How Do I Recycle In My Backyard Farm?

“Hi! I’m new to backyard farming, and I’m trying to make sure I run things as sustainably as possible. My backyard is in pretty good shape, and I’m currently growing a variety of vegetables and herbs, along with having a small chicken coop. However, I’m a bit stuck on how to incorporate recycling into my backyard farm. For example, I have lots of kitchen scraps, some leftover yard waste from pruning, and a decent amount of cardboard from packages. What’s the best way to recycle or repurpose these materials without bringing in too much extra equipment or investing a lot of time? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!” Thanks, Karen, Vermont, USA.

Getting Started: Understanding Recycling in Backyard Farming

Sustainable backyard farming is all about making the most out of the resources you have. A big part of that sustainability is learning how to recycle effectively right on-site. In your case, Karen, living in Vermont with a variety of veggies, herbs, and chickens, you’ve got lots of opportunities to turn waste into something valuable for your backyard farm. Whether you’re dealing with kitchen scraps, leftover yard waste, or even cardboard, there’s a lot you can do. Let’s explore some ways to make recycling a natural part of your backyard farm without the need for fancy tools or complex processes.

The Benefits of Recycling in Your Backyard Farm

Incorporating recycling into your backyard farming routine isn’t just a feel-good effort; it brings real advantages to the health and productivity of your backyard. Here’s why recycling is so impactful:

• Reduces Waste: Instead of sending kitchen scraps, yard clippings, and other organic materials to the landfill, you can repurpose them, minimizing your waste output.
• Creates Nutrient-Rich Soil: Organic recycling, like composting, returns vital nutrients to the soil, which in turn boosts your garden’s productivity.
• Cost Savings: Homemade fertilizers, mulches, and other recycled materials mean you spend less on commercial products.
• Improves Soil Structure: Recycling organic matter helps retain moisture, improves the soil structure, and supports the growth of beneficial micro-organisms.
• Encourages Biodiversity: A rich, recycled environment attracts all sorts of beneficial insects and microorganisms – crucial allies in your farm’s ecosystem.

Step 1: Composting – The Heart of Backyard Recycling

First and foremost, Karen, composting is one of the most powerful tools you’ll have for recycling on your backyard farm. It allows you to turn all sorts of organic waste, from kitchen scraps to chicken bedding, into nutrient-rich compost that your garden will love.

How to Begin Composting

Starting a compost pile can be simple, and the great thing is, nature does most of the work. Here’s a basic setup:

1. Choose a Spot: Find a shady, well-drained area in your backyard for your compost pile or bin. Since you’re in Vermont, you’ll want it somewhere that’s accessible even in colder weather.
2. Layer It Up: Start with a layer of coarse material like twigs or straw to help with drainage. Then start layering ‘greens’ (nitrogen-rich materials like fruit scraps, coffee grounds, and fresh grass clippings) with ‘browns’ (carbon-rich materials like dried leaves, cardboard, and paper). Strive for about three parts ‘browns’ to one part ‘greens’.
3. Moisten As You Go: Your compost should be about as damp as a wrung-out sponge. If it’s too wet or too dry, it could slow the decomposition process.
4. Turn It Over: Every few weeks, give your compost a good mix to aerate it and help things break down. This could involve simply turning the pile with a shovel or using a compost tumbler if you prefer something more contained.
5. Harvest Ready Compost: After a few months, the materials will decompose into dark, crumbly soil that’s ready to enrich your garden beds. You’ll know it’s ready when everything’s broken down and it has an earthy smell.

Given the wide range of waste on your farm, composting will let you recycle nearly everything organic. Things like vegetable scraps, eggshells, coffee grounds, and even the cardboard can be layered right into your compost pile. It’s the quickest and most effective way you can recycle a lot of your waste.

Troubleshooting Composting Challenges

Sometimes, composting doesn’t go as smoothly as expected. Here are some common problems and their solutions:

• The Compost Smells Bad: This usually means there’s too much moisture or too many ‘greens’. Try adding more ‘browns’ (like shredded cardboard) and turn the pile to help with aeration.
• The Pile Isn’t Heating Up: Without heat, decomposition is slow. The pile might need more nitrogen-rich greens, or it might be too small. Turning it can also help it heat up again.
• Pests in the Compost: If you find pests, it may be due to adding inappropriate food scraps like meat and dairy. Stick to plant-based scraps, and ensure you’re covering fresh waste with a layer of browns.

Step 2: Vermicomposting – Composting with Worms

If space or time is an issue, one fantastic alternative to traditional composting is vermicomposting. This method uses worms – specifically, red wigglers – to break down your organic waste into a nutrient-rich vermicompost. This could be a great option for you, Karen, especially if you are looking for a more compact system to handle kitchen scraps.

Getting Started with Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting requires a bit of upfront setup, but it’s relatively easy to maintain:

1. Select a Container: You’ll need a bin for your worms. A plastic or wooden container with a fitted lid works well, ideally around 8-12 inches deep. Make sure to drill small holes in the bottom and sides for aeration.
2. Add Bedding: Start with a layer of moist bedding material. Shredded newspaper, cardboard, or dried leaves work brilliantly here. The bedding should be damp but not soaking wet.
3. Add Worms: You’ll need red wigglers, also known as composting worms. Add them to your prepared bin and give them a couple of days to settle in before adding any food scraps.
4. Feed the Worms: Begin adding small amounts of food waste like fruit and vegetable scraps. It’s best to bury the scraps under the bedding to avoid odors and discourage pests. Avoid adding citrus, spicy foods, or meat/dairy products.
5. Harvest Vermicompost: In a few months, your worms will have turned your kitchen waste into rich vermicompost. You can harvest this by pushing the worm castings (compost) to one side of the bin and adding fresh bedding and food to the other end. The worms will naturally move over, allowing you to collect the vermicompost.

Vermicomposting is a great closed-loop system, especially if your outdoor seasons are short, as it can be done indoors too. The composted material will make a powerful amendment for garden beds or potted plants, giving your crops an organic boost.

Step 3: Yard Waste and Mulching

When you’re pruning, mowing, or raking, you produce a lot of yard waste that can be frustrating to deal with, but in the realm of backyard farming, it’s an asset! Almost all yard waste can be recycled directly in your backyard through mulching or as an addition to your compost pile.

How to Recycle Yard Waste by Mulching

Mulching is one of the best ways to recycle yard waste, and it works beautifully even in a small farm like yours, Karen:

• Grass Clippings: Use these as mulch around your vegetable plants. They’ll break down quickly, releasing nitrogen back into the soil.
• Wood Chips: If you’ve pruned trees or shrubs, run the branches through a chipper, or simply lay them as they are. Wood chips are excellent for paths or as a slow-decomposing mulch around perennials and trees.
• Leaf Mulch: If you’ve raked a pile of leaves, shred them with a lawnmower and use them as mulch or add them into the compost pile. Leaf mulch is rich in carbon and provides excellent protection for the soil.
• Straw and Hay: If you have access to old straw or hay, these make great mulch materials as well. Lay them thick around plants to suppress weeds and retain moisture.

Mulch serves multiple purposes: it suppresses weed growth, retains moisture in the soil (perfect for those hot summer days), and slowly decomposes to add nutrients back into the ground. It’s a simple, near-zero-effort way to recycle the very materials your yard produces naturally.

Step 4: Repurposing Cardboard and Paper

Cardboard and paper are items we all have in abundance, and they’re both incredibly easy to recycle in a backyard farm. You mentioned you’ve got a decent amount, Karen, and luckily, there are a few options for giving that cardboard a new life in your yard.

Using Cardboard for Sheet Mulching

Sheet mulching, also known as lasagna gardening, is a method where you layer cardboard or newspaper over your soil and top it with organic materials. This method works wonders, especially if you’re starting a new garden bed or need to reclaim an area overrun by weeds.

1. Clear the Area: Choose the space where you’d like to use the sheet mulch and rake away any large debris.
2. Lay Down Cardboard or Newspaper: Spread the cardboard (removing any tape or stickers first) directly on the ground, overlapping the pieces to ensure no gaps. Wet the layers as you go, so they begin to break down and stay in place. Newspaper can be used similarly, layering about 10-15 sheets thick.
3. Add Organic Material: On top of the cardboard, layer a mix of compost, leaves, straw, or other organic material for a depth of at least 4-6 inches.
4. Cover with Mulch: Finally, top everything off with a thick layer of mulch to keep it all in place.

The cardboard will smother weeds while slowly decomposing, adding organic matter to the soil. This method also attracts earthworms, which further enrich the soil as they break down the cardboard and organic matter.

Repurposing Cardboard and Paper in Compost

We briefly touched on adding cardboard and paper to your compost – it’s great for balancing out all those green materials like food scraps. Shred or tear the cardboard into smaller pieces before adding it to your compost pile. The smaller the pieces, the quicker it will break down.

Not only does cardboard add carbon to the compost, but it also helps manage moisture levels by soaking up excess liquid. Just avoid any heavily printed or glossy paper, and you’ll be all set.

Step 5: Using Chicken Waste as Fertilizer

Having chickens on your backyard farm is a great resource, not just for eggs but also for recycling garden and food waste. Chicken waste is loaded with nutrients that can act as an excellent fertilizer when properly managed.

How to Use Chicken Manure

Fresh chicken manure is “hot,” meaning it’s high in nitrogen and can burn plants if applied directly. Here’s how to properly recycle it as fertilizer:

1. Compost the Manure: Add it to your compost pile along with carbon-rich material like straw or leaves. Allow it to sit and “cook” for several months before applying it to your garden.
2. Use Manure Tea: Another option is to make a diluted “manure tea” by steeping chicken manure in water for a day or two. Watering plants with this tea gives them a balanced dose of nutrients without overwhelming the soil.
3. Direct Application (Aged): If your manure has been sitting for a while, you can mix it directly into the soil as an organic fertilizer or scatter it before tilling the soil.

Recycling chicken waste not only reduces waste but also enriches your soil naturally. With chickens, you’re closing yet another loop in your sustainable backyard farm.

Water Recycling Techniques

You’ve done such a great job being resourceful with your waste, Karen, but there’s another resource to consider: water. Especially during dry spells, being water-wise is essential. Let’s look at some simple water recycling techniques for your backyard farm.

Rainwater Harvesting

One effective method of water recycling is to collect and use rainwater. By installing rain barrels beneath your gutters, you can capture runoff, which can then be used to water your garden during dry periods. Rainwater is often better for plants compared to treated tap water, too.

Greywater Recycling

Another simple option in backyard settings is greywater recycling, which involves reusing household water – for example, from washing dishes or laundry – to hydrate your plants. It’s an excellent way to recycle water that would otherwise be wasted. However, be mindful of the cleaning products you use, since harsh chemicals can harm plants.

Consider integrating greywater into an irrigation system or using it to water plants that aren’t directly consumed, like flowers or ornamental plants, just to be on the safe side.

Final Thoughts…

Karen, thank you for taking the time to ask about recycling in your backyard farm. By incorporating composting, mulching, vermicomposting, and repurposing paper and cardboard, you’ll transform what’s often considered waste into valuable resources for your garden. The key to sustainable backyard farming is creating a self-sufficient system that recycles and reuses what you already have. Applying these techniques will not only save you time and money but also help maintain a healthy garden that will keep producing for years to come. Happy farming!