Compost Fun
By Michael L. Thal

Chloe and David talked about their science project on the way home from school.

“You have any ideas?”

“Sure do,” said Dave. “I started a compost heap with my Dad in September. We can use that.”

“What’s a compost heap?” asked Chloe. The fifth graders crossed the street.

“It’s grass clippings, leaves, and leftovers from dinner all thrown together in a pile in our back yard.”

“Yick! That must stink,” said Chloe.

“Only if it gets too wet. We keep a sheet over it. And during dry spells, we water it. Come on, let me show you.”

They cut through the path between their homes and hopped the white picket fence to Dave’s back yard.

“Where is it?” asked Chloe.

Dave pointed to the corner of the yard. An old green sheet lay over a large heap that was as high as Chloe’s waist. She took in a deep breath of November cool air. “You’re right. It doesn’t smell. How do you keep the rats away?”

David pointed to a sign posted to the old oak tree near the pile.

Compost Menu

Greens- (Wet wastes)

Coffee grounds
Vegetable scraps
Fruit wastes and grains
Grass clippings
Hair (pet or human)
Weeds
Eggshells

Browns (Dry wastes)

Hay
Leaves
Corncobs and corn stalks
Nutshells
Pine needles
Sawdust
Straw

“That sign’s a reminder of what goes onto the pile. We use only vegetable matter and the animals stay away. Dad says that we need to keep the pile balanced with greens and browns. It smells only if it gets too wet.”
“What good is it anyway? That’s just a bunch of garbage rotting in your back yard.”

“Remember our class trip to the city dump?”

“Yeah.”

“Remember what that lady said?”

“About what?”

“That twenty-five percent of the city garbage dump is filled with leaves, grass clippings, and food waste. We can recycle this waste in our back yard. Dad and I are making rich fertilizer for mom’s vegetable garden, flowers, and shrubs.”
“How does that work?” asked Chloe.

“All of that waste decomposes with the help of air and water. Insects, earthworms, and bacteria, and fungi help too.
Chloe’s freckled pug nose twitched. “Gross!”

That afternoon, Chloe and David worked on their project. They decided to start a new compost heap in Chloe’s back yard. By week’s end they had a set of directions their classmates could follow.

1. Put an even amount of greens and browns in a heap that is 3-5 feet in diameter.

2. Place in a sunny corner of your back yard.

3. Add water when dry.

4. Stir (aerate) with pitchfork or stick every 3-4 weeks.

5. Cover with hay or dry leaves to protect your compost from too much water.

6. If your compost heap becomes taller than five feet, start a new one.

After seven months David and Chloe’s compost heap had become rich black dirt. In the spring Chloe used the compost as fertilizer for her mother’s vegetable garden.

In June, the two friends were walking home from school. “My mom was sure happy,” Chloe said.

“Why?”

“Her tomatoes are growing bigger than ever.”

“And my mom will be happy too.”

“Why’s that?” Chloe asked.

Pointing to his report card, he said, “I got an ‘A’ in science.”