Composting: Why I make “black gold” and why you should too

[This is a copy of my article in THE ALTERNATIVE e-magazine in my blog]

We never practised waste segregation at home, always dumping everything together. Then, one day we started to come across smelly streets, every street bombarded with unattended waste from each house.

This was a few years back when Bangalore was flooded with smelly roads as the dumpyards were no longer accepting any additional trash, and thus BBMP made “rules” to separate dry and wet waste so that it could be sent out for recycling.

We followed it, but not willingly. Our mind was tuned to the fact that this was an “extra” effort.

We did it, because it was a “rule” and they would not take the waste away if it was not segregated, and we always had in mind, “Ah, what an extra job is this.”

Waste segregation’s not an extra job any more though!

Months passed by, and one fine day, I came across the home gardening concept. The first day, I felt childishly happy planting my garden; by the second week, I found my vegetable saplings growing; a month later, I saw beautiful flowers on them; and two months later, I harvested the first ever crop which I knew I’d put effort into! Even though the quantity was less, I was happy since I had worked to get it!

Gardening drew more of my interest towards it, day by day. I felt addicted to it and to make my veg garden bloom even more, I started to research the best possible combination of soil and manure, when I came across the word “compost”. I hadn’t realized all these years that so much of kitchen waste that we dump in the trash could be so beneficial for my plants!

This was the moment I realized the importance of waste segregation. This was the moment I realized it is every citizen’s responsibility to ‘Reduce-Recycle-Reuse’ as much waste as possible—the world is just filling up with trash!

I did not delay any more; I did not want to waste days and wanted to start making the “black gold” (compost); I could not bear to see the rich products being dumped with the other trash, so I got my first compost pot from Daily Dump.

Me with my Daily Dump kambha

I am now so pleased that I can manage my kitchen waste so well and so easily (I don’t have to even worry about smelly bins/pests/rats). I am happy that I am contributing my small bit to nature, which gives us so much in return.

It takes just 10 minutes of my daily time to compost and I am so eager to make my first batch of black gold!

Harvesting compost

Components of compost

Nitrogen – waste kitchen vegetables (no bones and meat).

Carbon – Dry leaves/shredded paper/cardboard pieces.

Microbes – This is essential to decompose the matter. Cow dung or sour buttermilk, ready-made microbes, are available from DailyDump.

Air/Oxygen – This being an aerobic process, we need to stir the mixture once in 4 days.

Moisture – The pile needs to be moist for microbial activity. Moisture needs to be adequate, do not make it too wet nor too dry.

Some important points to note:

Minimum duration for compost to happen is 3 months if all the 5 ingredients are adequately provided.

Do not use the compost before 3months. If it is not done yet, it could burn the roots of the plants.

Maggots are good for composting process. However, if you find many maggots, sprinkle a spoon of red chilli powder or neem powder to decrease their population.

If your compost is smelling, the carbon content is not sufficient or the pile is too wet or regular stirring is not done. Identify your case and troubleshoot accordingly.

What types I have been practising

I practice two types at home currently: Khamba composting and Vermicomposting. Both are easy practices that anyone could start off with. The main differences are:

Khamba Composting

1. Does not require earthworms.

2. Requires regular stirring for oxygen.

3. Feed the khamba/bin with fresh waste every day.

4. Can dump any vegetable waste.

5. End product is good quality compost.

These are the kambhas that I use

Vermicomposting

1. Requires earthworms (Red Wiggler).

2. The worms themselves move up and down the bin, and they do not require stirring.

3. Feed weekly twice, the kitchen waste veggies as and when they accumulate should be of quantity that could be (even on daily basis) handled by the worms, else it could start smelling.

4. Cannot feed acidic veggies like onions, tomatoes, lime, and lemon.

5. End product is best quality compost, since the earthworm droppings are very nutritious for the plants.

Earthworms in my vermicomposting bin

My helping resources

I have been a disciple of Vani Murthy. The work that she and her team have done on waste management is abundant. I started off by watching her composting videos on YouTube. They were very simple to understand and follow. I got to meet her personally during the “Oota From Your Thota” events, where she was kind enough to share some earthworms to encourage me with vermicomposting. Now we are in regular touch as she answers all my queries on composting.

Compost tea recipe

Brew “compost tea” – your plants will love it!

Materials required:

Two handful of compost/vermicompost

10 litres water (soft, chlorine-free)

Handful of jaggery (for growth of beneficial microbes)

Fishtank pump

Small rope

A small stick

Old sock

Bucket

Procedure : 

Take the sock, fill it up with 2 handful of compost, tie it with the rope to the stick to suspend it in a bucket of 10 litres of water (as shown in the picture).

Add a handful of jaggery to the water.

Leave pipe from fish tank pump and switch on the fish tank pump – continuously for 48 hours.

This process ensures the microbes in the compost thrives.

Making compost tea

Preparation duration and usage:

Keep it ON for 48 hours and use the brewed CT fresh (dilute it with water 1:10 ratio). Do not store. Spray it on the plants or pour the tea to the pot.

Benefits of Compost Tea

Boosts immunity power of plants – the beneficial microbes in action.

Spraying it on leaves, ensures protection against bugs (aphids/mealybugs) and diseases.

Highly nutritious for the plants – organic fertilizer.

Composting is a sweet addiction I enjoy and one I encourage my peers, friends and relatives to get addicted to. We are not utilizing the important and rich resources available if we are not composting. I feel it is every person’s responsibility to spread the word on importance of composting. It is the ultimate solution to the waste management issues we face today.