How to Make Garden Compost
Outdoor Living / Gardening
Posted by Jane on Mar 21, 2007 - 11:33 PM
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 Simple ways to compost kitchen scraps into natural fertilizer for your garden.
 How to Make Compost
Compost is a natural fertiliser and soil conditioner for the garden that can be easily made at home.
Any organic material of plant or animal origin can be converted by
soil micro-organisms, fungi, insects and earthworms into a rich
compost for your garden soil.
A compost heap can be made by simply piling your garden waste in a
spare corner of the garden. After adding the material keep the pile
covered during the decomposing process with an old carpet or a sheet
of weighted black polythene to trap in heat and help break the heap
down more quickly.
Commercially produced covered compost bins and tumblers are readily
available and make a tidy and efficient option to contain your
compost pile. These bins take up very little room in the garden
making them particularly suitable for the smaller garden or when
space is at a premium.
If you have a large garden that produces a lot of garden waste I have
found having three bins is the ideal number - one for new waste, one
for waste in the process of breaking down and a third one for the
finished compost ready for use.
Where to place your compost bin
Place your bin on a level surface over open ground for the worms to gain access in a warm, moist location within the garden.
What to put into your compost bin
Material for compost bins can be divided into two categories - Green
waste (nitrogen rich) and brown waste (carbon rich) material. The
carbon-nitrogen ratio is an important factor in the compost making
process. A mix of both high carbon and high nitrogen materials must
be present in the pile to provide an adequate food supply for the
micro-organisms that breakdown waste and turn it into compost.
Green waste:
Vegetable scraps, fruit peelings and cores
Weeds (before they seed or flower as most heaps do not get hot enough
to "cook" them)
Comfrey and Herbs are beneficial as a source of trace elements
Coffee Grounds
Tea Bags
Hair and fur
Animal manure (horse, cow and poultry are all suitable)
Seaweed
Fish bones
Spent annuals from the garden, hanging baskets and containers
Brown waste:
Shredded paper, newspapers and un-coated cardboard
Lawn Clippings
Dried leaves
Saw dust (untreated wood only)
wood shavings and chips (untreated wood only)
Wood ash
Hay or straw
Peat
vacuum cleaner dust
Small Twigs and shredded hedge clippings
Egg Shells
Crushed sea shells
Do Not Add: diseased plants, noxious weeds, cooked vegetables, meat,
grease, fat, dairy products or large bones.
Building up your Heap
Begin with a layer of course base of twiggy material to help aeration
followed by alternate layers about 10-25cm thick of "green"
and "brown waste. Dampen with water between each layer to help keep
the heap moist.
A commercial compost activator can be added to speed up the breakdown
process.
How long will it take?
The average compost heaps takes about three months to decompose
during the summer months and longer during winter.
How do I know when it is ready?
When compost is ready it will look like potting mix with a dark brown
appearance, crumbly texture and a sweet earthy smell.
Troubleshooting Guide
Slow to heat up:
If the heap is slow to heat up at first add more "green" material
such as animal manure or blood and bone. Drier material such as
leaves will decompose more quickly when mixed with moist grass
clippings.
Slow to decompose:
The smaller the size of the materials placed in the heap the quicker
they will mature. Turn the heap occasionally with a pitchfork or
shovel to help the heap rot evenly and to circulate air through the
heap.
Heap is too wet:
Keep the bin covered to prevent it getting too wet in heavy rain. If
the heap should become too wet add more "brown" material.
Heap is too dry:
A heap should be moist and not allowed it to become too dry. This can
happen especially during the summer months.
The heap is slimy or smelly:
This is often caused by insufficient air circulation making the
compost unusable. A compost heap needs to be aerated to promote
decomposition. Check that the layers are not too thick. Grass
clippings tend to form an airless mass and turn into slim due to
anaerobic bacteria. This can be prevented by adding a layer of
fibrous material for better air circulation such as straw, shredded
newspaper or leafy plant matter before adding grass clippings.
About the Author: Jill is the owner of Netwrite-Publish Home and
Garden. For more ideas for the home, garden and everyday living log
onto http://www.netwrite-publish.com [1]
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