Login with Facebook
Forgot Password

How To Make Compost

Posted by Jane | Added on : October 10, 2008 08:43am | Last edited: October 28, 2009 12:04am | Viewed 1842 times | 0 Comments

 

If you are serious about gardening, you should consider making your own compost. It not only brings down the cost of fertilizers, but also helps in reusing garden and kitchen waste. Instead of just trashing this waste, you can recycle this and give your garden the benefit of home made compost.

You can choose to make the compost in an open area or use a bin. Bins are better because they look neater. Whatever your choice, make sure the area or bin is in a sunny area. It should not be sheltered from rain.  You need to occasionally water the compost and if you get enough rain in the area, then you can make use of that.

You can compost almost everything. Weeds, garden soil, nettles, dry leaves, plant cuttings are some of the garden waste that can go into the compost bin. From the kitchen, you can use tea bags, vegetable or fruit peels, raw vegetables and fruits, coffee grounds. When you pull out the weeds in your garden, retain some of the garden soil. Soil helps in better composting and also will add some brown material to the final compost. Do not add meat or dairy products to the compost as this will attract pests and will make the bin stink.

Add these ingredients in layers, if possible. Add a layer of soil after every 4-5 layers to keep the compost aerated. Give the bin a turn every few weeks so that the ingredients mix well. Moisture plays an important role in making compost, so water occasionally or collect rain water in the bin. Depending on the ingredients and the weather conditions, the compost may be ready in a few days or it may take a few weeks.

Making compost is not as hard as it sounds. With time, it becomes a habit to dump vegetable peels and garden cuttings into the compost bin instead of the trash can. All it needs is a bit of effort and time and your garden can enjoy the benefits of home made compost.

 

 

Comments on the Article

Log in or Sign up to comment

Be the first one to comment on this article

 

Shop Garden.com for Gifts for Dad