Backyard Composting

Spring

In spring, as a compost bin defrosts, microorganisms will become active and the decomposition process will speed up. Add water and a carbon source (e.g. dry leaves). Mix the compost to enhance the breakdown of materials.

Summer

Microbial activity increases in the summer and the compost will become quite hot if the bin is maintained with suitable levels of oxygen, water and materials. To speed up decomposition, break/chop materials into small pieces, keep the compost as moist as a wrung-out sponge, and mix the compost to add air.

Fall

Add dry fallen leaves to your composter as a "brown" material. If you have surplus leaves, store for later use, create a compost bin for leaves only, apply leaves to the garden as mulch, or allow a moderate amount of shredded fallen leaves to decompose on the lawn naturally.

Winter

Continue to add materials to the composter and layer with reserved dry leaves (if you have them). As materials in a composter break down, heat is produced, so decomposition will continue even as the outside temperature drops.

Set Up

For more detail, refer to this guide on how to assemble and install your Green Cone Digester.

The Green Cone Digester must be installed partially underground in a garden. The double walls heat up in the sun and cycle heated air to the chamber below for aerobic digestion. The underground basket feeds nutrients to surrounding plants, while also keeping waste out of reach from pests.

• Dig an 80 cm wide, 60 cm deep hole in a sunny spot in your garden in which to place the bottom section of the Green Cone Digester.

Accelerator Powder

After adding material to the composter, you must sprinkle accelerator powder onto the food waste for the first 5-6 uses. This builds up a healthy amount of bacteria to start your cone working.

In a healthy, working Green Cone Digester, the food waste will be covered in a blue/grey fur - the bacteria doing its work. You should see this blue/grey fur start to build up over the first 10-14 days of use. While you can see the bacteria you do not need to add accelerator powder. When the level of bacteria starts to disappear, add some accelerator powder. You may need to add accelerator powder every time you empty your kitchen caddy in the winter.

Do not use any chemical activator in the Green Cone Digester, as this could kill the bacteria.

Capacity

The Green Cone Digester is designed to handle 4.5 L of waste every 1-2 days in the summer, and 4.5 L of waste every 2-3 days in the winter. 

Acceptable Materials

A Green Cone Digester can accept just about everything a backyard composter can, plus many materials that a regular backyard composter cannot, including fish, meat, poultry, bones, and dairy. The Green Cone Digester is also able to handle small quantities of pet waste.

Learn more about the Green Cone Digester

Some people are intrigued by the concept of backyard composting, but are turned off by the idea of including food scraps. 

The good news is that backyard composting can also be done with leaf and yard waste materials alone! That way, you can continue to compost while using your Green Bin for food scraps.

• How Composting Works
• How to Site a Backyard Composter
• How to Deter Pests from Your Compost Pile
• How to Aereate Your Compost Bin
• How to Harvest and Use Finished Compost 

As a largely rural community, many of our residents have been organic composting for years. In the early 1990s, a study done in the Township of West Garafraxa showed that 82% of residents were managing organics through composting. At that time, the County trained two of its staff as Master Composters and composting workshops were held on a regular basis in the 21 member municipalities.

The Master Composter programme ensures residents have all the tools and education required to be successful at managing their organics through five key objectives:

1. Increase the number of residents actively composting household organics
2. Determine the needs of residents in order to be successful at backyard composting
3. Create opportunities to illustrate the benefits of using compost on plants, lawns, and gardens
4. Create opportunities to partner with others for beautification and food production projects
5. Collect data to determine participation in backyard composting in the County

What is Vermicomposting?

Vermicomposting is composting using worms, and it can be done inside your home. It is perfect for anyone in a household or business where outdoor composting is not an option. It is also an excellent educational tool for children to learn about composting first-hand. It is a simple process that uses a mixture of food waste, bedding materials, and worm castings (poop) to create a nutrient rich compost to add to the soil of your household plants, planter boxes, or even to use in your outdoor gardens.

Getting Started

1. First, you will need a bin!

   Pick a bin that has a removable lid. The lid should be solid and well-built. The bin itself should be at least 40 L (around 9 gallons) in size. You can pick up a storage bin at your local hardware store, or department store.

   Important note: You will need to drill small air holes in the lid of your bin. If you skip this very important step, it's very likely that your worms will die.

2. You will need to create a layer of "bedding".

   Bedding consists of narrow strips of paper, water, garden soil, and crushed egg shells. Fill your bin about 1/3 of the way with bedding.

   Most of the bedding should be the narrow strips of paper. You don't want your bedding to be too moist. When you pick up and squeeze the bedding, it should be damp, but you shouldn't be able to squeeze water out of it.

3. You will need worms!

   When it comes to vermicomposting, some worms work better than others. Specifically, Red Wigglers (a type of earthworm) are the preferred worms to use since they can quickly multiply and ingest organic materials for composting.

4. You will need a location for your bin.

   Find a cool place without a lot of sunlight for your bin. The cupboard under your sink is a great place, and it's convenient.

   Please note: You should never put any pet waste, dairy, meat, or citrus products in your vermicomposter. The worms don't like it.

5. You're ready to compost!

   After following the previous steps, you're ready to begin! Remove all of the finished worm castings from your bin to ensure your composting is successful. 

   Remember: worms are not smelly, and your worm bin will be easy to maintain!

Additional Resources

Now you're ready to start your vermicomposting adventure! For more information, either search "Vermicomposting Ontario," or visit the websites below for all of your vermicomposting needs:

• The Government of Ontario
• The Compost Council of Canada
• Worm Wrangler
• Cathy's Crawly Composters

What is Bokashi Composting?

Bokashi composting is a type of indoor composting that uses a fermenting process to create usable compost. It is an anaerobic process, so you can put meat, dairy, fish, citrus, and any other kitchen scraps into your bokashi to create usable compost.

This type of composting is ideal for anyone who doesn't have the option to backyard compost or has a strong aversion to the worms that must be used in vermicomposting.

Here are some links to websites that can explain the bokashi composting process in more detail:

• Try Bokashi Composting: A Practical Solution for the Kitchen Compost
• The Easy and Clean Way to Compost All Your Food Waste 
• Bokashi Composting Myths