase one from a garden store bought version. I made one from a Martha Stewart tutorial and also have the Wriggly Wranch Worm Bin.

Make sure you are using California Red Wiggler worms; the type of worm is very important. The Red Wigglers are digester worms–great for worm bins– other worms are earth moving worms and will not do such a good job breaking down your food scraps! These worms can be purchased at a garden store or a special worm ranch in your area. For more resources on vermi-composting (worm bins) check out this article and this one.

SO: Since I can’t put a compost bin/pile on the ground at my rental (because it would kill off a section of grass), I’m looking into one of those tumbling composters (the ones that look like a teeter-totter, but with a barrel instead of a plank of wood).

SF: My first response to your situation is to recommend the worm bin as discussed above. Vermi-composting is the best alternative to backyard composting.

If you want to do backyard composting and cannot place anything on the ground as you mention, a tumbler would be the best method, however I do have a word of caution: with this method the compost gets very heavy (as it is full of moisture) and many of the tumblers have difficulty supporting such weight off the ground. Many times they eventually break or become too hard to turn, which results in material that is not properly aerated and slow to become compost.

So I would suggest forgoing the backyard composting at first and focusing on the vermi-composting worm bin, which is a patio favorite!

SO: What sort of vegetable waste to leaves/grass clippings/newspaper ratio do I need to effectively compost in a tumbling compost bin?

SF: The ratio of veggies/ grass/ leaves ratio is a simple 50/50. It is one part “green” (nitrogen) to one part “brown” (carbon). Greens are the nitrogen which are the vegetable scraps, grass clippings even coffee grinds (although those are brown in color they are actually nitrogen- a “green”). Browns are carbon- dead leaves/ paper/ hay.

In a backyard composting bin place in 50% browns to 50% greens and your pile will be balanced. In a vermi-composting bin you will create a bedding of brown (worms love shredded paper- a GREAT solution to junk mail!) with the food scraps on top and then more shredded paper bedding covering the food scraps completely (you don’t want flies finding them and taking over).

SO: Can I put eggshells, onion peels, or banana peels in my compost?

SF: Yes, you can put all of these in your compost!  With backyard composting you can put in most things without too much fuss– some things just take longer to break down than others (you will see those egg shells around for a while) but will eventually break down.

For worm bin composting you can add these to the bin- I always have without problem. If there is something the worms don’t like they will tell you by not eating it- but they are pretty hearty eaters! Just avoid adding meat, oils and dairy.

Thanks for all your great questions! I hope Sarah’s answers help inspire you to get your own compost system set up. I’m so excited that the new place my family is moving into already has a compost bin in the backyard waiting for me!