A Guide On Making Your Own Organic Compost And How To Use It In Your Garden Or Yard
Composting is the process of turning waste material into simpler and more useful organic substances in an organism called composting. This method recycles different organic substances otherwise considered to be waste materials. Good compost contains helpful organisms and plant nutrients. The accumulation of these helpful organisms and compost materials on the soil promotes the growth of crops for the consumption of the human race and the plants as well.
To have a composting yard you will need a composting bench, collection bins for the dry materials like leaves, straw, and coffee grounds, and a compost bin or an automatic compost tumbler for moist or damp materials like manure and lawn waste. Some computers may also use worm castings or other similar ingredients for the compost. You can find a compost bin in your neighborhood home improvement store or online. They come in various sizes depending on how much waste you need to put in.
When you compost, you are breaking down waste from the food you eat and the plants you keep in your garden soil. All of the organic matter that you dig up in your yard is also included in the compost. It is a simple act of decomposition that takes place naturally in nature. The decomposition of matter does not only take place on the earth’s surface but also occurs in the water. Soil with a high percentage of decomposed material forms nutrient-rich compost.
Before starting the composting process, make sure you have the proper equipment. First, you need to prepare the materials you will need before the process. These include a large mixing bucket or tumbler with holes in it, a spongy material like a coffee bean, newspaper, or cardboard, a layer of gravel, a moisture meter, a spirit level, and a wrung-out sponge. To begin, pour off one inch of water from each hole in the tumbler or coffee bean bag. You do not need to pour out a full gallon of water, however, as you do not yet have the compost pile ready.
Using the moisture meter, make sure the container has the space needed for aeration and allow at least a half-inch of air to go through the material before putting it in the bottom of the pile. After placing the material in the bottom of the container, place the wrung-out sponge over the mix and make sure it is completely covering the entire mix. You will want to let the mixture sit for a few days and aerate the mixture three to four times each day. If you let the mixture sit for too long without aerating it, the material will dry up and turn into a powder or powdery substance instead of being a soft and crumbly mass of green. A perfect compost pile needs to have proper aeration.
After the compost pile materials have finished drying, you will want to place the entire contents of the bin in one container and label the other with your new and fresh fertilizer. If you have already created and used a compost tumbler, you will find the material is more nutrient-rich because the air has been penetrated more deeply. Compost tumblers are made of steel and plastic. The materials are heavier and will last longer than an open bin, but you should be careful when handling heavy materials to prevent accidents. Food waste and yard waste are the perfect combinations because the heavy materials will not roll or tumble and can stay put in one location, but can also add additional nutrients to the soil in your yard.
When you are ready to use your compost pile, carefully lift the entire container out of the ground and place it in the center of your garden. The pile must remain upright so that you do not introduce more than the decomposition rate is capable of doing. After turning the pile once or twice, place it in an area where it can gradually decompose. If the materials are left sitting around, the warmth from the sun and rain can cause them to break down faster. You may need to turn the pile more frequently, especially if you live in an area where the weather is very warm and dry.
There are two advantages to using this type of fertilizer for your plants. The first advantage is that it is natural, organic, and slow acting. This means that you will be able to control the speed at which your plants go through the process of decomposition, resulting in fresher, higher quality vegetables and greens for your table. The second advantage is that the humus in the ingredients of your homemade compost provides excellent mulch for gardens and lawns. This natural product that you add assists in the breakdown of fallen leaves, grass clippings, weeds, and other garden debris and releases valuable nutrients that plants need to grow and thrive.
