| I often come across a common misconception: composting is seen as a complex and daunting task. However, I’m here to demystify this process and show you that it’s not as complicated as it seems. Is composting hard? Absolutely not. Is it rocket science? Far from it. Composting is a skill that can be easily learned, much like bagging leaves after raking. Just as bagging leaves is a skill, so is the simple act of tossing waste products into a heap. It’s a process that nature has been mastering for centuries, and you can too. Compost is dirt; you can’t go wrong, and it forgives any errors you make within a few turns of the fork or spins of the soil. A gardener could literally throw green waste into a heap at the back of the yard exposed to all the elements and walk away and leave that waste alone for an entire year or continually add green cuts to the heap and not turn it, but come back a year later, flip it over and at the bottom there would be the stirrings if not soils of compost. Where’s the complication? Sure, that particular waste heap is very basic at the most fundamental levels, granted. The compost may not be finely sieved, but it could be used as garden mulch or soil that can easily be dug into beds. You only have to look at the woodland floor to see the decomposition process in the making. Green waste and brown waste, which fall from the trees to the ground and are left to their own devices, will gradually, over time, break down into the soil and revitalise the ground with valuable nutrients. That includes leaves, twigs, branches, logs [think rotting and fungi], fruit, flowers and even the dead – birds and insects, rodents and mammals, and fish – will slowly decompose, get eaten, and break into the soil. The woodland floor is a living compost heap. It’s been done this way for centuries and achieved fantastic results. Nature takes care of the whole process. Composting, most straightforwardly, is no different from a living compost heap in the woods. So, a complete novice to composting is bound to make mistakes, but they are not life-threatening because compost is waste and dirt. The complications or the ‘harder bit’ is when you wish to spend more dedicated time on the waste heap and speed the process along so that you have compost when you want it compared to when the natural, untampered process will gift it to you. Or you want to learn more about soil management and fertility or create a finely balanced organic mixture called brown gold. But this will become the journey into learning for those who develop a passion for making their compost richer and want to know more than the most basic principles of composting. Even then, is it rocket science? Nope – composting is just a way of controlling the decomposition and rot-down of your waste materials. You can have a pile on the ground, a bulk in a box, a mound in a heap, dirt by the pallet load or hot soils; the choice is entirely yours. Leaves, kitchen waste, garden greens, coffee grounds, old dirt, cardboard and paper, lawn mowings, bark chips, and egg shells can be thrown into the heap. Water it and ensure it is damp, mix it up, keep adding to it, pile it high, and watch it break down over time with either dedicated turnings or occasional flips. Composting is a collaboration between you and nature. It’s not about complicated formulas or precise measurements. It’s about working together to create a rich, organic mixture. So, let’s dive in and discover the simplicity and beauty of composting. |
Demystifying Composting: A Simple Guide to Easy and Rewarding Compost Making
The Gardener's Curious Journal 
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