
Gardening Green with Doug
Composting Do's and Don'ts
by Doug Oster
January 15, 2024
The icy ground crunches under foot during the daily trip out to the compost pile. A fresh, light coating of snow reveals rabbit tracks heading through the open gate into the garden. The bunny is after some organic arugula, turnips, kale and other cool weather crops, which luckily are protected under clear, hard plastic.
The days are getting longer, but spring is still a long way off, gardeners are left with dreams of luminescent yellow daffodils covering the hillside. When they bloom, a fresh batch of compost will be harvested from the bins, it’s the building block for all organic gardens. There are many reasons to garden organically, picking safe produce, helping pollinators and other wildlife, protecting the environment and lots of others.
Switching to gardening without chemical insecticides, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides can be done easily, without worry of an explosion of diseases or insects, nature creates a balance pretty quickly. Most importantly, by using natural amendments and controls, everything from microbes, earthworms, butterflies, birds and others will help the garden thrive.
Back to the compost, it provides everything the plant needs and when that happens, it can better fight off pests and diseases.There never seems to be enough compost from the bins, as it’s used everywhere in the garden. The soil amendment can be found in bags or by the truckload and large quantities can be delivered. Composting at home is one of the greatest ways to recycle. About half of what was sent to the landfill is now kept on site and the resulting material can be used in planting holes or at mulch.
The hardest part of starting a compost operation is convincing everyone in the household to split the waste stream. Some things go to the trash and other things now go into another container.
Anything that once was living will eventually become compost. In the kitchen things like fruit and vegetable scraps are saved along with coffee grounds, unbleached paper towels, eggshells along with a host of other materials. Things to avoid include meat, creamy dairy and oils, as they can attract rodents. Any plant material that was not diseased also goes into the compost.
Things coming out of the kitchen and much of the plant material are referred to as the “greens.” To make the best compost, add the same amount of “browns” like shredded leaves or straw every time the greens are put in the bin. There are many ways to set up a composting system somewhere in the landscape. One of the most popular is the three bin system. The first bin is filled with fresh material until full, then the second is filled. Usually by the time the second is full, bin number one is ready to harvest, if not the third bin accepts the fresh material.
Rotating bins make compost quicker. Every time the bin is spun add oxygen to the material which helps speed up decomposition. There are also closed bins, for those worried about critters. Compost rarely has an odor, only when it’s too wet, which produces the smell of an overripe melon. Taking a garden fork and mixing up the compost usually solves the problem.
The Pennsylvania Resources Council teaches classes about composting. At the end of the session students get a compost bin. The key to organic gardening is adding compost for every planting, using the compost to make raised beds, fill containers and anywhere else things are grown. Filling a planting hole with good compost is a great feeling, knowing the plant has the best chance to thrive when adding some water and mulch.
Dealing with pests and diseases is done differently in the organic garden. Instead of nuking the plants with a chemical it’s important to figure out the problem a deal with it specifically, as to not disturb the balance of nature. Don’t panic, there’s always time to figure out what’s causing the problem.
For sucking insects like aphids, whiteflies, spidermites and others, insectidical soap or horticultural oil is sprayed directly on the pest. The products often need to be sprayed weekly until the insects are all gone.
To deal with chewing insects like cabbage worms, Japanese beetles tomato hornworms and others safely, use Capt. Jack’s Dead Bug Brew. It’s sprayed on foliage; the pest ingests the brew which affects the bug’s nervous system. It will stop feeding and eventually die.
Hostas are the favorite food for slugs, these pests often time confound gardeners as they feed at night. If a plant has a slimy, slivery trail on the leaves, that’s a slug problem. Sluggo is an organic pellet that overdoses the pest on iron. Nothing else is interested in eating these pellets, and if the slugs don’t get them, they’ll fade away after a few rains, adding the iron to the soil, which the plants enjoy.
Another thing about being an organic gardener is accepting insects in the garden. Over 90 percent of the bugs are helpful, often eating the bad insects. If a pest is not slowing food production or making an ornamental look bad, there’s nothing wrong with letting them be.
Mulching the right was saves water, keeps the soil evenly moist and slows down weeds. Never let mulch touch the bottom of a plant, it should be applied to look like a donut not a volcano. Mulching in the spring is a great way to preserve the early season moisture.
The organic garden is a safe space for the family, provides the perfect habitat for pollinators along with other wildlife and is one small step for creating a better environment and world.





If you’re looking to grow something unique this season from seed, Doug love’s the J.L. Hudson Seedsman catalog. The website runs on 1990’s technology but offers high quality seeds of rare and interesting trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and vegetables at a reasonable price. There aren’t many pictures of the varieties, which gives the catalog a tint of antiquity. Doug’s been ordering from the catalog for decades.
Doug is taking gardeners to London this May on a direct flight to see the Chelsea Flower Show and the gardens of the city. Information about the trip is here.

Subscribe to my free gardening newsletter here
Host of "In Doug's Garden" on CBS KDKA-TV Streaming
Host of the Talking Trees podcast for The Davey Tree Expert Company
Consultant for Farm to Table Buy Fresh Buy Local
Columnist for Pittsburgh Earth Day's "The Green Voice"
Leave A Comment