Recycling

Composting at Slide Ranch

Composting is the natural process of decomposition. Plant materials, manure, kitchen scraps and wet paper towels can all be recycled into a rich soil amendment know as compost. At Slide Ranch, there are several methods of composting practiced. There is a method for kitchen scraps, another for garden waste and a worm bin.

For the kitchen and garden, waste piles are constructed by layering nitrogen-rich materials (green plants, kitchen scraps, manure) with carbon-rich materials (dried plants, straw, wood chips, sawdust) into a cubic yard. All items are then be chopped up into smaller pieces to speed up and even the process of decomposition. The pile is watered until it is about as damp as a wrung-out sponge. Depending on what is in the pile it can take from one month to a year to be ready. Note: Food scraps need to be in a rodent-proof bin or container.

For further information, please check out these books:

Rodale’s Guide to Composting, Deborah L. Martin and Grace Cerghny, Editors, Rodale Press, Emmans Pennsylvania, 1992

How to Grow More Vegetables, John Jearvons, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, 1974

Worms Eat My Garbage, Mary Appelhof, Chelsea Green Publishing, White River Jct., Vermont.