Compost is the heart and soul of organic gardens. You don’t have to be a farmer horticuturalis, or an earth worm to harvest the benefits of composting.
You can compost your own garden and household waste minimal effort. Adding organic substance to your garden will better the structure, water holding capacity and aeration of soil carrying too much clay or sand. Compost is the most frequently suggested source of organic mattter. It is simple to create, easy to apply, and contains an abundant amount of nutrients.
Let’s look at how much effort it really takes to setup and maintain your own organic compost to care for your garden.
Composting can be as much or as little work as you want to make it. The more effort you put into it, the quicker return your garden will get.
The only called for equipment is a spade to turn over the contents of the compost heap. Your heap can be constructed almost anywhere except up against a building such as a shed or a fence. There will be bugs and worms helping you compost and you want them in the heap, not in the shed or the house. Two metres is a safe distance from any structure. Also the moist in the compost heap will cause any iron to rust so keep it away from your fence. A bin is not neccessary. You can just build your heap on the ground.
You need a diversity of plant matter to start off with. Grass cuttings and food scraps provide nitrogen while leaves and dried straw provide carbon. You simply add in organic materials as they become obtainable. To hurry things up, we suggest you turn the pile every second week.
The finished compost heap will have shrunk! It only takes up about a quarter of the space of the original heap. When the materials can no longer be distinguished and the heap looks like dark, rich dirt, the compost is complete. It will have a sweet earthy odour. If it smells bad, it is either too wet or not getting any oxygen.
Keep a large container under your sink for kitchen scraps, it can sit for a couple days before any odours will start to occur.
Things to avoid:
* Unhealthy or diseased tomato vines that may contaminate the heap
* animal fats such as meat scraps, grease, or bones as they might attract unwelcome critters!
You can use eggshells, bone meal, dried blood, and even hair if you wish, these provide beneficial minerals and may help discourage garden pests. Use your homemade compost as a side dressing for your garden rows. The nutrients will fertilize your garden organically.
