Composting in Bear Country
By Contributor
Composting is possible in bear country. Bears can smell scents from over a mile away, so the key is to ensure the compost bin is maintained properly to avoid odours that might attract bears.
Bears don’t like ‘finished’ compost. They are drawn to composters that are not maintained and thus have lots of whole, un-composted food. The food smell is one thing, but compost often houses rodents. Rodents are a high-quality food packet for a bear.
If you are building a wooden bin, install 1/2” x 1/2” wire mesh (called hardware cloth) underneath the compost unit. Secure it well with the plastic screws provided. It’s best to install it out of direct sun and keep a lid on it; if compost gets too wet mould will grow. Plastic bins work well too, though if it’s not secured a curious bear may push it over just to see what’s in there. Electric fencing around a compost (installed correctly for bears) does work well to keep bears and other wildlife away. You can buy portable electric fencing.
A healthy and almost odourless compost bin is equal proportions of brown materials (carbon rich) and green materials (nitrogen rich). Add browns every time you add greens, covering the greens completely in brown layers no more than 4 inches thick. You can collect your leaves in the fall and keep them and other ‘browns’ in a lidded pail beside your compost for easy use.
Browns:
Brown leaves
Sawdust or wood chips
Straw
Newspaper and kraft brown paper (torn into 2” strips)
Cardboard (toilet paper or paper towel rolls, egg cartons, corrugated cardboard torn into small pieces)
Coffee filters
Dried grass clippings
Adding a cup or so of wood ash once in a while is also good for odour control and it’s great for your garden.
Greens:
Fresh grass clippings
Plant trimmings and weeds that have not gone to seed
Uncooked fruit and vegetable scraps
Coffee grounds and non-plastic tea bags
Manure
For large amounts of fruit, dig a hole at least 12 inches deep and cover the deposited fruit with dirt.
Other Good Things:
Rinsed and pulverized eggshells
Floor sweepings.
Do NOT Add:
Meat or fish bones
Cooked leftovers
Grains, rice or pasta
Dairy
Grease or oil
Charcoal briquettes
Dog or cat feces and kitty litter (for health, not bear reasons)
Oxygenate: Frequent aerating is necessary to encourage the oxygen loving aerobic bacteria in your bin, especially at the compressed bottom of your heap. Lack of oxygen can result in a smelly compost bin. Aeration is best done with a “Wingdigger”- type tool or a strong straight stick, an old hockey stick is good, or a pitch fork. Poke holes all the way down at least every couple of weeks, always finish by covering with more browns.
Water: If during the heat of summer your compost becomes dry it will significantly slow down the composting process, so add a bit of water to create the dampness of a wrung-out sponge.
Happy gardening to you all. This article was written by volunteers of the Rossland Bear Smart Task Force. Visit our web site https://rosslandsustainability.com/ and tap on Bear Smart Task Force.
