• 1 •

Vegan-Organic Information Sheet #10 (60p)

Composting

Growing with concern for people, ani-mals and the environmentOrganic growing involves treating thesoil, the growing environment and theworld environment as a resource to bepreserved for future generations, ratherthan exploited in the short term. Vegan-organics means doing this without anyanimal products at all, which is not dif-ficult when you know how. All soil fertil-ity ultimately depends on plants and min-erals - these do not have to be passed throughan animal in order to work. Fertility canbe maintained by plant-based composts,green manures, mulches, chipped branchwood, crop rotations and any othermethod that is sustainable, ecologicallybenign and not dependent upon animalexploitation.

The guidelines below do not attemptto be fully comprehensive. The extent towhich you adhere to any system really de-pends on you, your conscience and circum-stances. We can only do our best with ouravailable time and money. The Vegan-Organic Network has now publishedcomprehensive Stockfree Organic Stan-dards, which are available to commer-cial growers and can also be used as areference for home growers. Of course,no one person or organisation knows ev-erything about the subject, so constantco-operation and updating of ideas and

information is needed.Whilst conventional cultivation relies

on synthetic chemicals and animal prod-ucts, traditional organic production alsogenerally relies on animal wastes and by-products. Both involve the exploitationof living creatures, and the inefficient useof land, water and energy resources. Ve-gan-organic methods minimise thesedrawbacks. Many people who are notthemselves vegan or vegetarian are com-ing to appreciate that animal-free grow-ing is the most sustainable system: it isthe future of organics.

IntroductionComposting is a natural biochemicalprocess of decomposition. It is possiblefor every vegan-organic grower to pro-duce the darkest, nutrient-rich, earth-smelling compost. Adding well-madecompost to the soil will ensure a healthysoil and healthier crops. The compostfeeds the soil life, helps the soil retainnutrients, increases earthworm popula-tions, suppresses disease and inoculatesthe soil, produces beneficial hormonesfor plant growth, improves drainage andprovides air pockets for the crop roots togrow in.

Composting as a technique has ad-vantages over turning in green manures,converting the soluble nutrients in the

By Jenny Hall

• 2 •

fresh materials into a more stable form(so preventing nutrient leaching).Composting also mixes materials givinga more balanced end product, can killweed seeds, pests and diseases (if carriedout properly) reduces the bulk of thematerials and allows plant nutrients tobe stored until they are required. Theunfortunate thing is that there is neverenough compost to go around and thatis why some VON members recommendcomposting and green manuring ascomplementary techniques whilst othersrecommend zero tillage mulching sys-tems as an alternative to composting.

Windrow composting – above 20tonnesDifferent composting methods from

around the world are discussed by R.V.Misra and R. N. Roy in their paper OnFarm Composting Methods. Windrowcomposting consists of placing the mix-ture of raw materials in long narrow pilesor windrows which are turned regularly.The turning operation mixes the plant-based materials and aerates the windrow.The equipment used for turning deter-mines the size, shape, and spacing of thewindrows.

Straw bale compost heaps – up to 20tonnesIain Tolhurst manages the followingcomposting system by hand:• Line up two parallel rows of rectan-gular straw bales, three bales high, nomore than 3 metres- /3 yards apart.

Wooden compost bin

• 3 •

• Stagger the joins of thebales to make a strongerstructure with one endclosed in with bales, thusforming a bin.• The structure can beany length desired, withmore bales being added asspace is required.• The composting ma-terials are piled half ametre above the bales andthis soon sinks down toabout half.

Drainage pipes placed under the balesand along the floor every metre will al-low air in. Alternatively woody pruningscan be laid at the base.

Compost heaps – market garden scale1 to 5 tonnes per annumOrganic Growers of Durham recom-mend that heaps are built (either in baysor in a straw bale structure) so that theirfinal size is about 1–1.5 metre³ after theinitial piling up. The main advantage isgood aeration and heat with no turning.

Allotment scaleNew Zealand box: despite several varia-tions on a theme, the simplest NewZealand box is a wooden structure 120cm/48" square, 120 cm–150 cm/48"-60"high. The wooden sides consist of 6-inchwide by ¾-inch thick boards attached onthree sides to four corner posts. The boxcan be movable, or the posts can be sunk30 cm/12" into the ground. At the openend a divider in front slides down be-tween two posts so that when you want

to empty the box, you can pull the di-viders upward and take them out one byone. You can double, triple or quadruplethe size of the box. The thick boardsforming the back of the bins stretch theentire length of the box. The bin will re-quire end boards 120 cm/48" long andpartitions between each 4 foot bay. Thebays should be covered with some formof lid. Simpler bins can be made out ofpallets.

HouseholdersCan buy various plastic bins.

Mixing your ‘greens’ and ‘browns’The golden rule of composting is ingre-dients of:• 2 parts ‘greens’• 1 part ‘browns’in the presence of air and moisture.

Compost is ideally prepared from plant-based materials with an initial Carbon:Nitrogen ratio of 30:1. During thecomposting process the nitrogen percent-

Stép

han

e Gro

leau

Sieving compost (Langerhorst)

• 4 •

age increases, whilst the carbon bulk islost to the atmosphere as carbon diox-ide. It will reduce its carbon content tohave a ratio about 10:1.

When starting composting:• if the C:N ratio is too narrow, thenthere will be insufficient carbon to pro-vide the energy for the micro-organismsto degrade the organic wastes and lossesof nitrogen will increase.• if the C:N ratio is too high, thenbreakdown will take a long time and willlock up the nitrogen. Therefore, trunkwood and sawdust are not suitablecomposting ingredients.

The difficulty the vegan-organic growerwill often encounter is finding enough‘browns’. Do not rely on twigs or perni-cious weeds to make up this element, asthey take a longer time to break downand can ruin the quality of the compost.(I’m all in favour of eliminating the hard

work of sieving.) If you are trying to makefine-grade compost suitable for vegetablegrowing, it is better to leave woody ele-ments in log piles for beneficial insectlife as it is better for them to break downthrough a fungal process. Using strawwill prove the easiest way to find suffi-cient ‘browns’ in the bacterial process ofthe compost heap.

Straw has hollow stems and can im-prove aeration of the heap. Apart fromaeration, the advantage of straw (driedcereal stems) over hay (dried grass) is thelower weed seed content.

Layering and chopping materialsPlant-based materials will compost bestif they are between 2 cm–5 cm (1"- 2")in size because of the larger surface areafor compost microbes to work on. How-ever, growers will not have the time togo around cutting all materials to thissize. Of more importance is correct lay-ering. Ensure that the different types of

COMPOST INGREDIENTS• Greens, nitrogen-rich, lush and freshVegetables (peelings, cores, grade-outs), crop residues/foliage, grass cuttings, freshgreen manure plants, annual weeds not in seed.

• Browns, carbon-rich, dry and stemmyStraw, bean haulm, tomato vines, hay, bracken or any other older plant foliage.

• Not recommendedAutumn leaves (better for leaf mould), perennial weeds, unless the heap reaches50°C for a week, annual weeds in seed, cooked food, unless it is entirely veganbut may still attract rodents, twigs and sawdust (carbon ratio too high).

• Prohibited under the stockfree organic standardsMeats, dairy products, fish products, animal manures or by-products, syntheticmaterials.

• 5 •

‘greens’ and ‘browns’ are well mixed byadding layers no thicker than 10 cm/4".Waste vegetables such as root crops andonions should be kept in individual lay-ers. Brassica stems and prunings can eas-ily be chopped with a sharp shovel orpulverised by a hammer.

Heating the heapTo get a good heat you need to create a2-metre³ compost heap. Materials shouldbe stockpiled until there are enough‘greens’ and ‘browns’. If done correctly,a pile will heat to high temperatureswithin three days. If it doesn’t, the heapis either:• too wet and you will need to spreadthe materials out to dry;• too dry and you will need irrigate theheap with a hose or watering can; or

• deficient in nitrogen – add grass cut-tings from the holding or brewers hops(ensure that they are free from animalinputs).

During composting a maintainedtemperature of 60°C is strongly advised.A heap that does not heat to at least 50°Cfor a week is likely to contain weed seedand disease organisms.

Turning the heapThe easiest way to turn the strawbaleheap is to extend the side bales by abouttwo bales long and turn the heap intothe new area with a fork, adding moregreens or browns as required. For theNew Zealand or pallet box the heap ismoved from one bay to the next. Thehouseholder can tip the bin over and re-fill.

Compost heap with straw bale side, with tarp to stop nutrient loss

Stép

han

e Gro

leau

• 6 •

HDRA, Ryton Organic Gardens, Coventry CV8 3LG. Tel: 024 7630 3517. www.hdra.org.ukDemonstration gardens and education centre at Ryton, which is presently being expanded.Some of their advice is based on animal products but this can be adapted. Members receivea quarterly magazine, Organic Way.

Movement for Compassionate Living, 105 Cyfyng Rd, Ystalyfera, Swansea SA9 2BT. Tel:0845 4584717. www.mclveganway.org.uk. MCL produces a quarterly magazine, informa-tion and books on cultivation, cooking, etc., emphasising locally grown food and cruelty-free sustainable methods, especially the growing and use of trees.

Plants for a Future, Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon EX21 5DF. Tel: 01208872963. www.pfaf.org. Researching ecologically sustainable vegan-organic horticulture; anexcellent resource and information centre. The website contains much useful information.

Spiral Seed, 35 Rayleigh Avenue, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex SS0 7DS. www.spiralseed.co.uk.Have publications, vegan-organic information and ideas including lots on vegan permaculture,very useful as most ‘permaculture’ involves animal exploitation. The website is a mine ofinformation.

Organisations

Covering to prevent waterloggingExcess moisture drowns beneficial micro-organisms. The moisture level should bethe equivalent of a wrung-out sponge.Therefore, rain should not be allowed toenter and wash through the heap. Thereis no point in going to all the other ef-fort with the composting process, onlyto allow the goodness in the heap to bewashed away. Also compost leachate canbe a pollutant akin to animal slurry run-ning into watercourses.

It is therefore prudent to cover heapsand ensure that any rainwater shed endsup outside the heap. Covering a wind-row may prove difficult, although EliotColeman suggests covering them withwoven plastic matting (Phormisol brandname) which helps shed the rain but stillallows for aeration.

For the straw bale heap a simple wayis the one designed by Iain Tolhurst.Drape a tarpaulin over a ridgepole erectedon scaffolding posts. The tarpaulinshould be tied down by bales on the sides,but be careful not to cover the sides ofthe bales, as this will prevent air entry.New Zealand boxes and pallet boxes canbe covered with slanting rigid boards cov-ered with roofing felt or tarpaulin.Householders’ bins usually come withlids.

I personally find creating high-qual-ity compost an extremely rewarding pro-cess. And if you observe the managementtechniques I have described you too mayfind the compost heap a source of ex-citement and joy. Applying compost tothe soil presents the very building blockof vegan-organic systems.

• 7 •

Readily available handbooks, which are not wholly vegan but provide good vegan alterna-tives are: The Organic Bible by Bob Flowerdew (ISBN 1856265951) and The New OrganicGrower by Elliot Coleman (ISBN 093003175X).

Weeds by John Walker is an earth-friendly guide to tackling weeds and making good use ofthem. Published by Cassel (ISBN 1 84403 061 X).

The following books are available from The Vegan Society, Donald Watson House, 7 BattleRd. St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex TN37 7AA. Tel: 01424 427393. www.vegansociety.com/shop:

Abundant Living in the Coming Age of the Tree by Kathleen Jannaway (ISBN 0951732803) –towards a vegan, self-sustaining tree-based culture.

Forest Gardening by Robert A de J Hart (ISBN 1900322021) – turn your garden or allot-ment into a vegan-organic, permaculture-based mini-forest.

Permaculture: A Beginner’s Guide by Graham Burnett – apply the principles of sustainabilityand working with nature to your land, your community and your life.

Plants for a Future by Ken Fern (ISBN 1856230112) – pioneering book that takes garden-ing, conservation and ecology into a new dimension. Information about growing edible andother useful plants.

The Animal Free Shopper (ISBN 0907337252) – The Vegan Society’s guide to all thingsvegan includes a section on garden products.

Seeds and Supplies

The Organic Gardening Catalogue, Riverdene Business Park, Molsey Rd, Hersham, SurreyKT12 4RG, UK. Tel: 01932 25366. www.organiccatalog.com. Seeds and products such asfertilisers and compost listed as organic and animal-free.

Suffolk Herbs, Monks Farm, Coggeshall Rd, Kelvedon, Essex CO5 9PG. Tel: 01376 572456.www.suffolkherbs.com

Chiltern Seeds, Bortree Stile, Ulverston, Cumbria LA12 7PB. Tel: 01229 581137.www.edirectory.co.uk/chilternseeds. Wide range of seeds including uncommon and unusualvegetable varieties.

Tamar Organics, Unit 5A, Westbridge Trading Estate, Tavistock, Devon PL19 8DE. Tel:01822 834887. www.tamarorganics.co.uk. Excellent organic seed supplier.

Books

• 8 •

The Vegan-Organic NetworkThe Vegan Organic Network is a registered charity (registered charity number1080847), providing education and research in vegan-organic principles and has aninternational network of supporters. VON supporters enjoy a wide variety of con-tacts and can obtain advice on cultivation techniques. The magazine Growing GreenInternational is sent to supporters twice a year. For more information and details ofhow to join, please contact:

VON, 58 High Lane, Chorlton, Manchester M21 9DZEmail: info@veganorganic.net

General enquiries and advice on growing:Phone: 0845 223 5232

Email: advice@veganorganic.netWebsite: www.veganorganic.net

Vegan-Organic information sheetsThis is one of several sheets produced on various topics by the Vegan-Organic Net-work. These are aimed mainly at those with allotments, kitchen gardens or othersmall growing areas, although many of the techniques will also apply to larger-scalesituations. We welcome feedback on this information sheet and any other relatedtopics. The information sheets currently available are: #1 Propagation and Fertilisers;#2 Growing Beans for Drying; #3 Growing on Clay Soils; #4 Vegan-Organic Growing- The Basics; #5 Fungi - FAQ: #6 Gardening for Wildlife; #7 Growers' Guide toBeetles; #8 Green Manures; #9 Chipped Branch-Wood; #10 Composting.

These are available on request. Please send £5.00 per set, or 60p each (£6 and75p respectively if outside the UK). The sheets are also available free on our website.

Issued March 2005. This advice is given as guidance only, with no responsibility forany results, due to the nature of the processes involved!