home composting handbook

8/3/2019 Home Composting Handbook

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T H E E A R T H M A C H I N E


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Features of your

Earth Machine backyard composter

Adjustable ventilation

Research & writing by REIC PerthIllustrations & layout by TD Graham & Associates

January 2004Printed on recycled paper using vegetable-based ink.

Twist locking

pest-resistant lid

Sideventilation

Lockingharvest door

Four screw pegsto secure composter

to the ground

Conicalshape

for easy

removal

Ten Year Warranty


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Home Composting Handbook

So youve decided to try your hand at Home

Composting. Congratulations! Sit back andrelax, because composting is an amazinglyeasy way for you to make a difference. Inless than ten minutes a week, you can:

Reduce the amount of garbage yougenerate by 25% or more thats less taxdollars spent on collection and disposal

Create wheelbarrows full of valuablecompost to add to yourgarden, lawn, trees,shrubs and house

plants

Whats not to like?

Inside thisBook...

Assembly 2

Location 4

In The Kitchen 5

What to Compost 6

How to Compost 7

The Four Seasons 8

Harvesting 10

Using Compost 11

FAQs 12

Grasscycling 15

The Big Picture 16

1


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Home Composting HandbookHome Composting Handbook

ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1 Twist and remove the lid.

Step 2 Place the bottomsection on the ground, and

set the top section on top of

it. IMPORTANT: Make sure

that the arrows on the the top and

bottom sections line up. Also, the

bottom of the top section should

sit in the groove on the top of the

bottom section.

Step 3 Check the outside and insidewith your hand to ensure the 6 tabs

line up with the 6 slots.

Step 4 To ensure the tabs arecompletely in the slots, push down

firmly on the two halves of the

composter starting at the arrows

and working fully around the

composter rim.

2

Step 5 To confirm that all 6 tabin place, turn the unit upside d

and make a visual check.

Step 6 Slide the harvest door inplace, bending slightly if necess

Step 7 Put the lid on by lining uthe arrow on the lid with the ar

on the top of the composter. Tw

the lid to lock or control ventila

Step 8 Once you have determithe location (see next page), yo

can anchor the composter to th

ground by screwing the four pe

into the ground at a slight angle

maintain correct hole spacing,

the harvest door is in place bef

screwing down the pegs.

T H E E A R T H M A C H I N ET H E E A R T H M A C H I N E


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4IN THE KITCHEN

You will need a pail with a lid, preferablya commercial unit or a reused food pail. SNorseman Plastics Kitchen Collector, offeoption and an oval shape to facilitate the

The key is a tight seal on the lid to keep fallows you to easily empty kitchen scraps

To keep material from sticking to the bottowith a sheet of newspaper or paper towelinto your composter every couple of daysThen give it a quick rinse and re-line it. Thwill compost fine.

LOCATING & INSTALLINGYOUR COMPOSTER

The most importantfactor for locatingyour composter isCONVENIENCE. Youwill be adding materialseveral times eachweek, even in winter,so set it up as close toyour kitchen as possible.

Some first-time composters make the mistake of hiding it in the backof the yard, thinking it will smell or attract pests, and then find itinconvenient. This handbook will show you how to compost easily

and trouble-free, so dont hide your composter be proud of it!

Once you have chosen your location, just set your composter in thedesired location and secure it with the four plastic screw pegs. You arenow ready to compost.

It helps to put your composter in a well-drainedspot. You can speed things up by cutting out

the sod under the composter to invite wormsand microbes in and improve drainage.


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6



WHAT TO COMPOST

Your composter will work best if it is fed a diet of green (nitrogen-rich)and brown (carbon-rich) materials. Check out the list of kitchen andyard waste greens and browns that will keep your composter happy.

Kitchen GreensFruit scraps, vegetable scrapsHouseplant cuttingsCoffee groundsRice & pastaEgg shellsTea bags

Kitchen BrownsCoffee filters, stale breadPaper napkins & towels

Dryer lintHair

Yard Greens

FlowersVegetablesPlant trimmingsHedge clippingsGrass (small amounts)

Yard Browns

LeavesStraw or hay

Small twigs/chipsDried grass and weeds

Dont CompostMeat, fish or bonesDairy productsOils or fatsSaucesAshesPet wasteDiseased plantsMature weeds with seeds

HOW TO COMPOST

Composting is easy it happens on its owHowever, there are a few things you can dto speed up the composting process. Justfollow these four steps.

CHOP It helps to chop up largitems like watermelon rinds or co

cobs before putting them in your

kitchen bucket.

EMPTY Once your kitchenbucket is full, take it to your

composter and tip it into your

composter.

STIR Mix the new material into thexisting pile using a compost turn

pitchfork or other garden tool. Th

also adds oxygen, a key compone

to successful composting.

COVER Cover your food wastwith a handful of old leaves, othe

dried yard waste or soil. This will

add carbon and reduce the chanc

of odors and fruit flies. Then put t

lid back on and let it cook.


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Stir well and add some

soil to kick-start yourcomposter. Dig outany finishedcompost fromthe bottomto use inyour lawnor garden.

8


Spring

Winter

With the coldertemperatures, yourcompost will decomposeslower. Dont worry, let it fillup. Once spring comes it willall decompose rapidly.

T H E F O U R S E A S O N S O FC O M P O S T I N G



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10



Harvesting Small AmountsYour Earth Machinecomposter comes witha door at the bottom for quick access tofinished compost. Just lift the door and digthe material out of the bottom. What couldbe simpler?

Accessing The PileThere are times when you want to accessthe entire pile. All you do is:

Unscrew the four pegs

Lift the composter up and off the pile,and set it aside

Place any unfinished compost in acontainer or pile

Load the finished compost into awheelbarrow

Replace your bin in the original footprintand screw it down

Put the unfinished compost back in thecomposter

You may want to use a compost screen tohelp separate the unfinished material fromthe finished compost.

USING COMPOST

Compost is a nutrient-rich soil amendmencreated by the natural decomposition ofkitchen and yard waste by microbes, wormand other organisms. When mixed with ysoil, it will revitalize it, make it healthier

more productive, and increase moistureretention.

In Your GardenSpread compost in your vegetable or flowgarden in spring or fall, and work it into tsoil.

On Your LawnTop-dress your lawn with compost in thespring or fall. This will help maintain healsoil structure and build your topsoil. It he

to screen the compost first so it spreads ea

Around Trees and ShrubsSpreading compost around the base of treor shrubs is another easy way to put yourcompost to use. Your trees and shrubs willove you for it.

HARVESTING

After a few months, your kitchen scraps near the bottom of your composterwill have decomposed to a point where you cannot identify the materialsyou added, and will look much like soil. There are two ways of harvestingthis finished compost, one when you just want a few shovels of compost,and another when you want as much finished compost as possible, or to

make maximum space for fresh scraps.


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Q. What can I do tokeep raccoons, squirrels,rodents and dogs out of

my composter?

Q. My composter fillsup too quickly. What

should I do?

Q. How should Ihandle yard waste?



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A. Properly running composters should notgive off any unpleasant odors if anything,they should be almost sweet-smelling. If youdo notice any unpleasant odors, mix it wellwith a compost turner or pitchfork to get

more air into the pile, and add some morebrowns (e.g. leaves) to dry it out. Dontadd piles of grass clippings all at once, asthey will give off an ammonia-like smell(see page 15 for tips on managing grassclippings). Also, make sure not to put anymeat or dairy products in your composter.

A. Most people find that they can harvestfinished compost from the bottom of theirpile every 6 months or so. However, if youhave a good mix of greens and browns,

stir thoroughly and frequently, and keep itfrom getting too wet or dry, you will find youcan cook a batch of compost in as little as6 weeks.

A. During the summer, you may be greetedby fruit flies when you open your kitchenpail or composter. To keep them at bay inthe kitchen, make sure to close the lid onyour kitchen pail tightly and empty your pailfrequently. At your composter, add leaves ora thin layer of soil each time you add freshmaterial.

Q. Will my compostsmell?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

A. Occasionto take a likiare a few thi

Avoid all

oil or fat Bury fresh

Keep the through thand comp

Place bricof the com

Add dog

If the problebottom of thchicken wire

A. Use yourkitchen wastin a hurry. Ifwaste for onsecond one.

A. Consider waste compoEarth Machin

of cover matbags of leave

year.

Q. What do I do to getrid of fruit flies?

Q. How long before Iget compost?


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In cold climates,use saved bagsof leaves asinsulation aroundyour composter.



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Q. How moist shouldmy composter pile be?

Q. Is there a wayto make winter

composting in thesnowbelt easier?

A. The rule of thumb is to keep the material asmoist as a wrung-out sponge. In arid climates,this means you will have to periodically addwater to the pile, or make a point of addingwet materials to the kitchen pail (e.g. leftovercoffee). In rainy areas or seasons, you may

need to add dry leaves, aerate the pile witha pitchfork or compost turner, or leave thelid of compost off on sunny days.

A. Hopefully, your composter is locatedclose to your back door so you dont haveto shovel a long path to it. If not, leave anold garbage can next to the back door andempty your kitchen pail directly into it.Once spring comes you can just add it toyour composter, together with some leavesor other browns.

GRASSCYCWhy rake, bag & landfill yo

Some people still rake, bag and landfill tbecause its what they've always done, o

clippings cause thatch. The truth, as moswill tell you, is that grass clippings do nofact help keep your lawn healthy. So stayou clippings lie where they fall.

TIPS Keep your mower blades sharp.

Dont cut too short never shorter th

Cut frequently never more than onea time, so cut as soon as the lawn is a

Dont over-fertilize or over-water your

grow faster and create more work. Grtop-dressing with compost is likely al

BENEFITS Less work for you less

raking and carryingbags to the curb.

Free fertilizer foryour lawn.

Less tax dollarson collection andlandfilling.

If you still find too manyclumps of cut grass for your liking, consor replace your current blade with a mu

Happy Grass

For more information

www.earthmachine.com


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Glad to have youcomposting!By composting andrecycling, you canreduce the amount ofgarbage you generateby up to 80%. It quicklybecomes routine andmakes a big difference.

The added bonus isthat the compost yougenerate will makeyour garden and lawnhealthier, and lessdependent on chemicals,fertilizers and watering.

Home composting,combined with recyclingand yard waste programs,can reduce your waste byup to 80%.

The Big Picture


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You are one of over 2 million users of

Earth Machine backyard composters.

A family using an Earth Machine can

divert over 500 pounds of kitchen scraps and

yard waste a year. Thats over one billion pounds of

garbage tranformed into valuable

compost for our gardens each and every year!

Congratulations!


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www.earthmachine.com

The Earth Machine

The Norseman Waste Diversion Family

home composting handbook

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