Seven Tips to Successful Composting
Composting gives you the ultimate fertilizer, and it's all free.
Here are a few tips for producing perfect compost within a few short weeks.
Turn your pile every few days to once a week.
A compost pile has to be turned every few days to get it aerated.
Get the mix right.
"Green" waste refers to fresh ingredients-grass clippings, freshly-pulled weeds, and vegetable kitchen scraps all qualify.
Green waste is high in nitrogen.
"Brown" waste is high in carbon, and refers to dried ingredients including leaves, hay or straw, wood shavings, and so on.
Use chopped ingredients.
Your ingredients will degrade more quickly if they're not left to decompose in large chunks.
Don't use animal waste.
Using meat or dairy products in your compost attracts flies and other animals, and can cause a foul-smelling mess.
Keep the temperature high.
Your compost pile should maintain a fairly consistent temperature of about 65 to 71 degrees Celsius at the center.
Use the right container.
You can use any container or no container at all for composting.
But a closed bin gives a less messy appearance and keeps out animals, and a tumbler is the easiest to turn consistently.
Pile in layers.
You should start your pile by layering different materials so that they come into contact, avoiding any large clumps-especially large chunks of green materials, which can quickly decompose into anaerobic clumps.
Composting isn't just a great way to recycle your garden clippings and kitchen scraps.
It can also provide you with plenty of dark, rich soil that will nourish your garden.
Follow these tips, and you should be able to produce plenty of fertilizer on your own-saving you money in the long run.
Here are a few tips for producing perfect compost within a few short weeks.
Turn your pile every few days to once a week.
A compost pile has to be turned every few days to get it aerated.
Get the mix right.
"Green" waste refers to fresh ingredients-grass clippings, freshly-pulled weeds, and vegetable kitchen scraps all qualify.
Green waste is high in nitrogen.
"Brown" waste is high in carbon, and refers to dried ingredients including leaves, hay or straw, wood shavings, and so on.
Use chopped ingredients.
Your ingredients will degrade more quickly if they're not left to decompose in large chunks.
Don't use animal waste.
Using meat or dairy products in your compost attracts flies and other animals, and can cause a foul-smelling mess.
Keep the temperature high.
Your compost pile should maintain a fairly consistent temperature of about 65 to 71 degrees Celsius at the center.
Use the right container.
You can use any container or no container at all for composting.
But a closed bin gives a less messy appearance and keeps out animals, and a tumbler is the easiest to turn consistently.
Pile in layers.
You should start your pile by layering different materials so that they come into contact, avoiding any large clumps-especially large chunks of green materials, which can quickly decompose into anaerobic clumps.
Composting isn't just a great way to recycle your garden clippings and kitchen scraps.
It can also provide you with plenty of dark, rich soil that will nourish your garden.
Follow these tips, and you should be able to produce plenty of fertilizer on your own-saving you money in the long run.
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