Since beginning my internship at Merry Lea, I have learned so much about growing food sustainably. There is one invaluable resource that I have always underestimated. Anyone involved in organic farming surely knows the many benefits of compost! Composting is something that can be done easily by anyone, and the benefits are astounding.
Growing up in suburbia without much of a garden, I was largely unfamiliar with compost. To me, the word compost simply implied the pile of garbage that one finds in some backyards. I thought that composting was merely a way to cut down on the amount of waste being put into the trashcan, and eventually the landfill. I now realize that I was not far off and understand better how important composting is. In a landfill, waste is highly compacted with few microorganisms and no oxygen for aerobic break down of organic matter. These anaerobic, decaying materials create methane gas. By composting organic matter rather than putting it into a landfill, we are able to cut down on the green house gases going into the atmosphere.
While reducing the amount of organic matter in landfills is very important, there are many additional benefits to composting. Any avid gardener will tell you the value of adding compost to the garden to improve the soil. The arthropods and microorganisms in compost contribute to building a living soil. Organic matter enhances soil fertility, contributes to improved availability of water, reduces erosion and soil compaction, and even enhances resistance of crops to insects and disease.
As there are many reasons to produce compost, there are just as many ways to go about doing it. Here at Rieth Village, we use straw bales to build the walls of our compost bin and landscaping cloth to cover the pile. This helps to retain moisture and insulate the pile so that it actively composts without the need for regular turning. Another benefit of using straw bales to build the walls is that they provide straw for mulching in next year’s garden as well as organic matter for composting.
In order to monitor compost pile activity, I take the temperature of the pile each week. If the temperature of the pile is not higher than that of ambient air, it is a sign that the organic matter is no longer breaking down. We will then add more raw materials and water to our pile. The small farm of a neighbor who keeps a few horses is a steady source of manure for us. Because horse manure tends to compost hot, we alternate thin layers of manure with thicker layers of straw and plant matter. Water is an important additive to keep things moist and active.
I have heard people complain that sustainable practices are time- and labor-intensive and generally inconvenient. Through this internship, however, I am learning just how easy it is to make simple changes that can reduce our ecological footprint.
