Gardening in Laramie County, Wyoming can be difficult. The weather is unpredictable, and usually cool. The wind dries everything out. And don't forget our wonderful Wyoming "soil" - also known as clay.
While there’s not much I can do about the climate, I might be able to help with the soil. This garden helper is low-cost, can help keep some things out of our landfills, and doesn’t take much of your time. It’s called compost. Compost improves both clay and sandy soils. It has been referred to as “black gold.”
To make compost, you will need:
An area for the compost
Organic material
Water
Air
Time
Let's look at each ingredient:
Your compost area can be a “pile” - a 4x4 patch of ground in your back yard, or you can contain it using a bin. Using a black bin helps heat the compost up, but you’ll still get compost without it. It will just take a bit longer. Your bin can be made of repurposed pallets, snow fence, and other reclaimed materials made of untreated wood. If you have a big yard (and lots of green grass to compost) you may want to think about a 3-bin system. You start the compost in one bin or pile. Fresh materials always go in the first bin. As you turn your compost, you’ll eventually discover some compost that’s closer to being finished, so you move it to your second bin/pile. When the 2nd bin gets some compost that’s almost done, move it to the third bin to let it cure.
There are “countertop” composters that you can buy, but I’ve never tried one. If you don’t have much yard space but would like some compost for your container plants and houseplants, you might want to give it a shot. I wouldn’t try using a bucket on your countertop, you’ll probably end up with fungus gnats and other pests.
One of our summer projects is going to be constructing a 3-bin system, with some black backing for heat retention, to replace our current pallet/snow fence bins. We’ll be using repurposed and recycled materials as much as possible, to keep the cost down.
The organic material for your compost pile should be a good mix of “green” materials that are high in nitrogen, such as grass clippings, kitchen waste and garden trimmings. You do not want any meat or bones in your compost pile. They won’t break down, but they will attract pests. Some people use manure in their compost, while others are concerned about bacteria (such as Listeria, Salmonella, E. coli) and parasites (such as roundworms and tapeworms) and never use it. Use manure at your own discretion. Never use cat, dog, or pig manure. They may contain parasites that will survive the composting process.
You should have one-part green material to two parts “brown.” Browns are low in nitrogen. Good browns for your compost pile include wood chips and sawdust (untreated wood only), grass hay, wheat straw and corn stalks. You can try layering your greens and browns, but I usually end up mixing mine all together.
Your pile should be moist, but not soggy. A handful of material should feel like a wrung-out sponge. This level of moisture will benefit the microorganisms responsible for breaking down your raw materials into compost.
Aerobic microorganisms also need air. To incorporate air into your compost pile, take a pitchfork and turn the pile. Most sources say turn it once a week. This will speed up the process and help keep your compost hot, which kills weed seeds and pathogens. If you can’t turn it every week, turn it when you can. The process will slow down some, but you’ll still get compost!
Time heals all wounds, and it also makes compost! It doesn’t take a huge investment of your time to manage your compost pile. We keep a 5-gallon bucket of kitchen scraps in the garage and take them to the compost pile every few days. Depending on the size of your pile, it can take a few minutes, up to 30 minutes, to turn it. (Remember, you only need to do this once a week at the most.) Add another 10 minutes or so, once your pile has started decomposing, to move material to your second and third bins.
It will take a while before your pile starts producing compost. This could be from 3 months to 6 months or more. The time needed depends on the materials you’ve used and the ratio they’re in, how often you turn the pile, and the weather. I’ve noticed that when we lived in town, our compost pile did stay warm during the winter. Once we moved to a semi-rural area, it froze quickly. I’m hoping our summer project will help keep it warmer in the winter.
Hopefully, this article will inspire you to try your hand at composting. Compost improves any soil type and is one of the things we can control in our difficult gardening area.
Written by Cori Hastings, Laramie County Master Gardener
Sources:
"How to Compost: A Guide to Composting at Home," Catherine Boeckmann, almanac.com, last updated April 23, 2024, available for download from https://almanac.com/how-compost-guide-composting-home
“Sustainable Horticulture for Wyoming: A Master Gardener Handbook,” University of Wyoming Extension Publication B-1156, December 2004, available for download from https://www.wyoextension.org/agpubs/pubs/B-1156.pdf
"Guidelines For Using Manure on Vegetable Gardens," University of Idaho Extension Kootenai County, updated June 30, 2016, and available for download from https://www.uidaho.edu/-/media/UIdaho-Responsive/Files/Extension/county/Kootenai/gardening/guidelines-for-using-manure-on-vegetable-gardens.pdf