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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
January 14, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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January 14, 2020
 
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PERMAGULTUBE peaking of the symbiotic Srelationships essential to life on this planet, Donna Haraway writes, “We require each other in unexpected col- laborations and combination, in hot compost piles. We become with each other or not at all.” In the same book, she explains that ecosexual activ- ists Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens designed a bumper sticker for her pro- claiming “Compost- ing is so hot!” But is it sized to fit on a bike or a car? I often ponder what they mean as I add to or turn my compost piles. Most times I find a new arrival becoming with something else placed in, attracted to or arisen from the compost heap. This heap is slowly, inter- actively evolving into humus, which is the final stable form of organic matter. Think of the dark springy duff that seems waist-deep in the Olympics. Understanding this process is a lifelong effort exempli- fied by composting alchemists like Karl Hammer of the Ver- mont Compost Company. He has composted everything from donkey manure to dairy waste and uses chickens, which he claims not to feed, to :turn and enrich his piles. His When’it comes to your toédo By ALEX FETHIERE commercial compost operation needs 1,000 chickens on staff. A friend on Harstine Island also has his compost tended by his chickens, and keeps it exposed in his orchard. He el- evates the tempera— ture to 150 degrees for 15 days to kill weeds and seeds, which is a key point of hot composting. It takes him 45 days to produce us- able compost, some- times 90 depending on weather. It would be best to cure it for three to six months after that, but he doesn’t bother. In winter he uses more chicken and rabbit manure, kitchen waste and coffee grounds to heat it up by stok— ing microbial activity. His “browns” (in contrast to nitro- gen-supplying “greens”) are Timbthy hay, leaves and wood- chips. He also turns it with a tractor and makes sure it’s ad- equately moist. On my smaller scale, I con- tain the compost in Earth Ma- chine compost bins. Because I don’t have the help of livestock symbionts, I keep the precious nitrogen sealed up in this plas- tic likeness of a huge licorice gumdrop. I check the temperature with a 3-foot compost ther- mometer (rarely over 60 in list,- put your future first. To find out how to get your financial goals on track, contact your Edward Jones financial advisor today. Karen L Schade Financial Advisor Shelton. WA 98584 360-426-4590 1051 Se State Route 3 Suite E edwardlonesson‘: ~ Member SIPC MAKING ss'use‘or i‘NV'iss'flNe Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 — Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page A-1i Compostingis hot! I winter) that reaches to the bot- tom of the pile and turn it with an ice auger. This aer’ating procedure provides a hearty upper body workout because I’m boring through organic matter and 3 feet of maple leaves. My kitchen waste is very rich in Lactobacillus cultures, because I am always ferment- ing something. I’ve noticed that since adding spent fruit steeped in water kefir, retired kombucha mothers and dregs of brine ferments, my pile never smells foul a common complaint of composting. Foul odors are a good sign that the process has gone awry. A pile that doesn’t breathe invites anaerobic bac- teria to stink up the area with hydrogen sulfide emissions. Turning the pile, letting it dry a bit and adding some browns (leaves, woodchips, shredded cardboard) can help. Because our soil can always use more available calcium, I pulverize, eggshells in a Cui- sinart and stir them liberally into the compost. Earthworms, which move into the compost as it matures, use the egg- shell fines as grit in their gul- ‘ lets, which helps them grind up their food as chickens do. When they pass the eggshells out as castings, they are richer in stabilized slow-release cal- cium carbonate. Eggshells also help lower One of my licorice gumdrops, ice auger and composting thermometer. Photo courtesy of Kathy Ross the pH of a compost pile. This favors the microorganisms who do the invisible digestive work; they prefer a neutral pH. Wood ash, as I mentioned last week, has a similar action and also introduces potassium. In warmer months, comfrey leaves can substitute. Always integrate a couple shovels full of your previous compost to populate your na- scent pile with established cul- tures. Over time, Haraway’s “unexpected collaborations and combinations” become ac- customed to digesting the fa— miliar refuse of our lives, just as they will return us someday — whether we’re composted in Seattle or not. I Alex Féthiere has lived on Harstine Island long enough to forget New York City, where he built community gardens and double-dug his suburban sod . into a victory garden. He can be reached at onlandist@gmail. com. «csisssmme sass ems! ' JANUARY O essence! 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