Composting

What is Composting? 

Composting is commonly used by large scale farmers and backyard gardeners alike. Yard waste, food scraps, and other organic material are combined to create a substance that easily adds nutrients to their soil. There are many important variables to control when creating a compost pile. Heat, pile size, green vs. brown material, moisture, etc. all play a vital role in how efficiently compost will be created. There are many methods to composting. Some of which are very low effort like pile composting and some take much more time and patience like vermicomposting. Composting has a lot of impact environmentally on farms and gardens. Though it is a very old technology it remains important and relevant for farmers today. 

What methods of composting are found in the CMNMG? 

The Charles Madison Nabrit Memorial Garden uses several different methods to create compost. This compost is used in the production of fruits, vegetables, and ornamentals on the property. There is barrel composting, 3-stage composting, pile composting and vermicomposting.

Barrel Composting

Barrel composting is common for individuals with smaller yards. It is self contained so it might be easier to decrease the smell that is commonly associated with composting. This can be really important in more urban areas for individuals who live close to their neighbors. It uses a raised barrel that contains composting materials and is turned by spinning the entire barrel. These can be made with rain barrels, purchased online, or found at a variety of gardening and hardware stores. These range greatly in price, anywhere from $60 to more than $200 when purchased or they can be made at home for much cheaper. 

Pile Composting

Pile composting is the least intensive composting system seen at the CMNMG. Organic material is simply piled and left for an extended period of time. It will break down on its own and produce nutrient rich soil just like the other forms of composting. This takes a lot longer than some other forms however there is very little management involved.

3-Stage Pile Composting

This is a more intensive version of the pile composting previously discussed. There are three different sections that can be composted at a time, these smaller piles make turning the  composting much more manageable. One benefit to this kind of composting is that compost production is staggered. Since one pile is created at a time, they will be done composting at different times. This can provide a more constant flow of composting to be used in a garden or farm.

Vermicomposting

One very important part of soil is the living organisms that make their home in it. This living ecosystem can be managed by the grower to improve the quality of compost created. Earthworms are the most important part of vermicomposting in nature. Gardeners and farmers often purchase red wigglers to take the place of earthworms in their garden. This is where vermicomposting gets its name, from the worms that easily break down the soil and leave more nutrient rich materials in their path. They interact with other organisms in the soil to slowly break down the soil. When worms tunnel through the earth they aerate the soil which helps the composting pile stay at the right temperature and moisture for optimal composting. While there are many microorganisms that live in the soil, worms are the most important to think about in relation to composting as they are most easily cultivated. Red wigglers are commonly used for vermicomposting and various vermicomposting systems are available online.

Why is Composting Important?

Composting is important for two main reasons: waste management and soil improvement. The essential nutrients from materials added to compost are able to be added back into the soil with each growing season. This allows waste from previous years to become a beneficial fertilizer for this year. Reducing (or eliminating) the amount of fertilizer that a grower needs to purchase can be very important financially. It also ensures that all of the organic material (including rotten crops, dead flowers, or other material that would simply be thrown in the trash) is used in a beneficial way to the land. 

Waste management goes further than just a farmer or a backyard grower. Many countries around the world have been looking at composting as a solution to the waste problems in dense cities. This would reduce waste going to landfills and could possibly be sold to growers who have not begun their own composting yet. Composting can reduce the energy requirements of processing waste, this has been very important and will continue to be with more and more people around the world studying the energy crisis. On top of this composting can help divert waste from rivers and oceans, protecting the natural ecosystems. Good composting practices will help decrease the negative impact humans have on the natural environment and make waste management more sustainable for both rural and urban environments.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is typically mentioned in biology lectures or by a neighbor who has been gardening for 20+ years. It is looked at closely by scientists to describe the world around us. Specifically, how many different kinds of species exist in a park or the entire state of Ohio. Really any geographic location. At the Charles Madison Nabrit Memorial Garden, this term is used more broadly. 

Within systems of plants, animals, and their environment (typically referred to as an ecosystem) biodiversity is important. An area with a high number of species (and therefore a very biodiverse area) is often considered a healthy one. Ecosystems are incredibly connected. Each species relies heavily on others for food, shelter, and protection. When one species in an ecosystem is affected by disease, over hunting, or another exterior factor, the entire system suffers. When you notice plants climbing on trees or robins hunting for worms after rain, you are observing just part of this really complex system. 

Large monoculture farming practices (planting only one species in a field at a time like corn or soybeans) as well as deforestation (Cutting down forests for other uses. Typically farming or construction projects.) have greatly decreased the biodiversity of the land since the first settlers arrived. Animals like carrier pigeons that once flew in great flocks and blotted out the sun are now extinct. Ash trees, which used to be the most common tree found planted in parks or neighborhoods and growing wild in the forests of the northern midwest, are now nearly extinct. A small insect called the emerald ash borer all but destroyed them in the early 2000s. While this happens naturally in an ecosystem, some species go extinct while new ones form, currently the rate of extinction is really high. This means that globally (as well as in your own backyard), biodiversity is decreasing. 

Conservation efforts are happening around the world in an attempt to save species on the brink of extinction. The reintroduction of bald eagles (who were nearly hunted into extinction) are a good example of this as are the efforts to breed ash trees that can survive the effects of emerald ash borers. Other efforts are more local than this and do not take a degree in science to carry out. 

In your own backyard it is a great idea to plant many kinds of trees, shrubs, and flowers instead of planting mostly one type. Focusing on planting native plants (plants that are naturally found in this area and not shipped in from another part of the country or world) will also increase biodiversity because they increase the amount of beneficial insects that visit your land (especially pollinators which are very important for our global food

Water

Water Use in CNMG

There are many important factors that go into creating a successful garden or farm. One large obstacle that growers must consider is where they are going to get their water. For most crops, the typical water and heat cycle of a summer is not enough to keep them alive. Growers must carefully watch their crops, watering throughout the season to keep them alive. Many farmers choose land off of how easy it is to get water to their fields. Water catchment systems allow growers to harvest rainwater for easy use. This water can be used in a variety of irrigation systems, or even to grow crops without soil in hydroponic or aquaponic systems. With the number of droughts increasing globally, it is important that the agriculture community creates sustainable solutions to the water crisis. Many of the current solutions can be seen throughout the Charles Madison Nabrit Memorial garden.

Water catchment 

The main method of water catchment at the garden is collecting runoff from the hoop house. Gutters collect any rain off of the top of the hoop house and direct it into large barrels that hold the water for future use. Paying for water through the city can be expensive and difficult to transport to some gardens depending on their location. The use of gutters and runoff from houses or other near-by buildings is a common and sustainable way to get enough water for a garden in many places. In some areas of the world there are long periods of time with high temperatures and low rainfall. Sometimes water can be collected during the rainy season and stored for a long time or water can be collected from nearby bodies of water (usually rivers, lakes, or ponds).

Irrigation 

Irrigation is a concept that has been around for centuries. It provides an easier way to water plants than hand watering. Two main kinds of irrigation are typically used, drip irrigation and sprinklers. Drip irrigation is most popular for most gardeners and farmers because it wastes much less water. This works well in a row-planted system, which most gardens and farms are. Sprinklers can be used but they waste more water. These are often used on lawns instead, areas where drip irrigation would not cover enough space. 

Hydroponics

Sometimes instead of minimizing water use, growers want to minimize soil use. Systems like this that do not use soil (or another soil-like material) are often referred to as media-less growing. The most basic example of this is hydroponics, a growing system that uses water instead of soil. Plants are secured to floating rafts or pushed through holes in plastic boards so that their roots are submerged into a pool of water. In most models this water moves slowly so that algae does not grow and negatively impacts the plants. The water will have a hydroponic nutrient solution (this can be purchased at most plant stores with usage instructions) that provides the nutrients that plants would typically get from the soil. Growing plants without soil allows for much more compact growing, more plants can be grown in less space. This could be a very important factor in providing food for people living in cities, where there is much less space to establish gardens. There are many different kinds of hydroponic systems ranging from personal to industrial. Many of these systems can also be built cheaply with household items. 

Aquaponics 

Though similar to hydroponics, aquaponics adds another component to the growing system, fish. This creates a more complex system with some added benefits. In aquaponics the fish are able to provide most, if not all, of the nutrients needed for the plants to grow. They can also be harvested and sold. Currently many of the fish do not sell for very much money but research is being done to use more profitable fish in the systems. This will allow farmers to sell both the plants they grow and the fish they grow. Having fish can also be beneficial for decreasing costs of energy. Fish tanks like these often give off heat. Something that is important for winter production in greenhouses and other covered growing structures. This may cause issues during the summer (creating too much heat for plants) that requires fans or ventilation to help manage rising temperatures. While this is a low input system it is still not entirely profitable for small farmers. As research continues this kind of plant and fish production will likely become more popular and profitable.

The Future of Water

With increasing water pollution and global droughts low water food production is important. Things like mist farming (similar to hydroponics but the roots of the plants are misted, this saves more water but is currently very expensive) are becoming highly researched fields. Farming is changing and will continue in areas experiencing droughts. Places like California need more efficient drip irrigation, cities need hydroponic systems that take up less space, and easy water collection from lakes or rivers could help farmers around the globe. Drought resistant crops are being designed in labs to decrease crop losses in areas that flood. Water is one of the most important resources for growing food but it can also be one of the hardest to get. This is pushing a field of research that will make water collection more efficient and decrease the water needed to produce food.

Extra Resources

If you are interested in learning more about any of the topics discussed in this section the list below should help you get started. This is by no means a comprehensive list, there are a lot of really great resources that can teach you more about these topics.

Composting

Ohio State Extension Composting Fact Sheet https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1189-99

Biodiverstiy

Brigning Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in our Gardens by Douglas W. Tallamy

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Water

Information on Hydroponic Production: http://howardresh.com/

Other Sustainable Agriculture Topics