Considering composting? An expert has advice

COVID-19 has resulted in a surge of people taking up gardening this year.

A recent study from Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab shows almost one in four Atlantic Canadians started growing food at home in 2020, many of which indicated the pandemic influenced their decision.

But as the leaves start to fall and the harvest gets plucked, some may also be considering composting for the first time.

Halifax Regional Municipality waste resource educator, Chloe Kennedy, said the move can help you strike “garden gold” by saving you money on compost and fertilizer.

HRM's website says grass cuttings, fruit and vegetable peelings or scraps, tea bags, pasta, coffee grounds, stale bread and eggshells can all be put in the composter. Those materials fall into the “greens” category, which are moist and rich in nitrogen.

But Kennedy warns you'll want to stick to the green bin when it comes to most table scraps and expired foods.

“Even if you made a nice stir-fry, you're going to be using oils and salts that aren't necessarily great to have in your compost … [including] rice or the cooked vegetables covered in sauces,” she told NEWS 95.7's The Weekend Gardener, Niki Jabbour. 

“So keeping out any bread that might have butter on it or rice that might have oil on it. Just sticking to your fruit and vegetable scraps”

Other items to keep out of your backyard bin include dairy products, weeds that have gone to seed, pet waste, kitty litter and meat, fish, bones, fats and oils.

The “greens” should be layered with “browns” which are dry, carbon-rich organic materials, including dry leaves, straw or hay, wood chips, sawdust, napkins, newspaper and vacuum cleanings.

“After you dump your bucket of fruit and vegetable scraps, if you cover the material with a nice layer of leaves, then it kind of contains that material a bit … and then about once a week or once every two weeks, you want to get a shovel and give the whole thing a really good turn, and then cover it up with a layer of brown material again,” Kennedy explained.

Kennedy said the aerobic bacteria that breaks the material need the air to multiply and thrive.

“Sometimes when people say, 'golly, my compost pile just reeks,' my first question is 'are you turning it enough,' because the bad kind of bacteria are called anaerobic, or the non-air loving bacteria,” she said. 

“So when you turn over your pile and you add air, you're going to kill off those nasty bacteria and you're going to help those nice air-loving bacteria to really do their job.”

This stage can be made easier by purchasing a bin that rolls.

“All your compost is in a big black plastic barrel that spins around on these two little metal feet,” she said. “That keeps in contained, it keeps it up off the ground, it cooks it nice and quickly and it is difficult for any little critters to access, so I would highly recommend those rolling barrel composters.”

Kennedy said you'll want to cut back on what you toss in the composter as the weather cools off.

“The bacteria don't stop in winter, but they sure do slow down,” she said. “You can still add material to your compost in winter, but you don't want to be adding as much.”

More advice on composting can be found on HRM's website.