Earth Guage Tip: Fall Composting for Spring Gardening

Now that this year's garden is starting to wind down, it's a perfect time to think about how you can do better next year.  Did you know that compost piles can be started in the fall to be ready just in time for spring gardening?  Nutrient-rich organic materials like fallen leaves and grass clippings can be piled up in a compost bin and stored over the winter for use in the springtime.  Putting these materials in a compost pile keeps them out of storm drains, reducing nutrient pollution in our local waterways.

What can you now? Try these tips:

·         - Find a dry, shady area near a water source for your pile or bin.

·         - Add brown (dead leaves, branches and twigs) and green (grass clippings, vegetable waste and fruit scraps)   materials to the pile or bin as you collect them.

·         - Cover the area with a six-inch layer of brown materials and then add a 3-inch layer of green materials        and a little soil.  Mix these two layers together.

·         - Top it off with 3-inch layer of brown materials.  Add water to moisten the pile.

·         - Every week or so turn the pile over to add air and moisture.  The compost pile should be ready in one to four months.

In our area, cold spells during the winter slow the composting.  If you want to speed things along, consider composting indoors during the winter months.  Tips for indoor composting can be found at www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/composting/by_compost.htm.