Simple Composting For Sustainability
Composting is not the complicated process that so many gardeners make it out to be.
It's a natural process.
It happens no matter how much effort you put into it.
Every gardener has his or her unique system for producing rich compost to enrich their garden, though they all have 3 elements in common.
Your soil will be thrown out of balance and it will take time to recover.
How these ingredients are kept is also a topic debated among gardeners.
Here are a few super-simple ways to create the nutrient rich compost you and your garden desire.
Continue to refine your method, and your compost will help you to yield positive results for years to come!
It's a natural process.
It happens no matter how much effort you put into it.
Every gardener has his or her unique system for producing rich compost to enrich their garden, though they all have 3 elements in common.
- Brown matter (dried leaves, straw, sawdust, etc.
) - Green matter (grass clippings, freshly cut vegetation, etc.
) - Animal waste (Best from herbivorous animals like cows, horses, mules,etc.
)
Your soil will be thrown out of balance and it will take time to recover.
How these ingredients are kept is also a topic debated among gardeners.
Here are a few super-simple ways to create the nutrient rich compost you and your garden desire.
- Throwing all of your organic waste into a pile is the first way.
Don't bother with building a bin or container; just throw everything into a heap.
Begin your heap with a mixture of manure and brown matter.
After you have formed this foundation, feel free to include kitchen waste including old fruit and vegetables, egg shells, paper towels and newspapers; but never include dairy or meat products.
All you need after this is patience.
Compost will begin to form at the bottom of the pile.
As decay takes effect, bacteria and worms will travel up from the foundation and after a while, the top of the pile will start to decay as well. - If you have access to some straw bales, you can also use these to make compost.
Make a simple enclosure with the straw bales to hold the compost components by stacking the straw bales two high into a 3-sided pen.
10 bales ought to do the trick.
The bales will not only hold the compost, but will help hold in heat and humidity as the compost begins to decay.
Make loose layers of both brown and green ingredients, and every so often add a layer of soil and manure.
Within a couple of years the bales will decompose and become part of the compost; the ingredients from your aged straw bale bin will work fantastically in your new one; and the cycle continues. - Shovel compost is the final method that has proven positive results for me.
If you only have a small amount of waste, this method is ideal.
Start by digging a hole in your garden bed in a place where you think the soil could use a little boost.
Dump kitchen scraps into the hole and cover them with soil, chopping with the shovel to mix the soil and scraps.
The organic matter will become compost, with no extra work on your part at all!
Continue to refine your method, and your compost will help you to yield positive results for years to come!
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