COMPOSTING - THREE WAYS
" DIGGING A NEW RUT"
Bob Pennington

There are basically three ways to make compost.

1. The Indore Method (named after the state in India) which relies on layering green, brown, and soil in a heap, neatly layered or not. Oxygen (O2) and water (H2O) are the other principle inputs. Green represents nitrogen (N) components, while brown represents carbon (C). Ideally the C to N ratio should be about thirty parts to one, although there is some room for variance. Too little N and nothing happens. Too much, and it either gets too hot or stinks to high heaven with (NH2) ammonium. Compost happens: either by waiting for Mother Nature to slowly do her thing; or by aeration (rotating or turning the pile).

2.Incorporation of livestock larger than microbes, namely manure or compost worms. This tactic works much faster, generally, but only works outdoors when temperatures are high enough for these hyper-industrious creatures to do their thing.

An extremely effective alternate method is running a worm ranch under the kitchen sink, which in itself is a very pleasant activity. Nobody will even know that you are a rancher unless they look under the sink. How rude! The main drawback to worm wrangling is that you are now responsible for the health and welfare of a whole new community of life forms.

3.Direct composting between the rows or between the plants in your garden, leading you into the rut. At its simplest and most basic, take your compost materials and very shallowly dig them into your garden soil. Voila! Of course there are tricks and tactics to employ for best effect. Running all your kitchen scraps through a blender or food mill will make decay more rapid. Do not use any fats or animal scraps this way, unless you want to make donations from your garden to larger two and four-footed creatures from crows to dogs, cats, or even bears.

Direct composting is probably best used with kitchen scraps and perhaps very fine outdoor materials, like crushed or ground leaves. It will work best when soil temperatures are fairly warm, as you want rapid decay, and the amount in any one area ought not be too large, as you don't want a huge build-up of temperature.

Visit www.santafebotanicalgarden.org to learn more about how Santa Fe Botanical Garden celebrates, cultivates and conserves the rich botanical heritage and biodiversity of the region.