"Browns vs. Greens" - The Secret to Composting

Remember that old saying, "you are what you eat"... well, we like to look at it this way:

what you eat can build you up, or it can break you down...

We aren't going to tell you what to eat... your body does that and your brain tells you what it thinks about it; so how does this correlate with the thought above?  Well, think about the last time you ate ice cream and then went for a run... your brain didn't fully think that through and your body let you know it by "breaking down".  So, let's break our food down so that it can build us up. 

We know that we need to consume healthy foods in order to live healthy lives.  Therefore, the healthy foods we consume need to be grown in healthy natural environments. 

Soil is at the root (wow... I surprised myself with that one) of a healthy environment for the majority of our food... even the icecream.  Strawberries, vanilla bean, even chocolate, which originates from cacao, is grown in soil.  The meat we consume, comes from animals grazing on grasses grown in the soil they walk on.  This is why we have decided to start growing our fruits and vegetables in healthy, organic soil, which we are creating through composting.   

Not only does composting help to enrich the health of the soil we use, it helps cut down on landfill waste.  The same natural waste used in composting, put in a landfill, can take significantly longer to break down due to other landfill waste, such as a refridgerator or washing machine that is unfortunately only going to help create a sink hole in the future (maybe that's for another post).   

 healthy soil = healthy lives  

(breakdown what you eat = build up your soil)

 

What to compost to create natural organic soil: 

• fruit scraps                                                                   

• vegetable scraps                                                         

• toilet paper rolls                                                           

• unused toilet paper and tissues                                                    

• unused paper towels without ink
• cut grass and weeds
•  used tea bags                                                                

• used coffee filters

Note: The smaller the food scraps, the thinner the paper products... the faster the break down.

What not to compost to create natural organic soil:  
Non organic matter and organic matter containing bodily fluids (ex. meats, cheeses, used tissues).

 

Select a location and container:

After our amazing honeymoon on the island of Kauai at Hale Mala Pua, LLC, we've brought back the heightened desire to take care of our immediate environment with environmentally friendly household products.  Our host showed us simple changes we can make, like how to prevent and keep away ants naturally and still have pineapple and mango juice all over the counter each day.  She introduced us to the OXO Good Grips POP Big Square 4-Quart Storage Container 

We highly recommend a household container like this one (Thanks Holly!) to keep your food scraps in for the day, the week, maybe the month, depending on how much organic waste matter you produce, because of it's seal.  We don't have ant issues or weird smells.  Compost smells...  and not like fresh soil, until it is fresh soil.  So we also recommend a sealed stationary container like a metal drum and/or a stationary structure that you can easily turn the soil in as it builds up, with a shovel.  There are also, rotating containers, which are intended to make turning the soil easier.   

 

Turning the compost:

Using a sealed metal drum will trap heat inside, stimulating rapid breakdown of the waste, yet it can be difficult to roll and empty.  We like this method because it speeds up the breakdown and can be right next to your garbage and recycling containers.  It then gets rolled on it's way to being dumped and turned with a shovel because not all of it will be broken down.   Make sure you maintain a pile as you turn the compost.  The greater the pile, the higher the temperature, and the faster the breakdown.  If you want to make sure that your pile maintains a constant temperature or a certain temperature, there are thermometers made specifically for composting. 

 

How to balance the soil nutrients: 

You'll first want to check the loaminess of your native soil. 

To test loam with a Mason jar: 

1. Use a clear, clean jar with a tight sealing lid. (A Mason jar is perfect.)
2. Fill the jar half full with soil. (Do this in different jars for different areas of the garden.)  
3. Fill the jar almost to the top with water.  (Leave room for shaking.) 
4. Tighten the lid and shake the jar for several minutes or until all particles are suspended.
5. Set your shaken Mason jar aside for several hours so the particles have a chance to settle.  (Do before work or bed and check later.)

They will separate from top to bottom in this order:

• floating organic matter
• water
• clay 
• silt
• sand
• rock

20% Clay, 40% Silt, 40% Sand = Ideal Loam

 

Note the color of your soil.  The darker the soil, the more nutrient rich it is. 

Soil can be more acidic (low pH) or more alkaline (high pH).  It's important to know what type of pH the plants you want to grow need and what type of pH is native to your area.  The pH comes from the interaction between native rocks, plants, and weather.  It's a measurement of how concentrated the  reactive hydrogen ions (H+) are. This can change based on changes in climate and physical surroundings.  Test your soil before planting to maximize growing potential.   

There are many ways to do this and electronic devices you can use as well as places you can send samples for testing.  

To test soil pH with vinegar and baking soda:

1. Collect 1 cup of soil from separate parts of your garden (each cup is a sample). 
2. Put 2 spoonfuls of one soil sample into a container (Mason jars are perfect). 
3. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the soil.  If it fizzes, you have alkaline soil (pH between 7 and 8).
4. If it doesn’t fizz, add distilled water until all the 2 spoonfuls of soil is muddy. 
5. Add 1/2 cup baking soda. If it fizzes you have acidic soil (pH between 5 and 6).

If your soil has no reaction, it is neutral (pH of 7).  This is great!  You shouldn't have to make any major changes to your native soil! 

• Repeat this for the remaining soil samples. 

 

"Browns vs. Greens" is key! 

We try to make neutral soil so it can be used anywhere with slight changes toward being more alkaline or more acidic in certain areas of the garden.  To do that, it takes a conscious effort on our part to think of what we call "browns vs. greens,"  better known as the Carbon-Nitrogen ratio (C:N).  We want a balance of brown matter, being things like paper products that are dry, and green matter, being food scraps that are moist.  If your composting doesn't appear to be working, you may have too much Carbon.  If your compost absolutely stinks like ours did... you have too much Nitrogen.  It's a balancing act.  Keep adding the right waste matter to your compost and you will be successful!  

You're on your way to producing the soil pH that your garden needs to be a healthy natural environment fostering a healthy life for those consuming your produce.  Isn't this exciting!?       


If interested, buy your own OXO Good Grips POP Big Square 4-Quart Storage Container

See what else is going on at GreinerStudio.com.





Composting Facts Provided by:
http://www.planetnatural.com/composting-101/
http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/gardening-techniques/soil-ph-zm0z14amzkin.aspx
http://preparednessmama.com/jar-soil-test/
http://preparednessmama.com/testing-your-soil-ph-without-a-kit/
http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/carbonnitrogenratio.html