The C.H. Booth Library hosted a virtual presentation about composting on November 9 led by Greg Bugbee, a soil scientist with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Environmental Sciences, in New Haven.

About a dozen people were in attendance to learn about how to compost responsibly and efficiently with the help of Bugbee’s expertise.

Towards the start of the seminar, he defined composting as “the process of biological decomposition of organic materials (usually waste) under aerobic conditions with part of the process conducted under thermophilic conditions.”

Aerobic conditions pertain to the usage of air, and thermophilic means of high temperature, (usually over 125 degrees Fahrenheit). The latter happens more in commercial composting, such as through municipalities, and is not necessarily happening with home composting.

What composting consists of, according to Bugbee’s slideshow illustration, is taking organic waste and introducing it to moisture, air, microbes, and heat; having it go through decomposition; and then it becomes a soil amendment.

Large, mass commercial composting can take matter and turn it into compost in about 30 days, but that timeline is much different with smaller scale home composting.

Bugbee added, “Also for efficient composting, you need a proper ratio of carbon to nitrogen. And that ratio is 25-30 parts carbon to one part nitrogen.”

High carbon materials are referred to as “browns” and are things like ashes, wood, shredded cardboard, corn stalks, fruit waste, leaves, shredded newspaper, peanut shells, pine needles, sawdust, and straw.

High nitrogen materials are called “greens” and are materials such as alfalfa, clover, coffee grounds, food waste, garden waste, grass clippings, hay, manures, seaweed, vegetable scraps, and weeds.

For Beginners

After the composting program, Bugbee spoke to The Newtown Bee about ways people who are brand new to composting can start.

“The first thing is you need a place to compost ... you want to choose an area shaded or semi-shaded to stay moist and not dry out too fast. Preferably an area that does not have a lot of tree roots that come up into the composting from below. You can get around that by building structures to put the composting in,” he explained.

The next step is to determine what you have to compost, such as leaves and grass clippings.

Bugbee finds that a common beginner mistake is having their organic material only consist of grass clippings. This can cause an issue because it will become “sticky and smelly” if not mixed with leaves and other material.

As for what not to add, he says, “Generally, we discourage food waste, particularly meat products … that could attract rats and all sorts of things.”

Also, vegetable plants from the garden, such as dead tomato or cucumber plants, should not be used in composting.

Bugbee explained, “They harbor diseases and if you can’t get the temperature real high, which most can’t with home composting, those diseases can be held over and reapplied in the garden.”

Once a location and the organic materials have been decided, it is important to evaluate just how much of it you are looking to compost.

“That will help you make the decision if you have an area that is suitable,” he said.

Having just a tiny bin of organic material, such as a five-gallon bucket, would be too small to start with in his opinion. Bugbee recommends having a minimum of a cubic yard to get the project going.

“Some people don’t realize they should make the biggest pile as possible to get the best composting effect, because that will hold the temperature the best and keep it hotter,” he said.

The next step is to determine what type of composting method to do.

Bugbee raised the question, “Do I want to do a simple technique of just putting it in a pile and let it decay away and then over time I turn it and then use it; or do you want to do a more sophisticated system with more of a structure built out of wood or one you can turn?”

Browns And Greens

Regardless of which method a person chooses, it is important to have the right proportions of browns and greens.

If a person only has greens to compost, Bugbee says people can use nitrogen fertilizer to help the process move along.

When everything is finally together, it is best to leave it be for long periods of time.

“Once it is in place you don’t want to turn it too much or you’ll cool it, but you want to turn it enough where the outside gets put on the inside and it composts,” Bugbee said. “That means turning it maybe once or twice during a six-month period.”

When the warmer months arrive and the compost is ready to be distributed, homeowners can reap the benefits of using it as a desirable product on their lawns and garden areas.

“Why is it desirable? It adds what’s called ‘organic matter’ to the soil … which is great for the soil,” Bugbee said. “Soil needs organic additions for the optimal level of what’s called ‘microbial activity or biology,’ the living organisms that are so beneficial to plants. It feeds the beneficial microbes.”

Not only does it add nutrients, but Bugbee says that compost improves the moisture retention in the soil, so it does not drain as fast, and it gives good air space.

He concluded, “It’s a way of recycling waste products, [such as] your leaves. Why put them in a bag and have them brought to the dump when you can turn them into a beneficial product yourself?”

To learn about Newtown’s organic (food scraps) composting program and find information on home composting, visit hrra.org/organics-food-scraps.

Bugbee encourages everyone to take part in a soil testing service for free through his organization. To learn more about this service, go to portal.ct.gov/CAES/Soil-Office/Soil-Office/Soil-Testing-Offices-Instructions.

For more information about composting and soil testing, e-mail Greg Bugbee at Gregory.Bugbee@ct.gov.

Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.