(Article taken from USEPA – Composting at Home (https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home) and Ohio EPA Citizens Guide to Composting - https://epa.ohio.gov/portals/47/facts/citizens_guide_to_composting.pdf )

During this unusual and challenging year many of us have looked for new hobbies to fill our time. Composting is a hobby that is not only fun, but it is beneficial to the soil and your wallet! Composting is nature’s way of recycling leaves, grass clippings, kitchen scraps and other organic wastes by converting them into a valuable soil amendment called compost. By composting at home, you’ll enjoy the financial benefits of free soil enrichment, reduce the amount of solid wastes sent to landfills and conserve resources.
Compost is organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow. Food scraps and yard waste together currently make up more than 28 percent of what we throw away, and should be composted instead. Making compost keeps these materials out of landfills where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Composting at home is very easy and practical. Once you learn the basics, you’ll be turning out lush piles of rich compost in short order. Using compost yields faster-growing, stronger plants. The chief value in using compost is the beneficial effect on soil structure. Incorporating compost into the soil improves aeration and drainage and makes the soil loose and easy to work. Compost increases the organic matter content of clay and sandy soils, allowing them to better retain water and nutrients. It also helps control erosion, proper pH balance and plant disease.
All composting requires three basic ingredients:

• Browns - This includes materials such as dead leaves, branches, and twigs.
• Greens - This includes materials such as grass clippings, vegetable waste, fruit scraps, and coffee grounds.
• Water - Having the right amount of water, greens, and browns is important for compost development.

Your compost pile should have an equal amount of browns to greens. You should also alternate layers of organic materials of different-sized particles. The brown materials provide carbon for your compost, the green materials provide nitrogen, and the water provides moisture to help break down the organic matter.

What To Compost

• Fruits and vegetables
• Eggshells
• Coffee grounds and filters
• Tea bags
• Nut shells
• Shredded newspaper
• Cardboard
• Paper
• Yard trimmings
• Grass clippings
• Houseplants
• Hay and straw
• Leaves
• Sawdust
• Wood chips
• Cotton and Wool Rags
• Dryer and vacuum cleaner lint
• Hair and fur
• Fireplace ashes

 
What Not To Compost and Why

• Black walnut tree leaves or twigs
  - Releases substances that might be harmful to plants
• Coal or charcoal ash
  - Might contain substances harmful to plants
• Dairy products (e.g., butter, milk, sour cream, yogurt) and eggs
  - Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
• Diseased or insect-ridden plants
  - Diseases or insects might survive and be transferred back to other plants
• Fats, grease, lard, or oils*
  - Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
• Meat or fish bones and scraps*
  - Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
• Pet wastes (e.g., dog or cat feces, soiled cat litter)
  - Might contain parasites, bacteria, germs, pathogens, and viruses harmful to humans
• Yard trimmings treated with chemical pesticides
  - Might kill beneficial composting organisms

 
Selecting and Building your Composting Site

• Select a dry, partial sunny spot near a water source for your compost pile or bin. Please take note that full sun locations can quickly dry out a compost pile and keep materials from breaking down. Alternatively, if the pile is in a very shady location, the contents will not breakdown quickly.

• Add brown and green materials in layers as they are collected, making sure larger pieces are chopped or shredded.

• Moisten dry materials as they are added.
• Turn pile once a week for two or three weeks, then once a month until compost is ready to use.
• The optimal size of a compost pile is 3’x3’x3’ or one cubic yard.

• Once your compost pile is established, mix grass clippings and green waste into the pile. Bury fruit and vegetable waste under 10 inches of compost material.

• Optional: Cover top of compost with a tarp to keep it moist. When the material at the bottom is dark and rich in color, your compost is ready to use. This usually takes anywhere between two months to two years.
  

Compost can be made in just two or three weeks during the summer if the leaves and other materials are finely ground or shredded, turned frequently to provide good aeration and supplied with sufficient moisture and nitrogen.
For more questions regarding Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District programs and/or technical assistance on water or soil questions, visit http://warrenswcd.com or call, 513-695-1337.

As the arboreal leaves turn vibrant reds and oranges, some of us may be noticing a browning in our backyard gardens as tomato and pepper plants are coming to the end of their season. Depending on the weather, October can be an ideal time in Ohio to keep giving your garden a little bit more love and attention. And set your gaze on next season's success!

Fall garden basics:

• Clean up and remove dying foliage.
• Remove green tomatoes from the plants and allow to ripen (Can place in brown paper bag)
• Harvest fall crops like beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, kale, and leeks.
• Plant spring-blooming bulbs.
• Plant cool-season annuals. (Cover on nights when a frost is expected)
• Plant trees and shrubs.
• Collect and dry seed
• Get your soil tested and add amendments as needed (Warren County SWCD sells basic and organic soil test kits)
• .Amend your soil with a dressing of compost
• Turn your compost pile.
• Use your garden debris and leaves to start a new compost pile.

These steps will help you prepare your garden for the coming winter dormancy.  Other steps you can take include pruning back appropriate perennials, mulching your leaves to use as free fertilizer, and planting a cover crop to suppress weeds, manage soil erosion, help build and improve soil fertility and quality, control diseases and pests, and promote biodiversity.
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​Gardening is a wonderful way to connect with the outdoors and provide local sustenance, And by following conservation gardening techniques, you can maximize your garden yield while working in harmony with the local environment!

​‘Tis the season for campfires! Campfires are very relaxing and there is nothing better than roasting marshmallows over a campfire, but did you know that Ohio EPA has regulations in regards to campfires and potentially local ordinances exist in regards to burning?
 



​As per Ohio EPA’s guidelines, bonfires, campfires and outdoor fireplace equipment are permissible if used for cooking, warmth, recreation, religious or ceremonial or similar purposes with the following guidelines as long as the:

• campfire is fueled with clean seasoned firewood, natural gas or other clean burning fuel.
• the campfire is not being used for  waste disposal.
• the total fuel area is no more than three feet in diameter and no higher than  two feet.

 
For more guidelines from the Environmental Protection Agency, visit http://epa.ohio.gov/portals/47/facts/openburn.pdf

Under Ohio Law, it is illegal to burn garbage, items made of rubber, grease, asphalt and petroleum, as well as dead animals. Also, burning household waste produces many toxic chemicals and is one of the largest known sources of dioxin in the nation.
 
So what can you do instead? Citizens are urged to reduce the overall amount of waste that is being generated in their household and learn how to possibly reuse their items in another way, besides burning. In terms of recycling, contacting your local waste disposal provider on their curb-side pickup policies and possible drop-off locations would aid you and others in how to dispose of bulky and the potential hazardous items.
 
Another option to reducing waste is composting! It is a great way to reduce your household waste such as yard trimmings and food scraps. The best part about compost is that you are able to create a natural fertilizer! For more information on composting, be sure to visit the following links:

• Warren Soil and Water Conservation District’s Composting page: https://www.warrenswcd.com/composting.html
• The Ohio State University’s Extension Factsheet on compost: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-34. 

April showers bring May flowers, and now is the time to start thinking about getting your soil tested! Getting your soil tested helps you find out what your lawn and garden needs and ensures that you are not over fertilizing or hurting your plants. Over fertilizing means you are putting more nutrients into your soil than your plant needs to survive. So instead of being used, the nutrients get carried away by runoff and cause pollution problems in lakes, streams, and even groundwater.

Did you know that the major cause of algae blooms is too many nutrients in the water? We all have a responsibility to help reduce the likelihood of harmful algal blooms in places like the Little Miami River, Caesar's Creek Lake, Landon Lake, and other ponds, lakes, and streams in our community. Before you head out to shop for your outdoor landscape this spring, consider purchasing a soil test from us here at the Soil & Water Conservation District. Or, if you have a lawn service, make sure they conduct a soil test before adding anything to your lawn.

We sell soil test kits for $15 ($20 to add an organic matter test) during regular business hours at our office located in Lebanon at 320 E. Silver Street. Or you can give us a call at 513-695-1337 and we can mail you a test for an additional postage cost of a dollar or more.

Some of the questions we often get are listed below:

How do I take a soil sample?

1. Obtain an MSUE Home Lawn and Garden Soil Test Mailer from the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District.
2. Decide which one lawn or garden area you would like to test. You can determine a area by land use or what you plan to plant. Separate soil test should be done for each land use (i.e. vegetable garden, flower garden, front lawn, back lawn, trees and shrubs, etc.) 
3. Use a spade or a trowel and a clean plastic pail.
4. Collect 10 random soil samples from this lawn or garden area. Each of these samples should be about 1/2 cup. Obtain samples across a zig-zag pattern.
5. To collect your sample, remove a slice of soil BELOW the depth of the root structure (usually 3-4 inches deep for lawn; 7 inches deep for all other plants). 
6. Do not include roots, thatch or other plant materials in the sample.
7. Mix the 10 sub-samples together. If the soil is wet, spread it on paper and allow to air dry overnight before filling the sample bag. Do not use artificial heat (i.e. radiator, oven, microwave, hair dryer, etc.) to force-dry the sample.
   
   

How much soil do I need for the sample?

1. Place roughly 1 cup of the well-mixed soil inside a plastic bag and place in the cardbord box and seal carefully. Do not overfill the plastic bag. 

What does it test for?
Your soil test will determine the soil nutrient levels for pH, Phosphours (P), Potassium (K), and Magnesium (Mg). The test will also let you know if you are below optimum, optimum, or above optimum for each of these nutrients. You will also get information on Calcium and the Cationic Exchange Capacity (CEC). Soils with a high CEC will remain fertile over a longer period of time, requiring fewer fertilizer applications. Soil pH will determine the way nutrients are made available to the plants.

Why doesn't it test for Nitrogen?
Nitrogen moves quickly through the soil, and some forms dissolve easily in water and are carried away with runoff. By the time your soil sample reaches the lab and they analyze it, the level of nitrogen is no longer what it was when you took the sample so the reported number would not be accurate. However, you will receive information on nutrient needs for Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potassium based on your test results.

Why should I test for organic matter?
Generally, soil is made up of 45% minerals (rocks), 25% water, 25% air and 5% organic matter. The organic matter is the decomposing plant and animal material inside your soil and will range anywhere from 1-6% of the soil composition. Organic matter is very important to plant nutrition. Organic matter results in less soil compaction, allowing more air to pass through and increased water storage.

Recommendations:

• If you have a low pH, we recommend lime applications and if you have a high pH, we recommend sulfur applications.
• Problems with nutrient deficiencies are addressed with fertilizer recommendations.

When will I receive my test results?
You will receive an email with your results within 10 days after your sample is received by the lab. Without an email address, the results may take slightly longer by mail.

What do I do once I receive the results?
Your soil test report from MSU will provide you with recommendations on nutrient needs and fertilizer options based on your test results. Make sure you provide the lab with as much information about the test area as you can so they can provide more specific options. You can also go to their website: http://www.msusoiltest.com/understand-your-soil-test/ and type in your soil test details to receive a specific fertilizer ratio for N, P, and K.

Do I need to fertilize? 
Not necessarily. One of the best fertilizers for your soil is compost! And once you have a container, it is free to make. You can also leave your grass clippings on your lawn after you mow to provide your grass with a ready source of fertilizer and help keep moisture on your lawn.

Give us a call at the OSU Extension office: 513-695-1853 or Soil and Water Conservation District at 513-695-1337 for more assistance. 

Happy Spring!


Information for this blog post was provided by Michigan State University Extension, the Ohio State University Extension and Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District.