This is the third blog post in a three-part series which covers three different composting systems.
To recap, there are three main ways you can compost your waste: · Composting bin · Bokashi · Worm farm Each system operates differently. In my last post on the subject of composting, I focussed on Bokashi. In this post, I will explain how a worm farm works. Worm farms In a worm farm, composting worms such as tiger worms or red worms eat through a mixture of food scraps, garden waste, waste paper and cardboard to produce worm castings (composted material) and liquid fertiliser, known as worm tea. Both the castings and the worm tea are excellent fertilisers and are therefore great for the garden. Types of worm farms There are two types of worm farms: stacked worm farms and continuous flow worm farms. Stacked worm farms are divided into different layers. They usually consist of (i) a sump, which collects the liquids; and (ii) frames, usually two, which are stacked on top of each other as the worm farm fills up. To use a stacked worm farm, place the sump on a stand with a bucket underneath the tap to catch the liquids. Keep the tap open to allow the worm farm to drain. Place a frame on top of the sump. Fill this first frame with moist bedding and add your worms. Feed a small amount of food to your worms. Cover with wet carpet, paper or cardboard. Over the next 6 months incrementally increase the food you feed your worms to build their population. When your first frame of worms is full add another frame on top. The worms will move to the upper frame and will feed on the fresh food placed there. When this top frame is nearly full you can harvest the castings from the frame below. Take away the lower frame and place the top frame directly on the sump. Use the contents from the full frame on your garden or pot plants. Rinse and store this empty frame until your worm farm is ready to take another top frame. Continuous flow worm farms are generally a single vessel with a large open cavity that houses the worms. It is secured at the base to hold the castings in place but still allows air to circulate and liquids to drain through. You simply feed on the surface and harvest from an opening at the base. To use a continuous flow worm farm, fill the bottom quarter of the cavity with moist bedding and add your worms. Feed a small amount of food to your worm farm. Cover with wet carpet, paper or cardboard. Over the next 6 months incrementally increase the food you feed your worms to build up their population. Once the cavity is approximately two thirds full of worm castings you can start to harvest the compost through the opening at the base. The majority of worms will remain in the upper areas to feed on the available food. The castings will be quite compacted so they should be free of worms. The liquids will drain through naturally and can be caught in a bucket placed under the body of the worm farm for use as Worm Tea. How to set up a worm farm Choose a cool, shady site sheltered from the sun. Carports or sheltered porches are ideal. Use a layer of bedding first, for example hay, coconut fibre, shredded cardboard or paper. Bedding should be damp and porous. Add some worms. 1000 worms (250g) are fine. 2000 worms are even better. Worms can eat their own weight each day so don’t over feed them. For example, for 250g of worms, give them about 200g of food. Worms need air but not light so cover food scraps with damp carpet, newspaper or cardboard to provide a moist dark environment. What to feed your worms As for a composting bin, aim for a ratio of 30% green waste and 70% brown waste. To recap, green waste is normally soft, fresh and moist. Examples of green waste include food waste, grinds and tea bags, egg shells and fresh green lawn clippings. Brown waste is normally dry and brittle. It can therefore take a long time to break down. Examples of brown waste include dry leaves, paper, cardboard, vacuum dust, egg trays and twigs. Don’t add any of the following: spicy food, chilli, onion, garlic, meat, milk products, bread, pasta, cooked or processed food, citrus or acidic foods, oils and liquids such as soup. Increasing your worm population Add food scraps regularly, ideally every 1 – 2 days. Cut up the food you feed your worms. Make sure the pieces are smaller than a golf ball. Start with small amounts and slowly increase the food you give them over the first 6 months. The population of worms will increase to match this and will reach a point where they can eat through all the food waste you can give them very quickly. Harvesting worm castings Worms feed at the top so harvest the casting from below. It is ready when the contents look like dark fine compost and few worms can be seen. Spread the castings around your garden beds. Castings may be liquefied by adding one part castings to ten parts water and stir well. Harvesting worm tea Always let the liquid drain off freely into a separate bucket. If your worm farm has a tap, leave it open. Worm Tea should be diluted to the colour of weak black tea (1:10). Apply every 2-4 weeks around plant roots as a nutritious fertiliser. This post was based on information provided on the Compost Collective’s website. For a comprehensive guide on how to set up and look after a worm farm, visit https://compostcollective.org.nz/worm-farming/ Composting course The Auckland City Council runs a 2 hour workshop that offers you a basic introduction to the three different types of composting systems covered in this blog. After attending the workshop, you will be entitled to a $40 discount voucher which you can use towards the purchase of any of the three composting systems covered in the course. The workshops take place in a variety of locations and are held regularly. For more information, visit the following webpage: https://compostcollective.org.nz/
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This is the second blog post in a three-part series which covers three different composting systems.
To recap, there are three main ways you can compost your waste:
Each system operates differently. In my last post on the subject of composting, I focussed on composting bins. In this post, I will explain how Bokashi works. Bokashi As the name suggestions, Bokashi was developed in Japan. In summary, it is a fermentation process that helps break down food waste much quicker than usual. Bokashi consists of multi-layered bins which fit inside each other. It has an air tight seal. Bokashi is an anaerobic system. No air should get into the bins. Bokashi should be stored in a warm place, out of direct sunlight. In mild climates, you can keep Bokashi in a shady spot outdoors. Unlike composting bins, Bokashi takes only green waste. Do not include any brown waste in your Bokashi. To recap, green waste is organic material that is full of nitrogen. Green waste is normally soft, fresh and moist. Examples include food waste and green lawn clippings. Brown waste is organic material that is mainly carbon. It is dry, brown and brittle and therefore takes a long time to break down. Examples include paper, cardboard, brown lawn clippings and autumn leaves. You can add the following to your Bokashi: fresh fruit and vegetables, prepared foods, cooked and uncooked meat and fish, other food such as cheese, bread, coffee grinds and tea bags and wilted flowers. Do not add liquids such as milk, orange juice or oils, paper and plastic wrap and large meat bones. Add some “sprinkle” to your Bokashi. Sprinkle is an inoculant made from beneficial microorganisms, a bit like a yoghurt starter. It contains sawdust and molasses. Sprinkle stops the Bokashi from smelling by fermenting it like a pickle. Keep a small food waste container in the kitchen for your food scraps. Chop waste up into small pieces. Drain off any excess liquid. Spread the Bokashi sprinkle on the bottom of your Bokashi bucket. Add food waste once or twice daily to the Bokashi bucket. Add 1-2 tablespoons of Bokashi sprinkle per 6 cm layer of food. Ensure you squash down the food to push out the air as you go. This helps to get rid of the air. Close the Bokashi bucket lid tightly after use. Drain off liquid from the bottom bucket at least every 2 to 3 days. When your bucket is full, close the lid and keep in a warm place, but out of direct sunlight. Leave for about 10-14 days. Don’t forget to keep draining off the liquid. The food waste should smell like pickles and will develop a white mould on top. This means the system is working well. During the Bokashi process food waste ferments and often produces a juice. The amount and colour of the liquid depends on the type of food you have put in the bucket. Fruit and vegetables may release more liquid while other foods may release none at all. The liquid fertiliser can be used in the home and garden. Pour undiluted juice directly into your toilet or down your shower or sink drains to help keep them clean. Dilute the liquid at a ratio of 1:100, so 2-3 tablespoons per 5 litres of water. Apply this to the soil or the base of plants to help keep them healthy. The solid end product can be used in the compost bin and garden. Dig a trench in your garden as deep as the Bokashi bucket and twice as long as a Bokashi bucket laid flat. Distribute the fermented food evenly along the trench. Mix the food waste with the soil. Cover with at least 50-75 mm of soil (if the soil is dry add water so composting can take place). After 3-4 weeks your fermented food waste turns into excellent compost and you can plant directly on top of it. If you can’t be bothered to dig a trench or you don’t have space in your garden, you can add the solids to your compost bin as a “green layer”. Simply spread it out and cover with lots of “brown” material. This post was based on information provided on the Compost Collective’s website. For a comprehensive guide on how to Bokashi, visit https://compostcollective.org.nz/bokashi/. Composting course The Auckland City Council runs a 2 hour workshop that offers you a basic introduction to the three different types of composting systems covered in this blog. After attending the workshop, you will be entitled to a $40 discount voucher which you can use towards the purchase of any of the three composting systems covered in the course. The workshops take place in a variety of locations and are held regularly. For more information, visit the following webpage: https://compostcollective.org.nz/ During September, I will examine the topic of composting. This is the first blog post in a three-part series which will cover three different composting systems.
Composting is a great way to recycle our waste from nature. Compost is essential for creating rich soil and healthy plants. Did you know that it is possible to compost both brown and green materials? There are three main ways you can compost your waste:
Composting bin You will need some kind of structure to hold the compost, such as a container or bin. You can buy a ready-made composting bin or build your own from a plastic container or pallet. Choose a sunny spot for your compost bin. Ensure it is easily accessible for adding ingredients and mixing regularly. Layer your compost, blending carbon (mainly brown waste) and nitrogen (mainly green waste). Aim for a ratio of 30% green waste and 70% brown waste. This means adding a mix of organic garden and kitchen waste materials. Green waste is normally soft, fresh and moist. Examples of green waste include food waste and fresh green lawn clippings. Brown waste is normally dry and brittle. It can therefore take a long time to break down. Examples of brown waste include dry leaves, paper, cardboard, twigs, wood chips, vacuum dust and dry grass. Avoid adding meat, dairy products or bread as these can attract unwanted pests. Don’t add any diseased plant material to avoid spreading the disease. A good rule of thumb is to add nothing larger than your little finger. Break up larger items like sticks, twigs and cardboard before adding them, to help them break down more quickly. Layer the brown and green waste, a bit like a sandwich. Make sure each layer is no thicker than 10 cm. Start with a brown layer, add a green layer and then another brown layer. To help get the composting process underway you can add some existing compost to each layer. Put a lid on your compost bin to enable it to decompose quickly. Mix regularly. Compost should be moist like a sponge. Add water to dry materials. Make sure there is good air flow. Compost is ready to harvest when it becomes a sweet, dark, crumbly material and you cannot distinguish the original materials in it. This normally takes 3-6 months. Compost should be dug into the soil. Don’t plant directly into compost as this can burn the roots of plants. Compost has a variety of benefits when used in your garden. It replaces nutrients that have been removed during a growing season, improves soil structure and increases the amount of oxygen available to plants. Compost also conditions soil, improves moisture retention, increases earthworm activity and improves fertiliser use by plants. Composting course The Auckland City Council runs a 2 hour workshop that offers you a basic introduction to the three different types of composting systems covered in this column. After attending the workshop, you will be entitled to a $40 discount voucher which you can use towards the purchase of any of the three composting systems covered in the course. The workshops take place in a variety of locations and are held regularly. For more information, visit the following webpage: https://compostcollective.org.nz/ |
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