Last week we laid out a small kitchen garden, so with the garden beds shaping up, it is time to talk about what is at the heart of organic garden: Healthy soil, the important food for your lovely vegetables.

Have a close look at your soil. Take up a slightly moistened handful. Feel the texture. Does it feel light and gritty like sand or does it stick together and feel more like clay? Sandy soils will drain easier but dry out more quickly and may be low in nutrients. Clay soils are usually more fertile, but can become hard or waterlogged and difficult to work. Whatever type of soil you have, adding compost will help to protect the different kinds of life, from microorganisms to earthworms, which are crucial to maintain the nutrients and structure. It is a good idea to have a sample of your soil tested either through your extension office or use a home-­made kit to measure the PH and identify any imbalances in nutrients before planting out the vegetables.

Composting is often seen as complex, but we are really just copying what happens naturally in forests. The composting process is like cooking; the right mix of ingredients and a desired temperature. There are a few methods, however; all involve the collection of natural material and require carbon, nitrogen, air and water. The ratio recommended is 25 parts carbon, brown material, to 1 part nitrogen, green materials. The right proportion allows the compost to reach the correct temperature ensuring that it breaks down faster. Complete breakdown time will vary, depending on the materials used, the frequency of turning, and the moisture level. It may take a few tries to get the balance right, but you will soon get a feel for what works.

You can try to source ready-­made compost and save yourself the work. However, it will be more cost-effective to make your own. Most of the materials will come right from your own garden and kitchen. It is the best kind of recycling facility, turning your trash into garden gold! A small covered bucket kept in the kitchen and used for the collection of daily fruit and vegetable peelings, egg shells, coffee grounds and other natural kitchen waste is useful. If you are in an urban area, you could build attractive wooden bins in the corner of the garden, or just use one or several large plastic or metal containers with lids and a handle for turning. Make holes in the bottom of the composting container for drainage, elevate it slightly and use the same layering method of composting described. For larger yards or rural areas, just designate an area for collection and building the piles. Two to three cu ft are a manageable size or scale it to the suit your needs. Select an area free from rain run-off, near to a water source. Allow for an empty space beside the pile for turning. You can fence it if you wish, but it is easier when turning if it is not fenced.

Materials

Green material (high in nitrogen)

Grass clippings, egg ­shells, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable peelings, plant clippings, banana leaves, seaweed and foliage high in nitrogen-rich leaves like comfrey and neem…

Optional: Animal manure — aged rabbit, horse, goat, layer chickens

Brown material (high in carbon)

Brown leaves, pine needles (in small amounts as they can make the soil too acidic), wood chips, sawdust (from untreated lumber).

The following should not be added to the compost:

Meat — raw or cooked, chicken manure from broiler chickens, human, dog or cat litter.

Building the pile

Assemble the ingredients. Chop the materials down as best as possible. The smaller the pieces, the quicker the pile will decompose.

Start with a 6” layer of brown material. This will allow air to circulate. Next, add a 6” layer of green material on top of the brown. If using animal manure, add a layer to thinly cover the green layer. Cap this first stack with a layer of soil. Water the soil and check that the materials are wet, though not soaked. Too much or too little water will affect the performance of the pile. The right amount of water is best described as feeling like a damp, wrung-out sponge. Start the second stack by repeating the process in the same way, until you have four completed stacks, or 3 ft height, ending with the soil. Water and cover the pile with a waterproof tarpaulin. After a couple days, check to see if the pile is heating up. If you have a thermometer it should be reading 130 degrees – 160 degrees F. Now you’re cooking! I recommend investing in a composting thermometer. They are not very expensive and are invaluable in monitoring the internal temperature of the pile.

Whenever the temperature cools or drops below 100 degrees F, turn the pile, so the materials at the top end up at the bottom. Keep it covered once turned and watered. Turn as soon as it cools again. The more the pile is aerated, the faster it will break down. If you have used animal manure in the compost, it is important to turn the pile at least four times over a 90-­day period to completely break down the bacteria. Well-­made compost is dark, rich, and sweet-smelling with a consistency of crumbly soil, and takes anywhere from eight to 12 weeks. Once ready, use in copious amounts on your garden beds.

The last few weeks have reminded me that there are so many things I can do without, but the one thing I was very happy to have is a small kitchen garden to pick from. Using organic methods on my garden have kept the soil healthy and enabled me to keep reaping year after year. I hope some of the information will help you to enjoy the same.

For more on composting and organic gardening and recipes for green meals with oomph, check out my cookbook, My Goodness! Greens. Please join this space next week for my tips on seeding, planting and maintaining your organic kitchen garden.

Grow. Gather. Cook. Create. Eat.

My Goodness! Greens cookbook is available at www.donnamnoble.com and in stores at Craft Cottage Village Plaza, Liguanea Drug & Garden, General Food Supermarkets Kingston & Ocho Rios, Butcher Block Manor Park and Lavange Ltd.