Recycling Leaves and Garden Waste

There is just no reason to bag or pile up at the curb the materials from you yard that can be used to create your own source of compost: nutrient-rich material that can be added to gardens and flower beds at soil preparation time in the spring or fall.

Most municipalities now forbid pick-up of plastic bags of clippings from you yard since landfills are being filled too rapidly. In general, Ohio moved into that mode in 1993. In some cases you have the option of buying paper bags to fill for a special pick-up or loose raked leaves are collected at curbside. But, why continue to throw money, yours or your community's, at a problem you can solve in your yard?

Backyard recycling, through use of a compost pile creates a totally beneficial and usable product. I call it Black Gold.

To start, choose a location in your yard that is out of direct view. For example, behind a line of evergreens or back against the fence line or property line. You can purchase a recycling barrel, if you prefer. These allow ease in turning the pile over which is done to speed up the breakdown of organic material. I prefer a bin.

You can make your own bin easily by squaring off a space with cement blocks, railroad ties, or even chicken wire and stakes. In order to assure the proper combination of organic activity, the bin should be no smaller that 18 inches by 18 inches, but no larger that 6 feet by 6 feet.

I suggest 3 bins about 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet high. This allows you to have one bin in use for adding fresh clippings, one bin in the process of breaking down, and one bin in use for adding nutrients to flower beds.

Avoid any low-lying wet spots in your yard. The compost pile will not drain effectively in those areas, slowing down the decomposition procedure. The bacteria and beneficial fungi that cause the breakdown in the pile of matter need water, air and other nutrients to live. We don't want to prevent water from getting to the pile, but we don't want to prevent good drainage either.

Compost should be turned over every 3 or so weeks with a spading fork or pitchfork. In order to speed up the process; you can add fertilizer to the pile every third time, mixed thoroughly throughout the turned materials. While clippings that have been fertilized add nutrients, adding fertilizer directly speeds up decomposition dramatically.

You can also use your kitchen scraps from all leafy vegetable preparation by-products. Always avoid materials such as bone, fat, meats, greases and milk products. These might attract rodents and other nuisance animals to your yard and are best avoided.

Some people have expressed concern about adding some of the decomposed material to vegetable garden sites, especially if clippings have contained insecticides, fungicides and excess nitrates. While no proof of contamination exists, if you are concerned about the possibility, simply add the compost primarily to flower beds and shrubs, etc.

The compost you add to your garden is a living organic mass. It enhances an already improved garden site by replenishing the nutrients that get used up in a growing season, aiding water-holding capacity and drainage. By creating a compost pile, you are participating in natural recycling in a way that benefits you – by saving money and time, your yard – by adding valuable nutrients to the soil and the environment – by slowing the filling of land fills.