| Distinct from mulch per se, compost is decayed | | | | kitchen sponge - that is wet but not soaked. Too |
| organic material used as a fertilizer for growing | | | | much water mats the materials too much. |
| plants. It is matter that is almost completely | | | | Include |
| broken down or decomposed. | | | | The mix of compost can be classified as 'browns' |
| The Essentials of Composting | | | | and 'greens'. Greens are the wastes from the |
| The benefit of compost is that it gives you an | | | | kitchen - fruit and vegetable scraps, leaves, fresh |
| earthy, dark, crumbly soil that is excellent for all | | | | manures and so on. The browns are things like |
| plants due to having been enriched by the | | | | dead leaves (autumn leaves), hay, straw, sticks |
| decomposed materials. So, in this energy | | | | and woodchips, sawdust and the like. Mixing |
| conscious world, it is an easy way to recycle your | | | | browns and greens is the best nutritional balance |
| yard and kitchen wastes, and is a critical step in | | | | for the microbial activity. The browns are bulkier |
| reducing the volume of garbage needlessly sent | | | | and help keep the pile aerated and the greens |
| to landfills. The natural cycle of life always | | | | maintain needed moisture. If too wet just add |
| provides natural compost as leaves fall in the | | | | more browns and vice versa. |
| Autumn and throughout the year with | | | | Other Considerations |
| evergreens. | | | | In winter your compost heap may go dormant - |
| Piling up, they begin to decay and when returned | | | | but it will revivify in the Spring. While hotter piles |
| to the soil the living roots continue the process of | | | | of compost do decompose somewhat faster, a |
| reclaiming the available nutrients. Generally | | | | temperature of about 50F is sufficient, provided |
| however, in the home garden this isn't enough - | | | | aeration and the mix is correct. Size does matter! |
| hence making your own compost heap is so | | | | The compost pile needs to be at least a cubic |
| beneficial. And today, in many countries, including | | | | yard (3 foot high and wide) to heat up and stay |
| the United States, you will find this practice | | | | hot for a long period of time. When finished the |
| increasing across households - not just with avid | | | | compost will be dark in color and has an earthy |
| gardeners who have been always doing it. | | | | smell (like the smell of soil). Although bits of |
| Probably it will become as commonplace as | | | | hard-to-decompose materials (such as sticks) will |
| recycling cans and paper is now. Composting is a | | | | still be evident they will finish decomposition in the |
| simple process that you can make as | | | | garden bed. |
| sophisticated as you like. Basic composting | | | | Quick Boosting Compost |
| requires minimal effort. You can choose a bin or a | | | | By making a tea out of your compost - combine |
| bin-less system. | | | | equal parts of water and compost and let it sit |
| Composting Fundamentals | | | | for a while. - you can give your plants a boost by |
| Compost is done by billions of microbes (fungi, | | | | using the liquid as a foliage feeder. This also applies |
| bacteria, etc.) that digest the yard and kitchen | | | | to worm wee which you can collect from your |
| wastes (food) | | | | worm farm. Just dilute it all a bit though. |
| If the pile is cool enough, worms, insects, and | | | | What to Composto Grass and lawn clippings -layer |
| their relatives will help out the microbes. Like | | | | these thinly and place drier compost in betweeno |
| people, these living things need air, water, and | | | | Alfalfa composts very quickly. Be careful of |
| food. If you maintain your pile to provide for their | | | | greens that have lots of seeds which can |
| needs, they'll happily turn your yard and kitchen | | | | re-sprout, e.g. hay. Moisten first.o Food wastes - |
| wastes into compost much more quickly. | | | | Fruit and vegetable peels/rinds, tea bags, coffee |
| The Basics | | | | grounds, eggshells, and similar materials are great |
| AIR | | | | stuff to compost. Avoid composting meat scraps, |
| The waste will need to be aerated occasionally | | | | fatty food wastes, milk products, and bones -- |
| for the microbes to survive as they breathe air. | | | | these materials are very attractive to pests.o |
| This will also help break up materials that tend to | | | | Leaves - like lawn clippings - layer thinly or they |
| mat (e.g. grass clippings, wet leaves) and take | | | | will mat.o Straw - will help keep the compost |
| longer to decompose otherwise. Just turn the | | | | aeratedo Weeds - can be used but avoid those |
| compost periodically with a pitchfork - though | | | | that have begun to go to seed.o Woodchips and |
| some compost bins nowadays have inbuilt turning | | | | sawdust - - although these can be used straight |
| mechanisms operated by an external handle that | | | | onto the soil as mulch, they can also be used in |
| does the mixing for you - aerating the compost. | | | | the compost pile. Don't use chemically treated |
| MOISTUREkeep the pile fairly moist - like a | | | | wood. |