| Wood turning generates shavings. This simple rule | | | | be used. The real secret to making quick compost |
| seems to escape many who take up the craft of | | | | is the right material correctly fed and watered. |
| wood turning, however, it quickly becomes | | | | The right material to collect is a mixture of green |
| apparent as the floor disappears under the | | | | and brown materials. Brown plant matter such as |
| growing mound. Stage one of removal is obvious | | | | dried leaves and grass tend to be higher in carbon |
| and many simply resort to a garbage can and | | | | than green materials such as garden waste, |
| snow shovel to restore the floor space. The | | | | kitchen waste and fresh grass clippings. These |
| problem is, a couple of twelve inch bowls later the | | | | green materials are higher in nitrogen in the form |
| garbage can is full and more shavings come | | | | of proteins. For the wood turner it is obvious that |
| quickly. | | | | brown material will come from the wood shavings |
| Assuming the yard is large enough, a home | | | | and the problem moves to a solution. |
| composting station is the answer. Compost is | | | | Wood is designed to rot. Trees that fall in the |
| desired by home gardeners and commercial ones | | | | forest eventually become part of the forest floor. |
| alike. While many communities now offer a | | | | Poplar and birch, two favorite North American |
| recycling setup with yard waste removal and will | | | | woods for turning, are two of the first trees to |
| take the shavings away, even a yard waste | | | | start after a forest fire. They grow quickly, |
| container fills quickly. Compost may be spread on | | | | especially poplar and fall easily in the woods. They |
| a lawn or throughout the flower or vegetable | | | | also rot quickly replenishing the soils for the other |
| garden for a long lasting soil amendment and | | | | trees to follow. Turners will recognize which |
| fertilizer. | | | | woods rot easily as they look for spalt lines in |
| Compost is simply rotted organic matter. Some | | | | wood. These are markings of microorganisms |
| complicated systems exist for making it but | | | | which cause black and tan designs that are |
| mostly it is a matter of supplying what makes | | | | indicative of beginning rot. |
| things rot; moisture, air, and food. The | | | | Equal parts of brown and green materials in a pile |
| microorganisms that cause rot for composting | | | | of about three feet diameter and three feet will |
| east carbon and nitrogen as well as a host of | | | | create a compost growing atmosphere that will |
| other micro nutrients. If the first two are supplied | | | | cause the organisms to generate a heat that will |
| the rest will take care of themselves. | | | | pasteurize the pile, killing weed seeds and speeding |
| The easiest way to compost the shavings is to | | | | the composting process. Water must be added to |
| pile them up and leave them for a few years. | | | | keep the pile moist and often in the cool of early |
| Material at the bottom will be composted and the | | | | morning one can see the steam rising from the |
| stuff at the top goes at the bottom of the new | | | | pile. Oxygen is best added by forking the pile |
| pile. Unfortunately for the prolific turner, this can | | | | from one location to another, close beside it. While |
| make a lot of large piles in a hurry. It is best to | | | | a pile left alone will compost in a year, one that is |
| speed up the process. | | | | turned every three to four days will be finished in |
| A three pile system works best for fast | | | | as little as two weeks. This should be sufficient to |
| composting. Pile one holds material that is | | | | remove the problem of growing shavings piles and |
| accumulating for a full pile. The second pile is one | | | | provide enough compost for one's own garden, |
| well underway and the third is merely waiting to | | | | no matter how large. |