By Jennifer E. Beaver
Staff Writer
Should you pee on your compost pile?
I began pondering this question after a call from friend and fellow freelance writer Leslie Smith. While interviewing me for an article on compost, Leslie mentioned that Ellen Page, star of Juno and Inception, had created a bit of a stir on The Tonight Show. In an unusual example of pottymouth, Ellen talked about using her urine in a Canadian compost pile. Urine contains nitrogen, a key component in compost, the nutrient-rich mix of decomposed material that turns ho-hum garden dirt into award-winning soil.
Leslie asked where I stood (squatted?) on the matter.
I admit that recycling urine is a new concept for me. My two gardening bibles— The Sunset Western Garden Book and The California Master Gardener Handbook— are strangely silent on the issue. So I turned to the Internet, where I found a YouTube video that began with a close-up of a large plastic jug full of yellow liquid sitting on the bathroom counter. Then it segued to a shot of the toilet. Then back to the jug.
Okay, I get it.
Advocates say that pee not only adds nitrogen but also saves water and speeds decomposition. Foes suggest that medications can pass from your urine into your garden. In my book, that makes urine-enhanced compost in your vegetable garden a big no-no. Keep it strictly for ornamentals.
Actually, I should focus less on what Ellen does with her pee and more on the fact that she talked about composting on national television.
Composting is a dirt-cheap way to get great soil while using up material that would otherwise wind up in a landfill. It’s a mix of brown (leaves and straw) and green (vegetable peels, grass clippings). Brown provides carbon; green provides nitrogen. For compost to decompose quickly, the optimum chemical mix is a 30-to-1 ratio of carbon to nitrogen. In terms of volume, it’s easy to figure out— half brown, half green.
Add water till it feels like a wrung-out sponge. Turn the mixture with a pitchfork or compost aerator to bring in air; this makes the stuff heat up, which gets rid of pathogens and breaks it down. When you can no longer recognize individual pieces of leaves, peels, or whatever— generally, in four to six weeks— you’ve got compost. Use as a mulch or mix with soil to improve drainage.
Find out how to compost at one of the great free classes offered by the City of Long Beach. Last time I was there, the instructor did not mention pee but did offer great deals on composters. To find out about classes and composters, go to longbeach-recycles.org.
Jennifer E. Beaver, a Wrigley resident, is a master gardener and author of Container Gardening for California.
