Organic Compost - The Simple Way
One of the ideal ways to ensure a bountiful harvest from your garden is to use plenty of organic compost. You can be sure that you’re using a safe way of growing your garden. The recycling of organic waste is one of the best things a gardener can do.
The starting point is plenty of carbon, which is the foundation of a good compost. Get it going by using brown material such as shredded newspaper, dead flowers, dried leaves and straw. A lot of people forget to add these important ingredients, but you won’t.
Green waste that’s high in nitrogen is next. You should throw all of your kitchen waste, grass clippings and green garden clippings into your heap. Your kitchen waste can consist of all your green leftovers, fruit and vegetable peelings, but no meat!
Then you need to top it off with some soil from your garden. It’s very important to remember to add some natural soil to your compost heap to get it started.
So far you’ve started with a layer of brown waste to which you’ve added some green waste and then some garden soil. Now you begin the process again with another layer of brown material. At this time you should also add some water to dampen your compost, but make sure it’s exactly that… damp! It should be just moist, not soaking wet!
What you’re trying to achieve by adding these layers is a pile about 3 feet high and 3 feet wide, so keep adding your scraps and waste until it reaches this size. Also the ratio needs to be approximately one part green waste to three parts brown for optimum results.
You will need to turn your compost with a garden fork to aid the decomposition. As you turn, you want to move the stuff from the center to the outside and the outer material to the middle. You should do this every couple of weeks at least.
To understand why the moisture level is so important, if your pile dries out it will stop decomposing. The easiest way to know if your compost is healthy is to watch for steam to rise as you’re turning your pile. This is a clear indication that your heap is decomposing correctly.
You can always go to your bait shop and buy worms to quicken the decomposition if you want. It’s not really necessary though, because the earthworms already in your garden will soon find your lovely compost and start doing their thing.
To stop your compost heap from being an untidy eyesore you can either make or purchase a bin. There are even rotating bins available that make your task of turning your compost over much easier. The choice is yours.
You need to wait until your compost reaches an almost black color and smells fresh and sweet, this indicates that it’s ready. Now you can use it for potting up your favorite plants, you don’t need to add anything else to the soil. It’s also wise to gradually mix it through your entire garden because it contains all the essential nutrients your plants will need. Your garden will be the envy of all your neighbors.
