Ten Tip For A Great Compost Heap
- The first thing you will need is a compost bin. You can do one of two things. You can build one yourself or you can buy smaller compost bins. The compact compost bins are great for a smaller garden or home and perfect for the first timer.
- The second thing that you will want to consider is where to place your bin. You will want to find a flat area that has good drainage for any excess water. Also, this makes it easier for worms to enter into the compost are start their very important work.
- Worms are mother natures green recycling machines. They are perfect for composts because they love and thrive in wet and dark places. They eat your green waste which is then turned into liquid feed and compost. If you find that you are having problems attracting worms, you can always go out and by yourself a few a very low price.
- You have to make sure that you put in the right kind of waste materials. For instance, any old vegetables and fruit should go into your bin. Teabags, tree clipping and grass clippings all make for great composting material. Not only do these materials break down very quickly, but they also add lots of nitrogen as well as moisture. Another great thing to add are egg boxes, scrunched up paper and leaves. These don't break down quite as quickly as your fruits and vegetable waste, but they add important fibre as well as providing air for the compost bin. Occasionally adding crushed egg shells will also add a variety of minerals to the mix.
- Make sure you do NOT put in any meat or dairy products. Nor should you add any diseased plants, dog or cat poo or baby nappies. These will attract unwanted pests and will also create a disturbing smell. You also do not want to put in any perennials weeds. These will be things like dandelions and thistles. Also, do not add any weeds that have seeds heads in them. Make sure that no plastic, metal or glass goes into your bin either. These can easily be recycled but not in your compost.
- You will want to make sure that you green/brown mix is correct. If you are finding that your compost is too wet and green, then you will want to add some brown and vise versa. If there is too much dry and brown in the mix, then make sure that you add some green waste. Make sure that you have air pockets as well. Adding some scrunched up cardboard is an easy way to solve this problem.
- The compost in your bin should be occasionally stirred so that the mix is aired properly. You don't need any special tools for this. A nice long stick should do the trip properly. If you do fancy buying a tool, then you just need to go down to your local gardening centre and they will be able to help you out.
- You can speed up the process in half by adding a compost activator. Just put it in some water and pour it over you compost. This will break down the mix and turn it into wonderful dark rich soil to be used in only 10 weeks.
- Fallen leaves make for a great addition to compost. You can collect them and put them into a biodegradable leaf bag. These can be left to turn into a moisture rich soil improver and work as an alternative to peat moss.
- Your compost will be ready when it is a dark brown almost black colour sitting at the bottom or your compost heap. It will be spongy and be full of nutrients. When you spread this soil onto your flowerbed or garden, the existing soil will receive many nutrients and will also be protected from weeds growing. Furthermore, you will not need to use any pesticides or chemical fertilizer.
If you fancy some more tips about composting and waste reduction, then we have found a couple more interesting articles that you might find interesting to read.
