In the Garden : Composting
Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Columbia County
by Michael Shepard
Nature wastes nothing. Look at a forest floor, and you’ll see last year’s leaves, wood, dead plants, and even dead animals in some state of decomposition. Insects and microorganisms break this material down. It is recycled into a carbon and nutrient-rich material called humus, which feeds the living plants. Unlike nature, we waste about a third of all the food we produce, the largest single component of our landfills. This is an enormous and unnecessary squandering of natural resources and the energy used to produce food. At least some of this can be reduced by composting food scraps. Composting is the process of breaking down organic matter - yard, food, and even animal waste - into compost, a crumbly material like humus that can fertilize your garden naturally. Composting requires four ingredients: browns, greens, air, and water. Browns are carbon-rich materials like straw, paper (including untreated
cardboard), and dried vegetation. Greens are nitrogen-rich materials like food waste and fresh vegetation like mown grass. The microorganisms need air and moisture to break down material, so the pile should be damp and aerated.
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