Tips on making Compost.
Posted 08-Dec-2008 at 05:14 AM by shammrok
Tips on making compost.
Making Compost.
Vegetables and herbs love soil moderately enriched with compost.
Even if you have a relatively small garden, it is possible to make good compost in a commercial or homemade bin.
Keep a small plastic container with a lid in the kitchen and place all your vegetable scraps and peelings plus t- bags and leaves in to the container. You can also place wet shredded newspaper in the container.
Each night empty the container into your outdoor compost.
Do not add, oil, fat, artificial fibers, stacks of newspapers, printed cardboard, plastic, kerosene, detergents, thick tree stumps or seeds of weed that have been diseased or chemical treated.
If you have space, a three compartment compost bin is a good idea. You can be filling one, while another is decomposing and you are using the finished product in the third. A sheet of thick plastic or old carpet can be used to cover the bin to prevent excess water entry and keep out predators.
I have two large plastic compost bins with lids which I started a few months apart and therefore have one finished product and one breaking down.
Make sure your compost heap has access to good drainage, a water supply and keep it aerated by turning over every so often and add water if necessary to keep your compost moist, and encourage worms.
You may add garden leaves, animal manure, grass clippings, pea straw, animal manure, bark, wood ash, seaweed and vegetable waste to your compost.
Composts are slower to break down in winter, than in summer, as heat accelerates the process.
The application of certain herbs on a compost pile speeds up the breakdown of organic matter. Chamomile will improve any smell and also act as an activator, to accelerate the rate of decomposition and the absorption of calcium in the heap.
Comfrey also acts as an accelerant and adds phosphorus, calcium, potassium and trace elements, so be generous.
Yarrow also acts as an accelerant.
Gradually in 3 – 6 months, depending on size of your heap and weather conditions your compost will turn into a dark brown, moist crumbly rich plant food.
From then on you can apply it to your garden, either dug in or spread on top of the soil.
Making Compost.
Vegetables and herbs love soil moderately enriched with compost.
Even if you have a relatively small garden, it is possible to make good compost in a commercial or homemade bin.
Keep a small plastic container with a lid in the kitchen and place all your vegetable scraps and peelings plus t- bags and leaves in to the container. You can also place wet shredded newspaper in the container.
Each night empty the container into your outdoor compost.
Do not add, oil, fat, artificial fibers, stacks of newspapers, printed cardboard, plastic, kerosene, detergents, thick tree stumps or seeds of weed that have been diseased or chemical treated.
If you have space, a three compartment compost bin is a good idea. You can be filling one, while another is decomposing and you are using the finished product in the third. A sheet of thick plastic or old carpet can be used to cover the bin to prevent excess water entry and keep out predators.
I have two large plastic compost bins with lids which I started a few months apart and therefore have one finished product and one breaking down.
Make sure your compost heap has access to good drainage, a water supply and keep it aerated by turning over every so often and add water if necessary to keep your compost moist, and encourage worms.
You may add garden leaves, animal manure, grass clippings, pea straw, animal manure, bark, wood ash, seaweed and vegetable waste to your compost.
Composts are slower to break down in winter, than in summer, as heat accelerates the process.
The application of certain herbs on a compost pile speeds up the breakdown of organic matter. Chamomile will improve any smell and also act as an activator, to accelerate the rate of decomposition and the absorption of calcium in the heap.
Comfrey also acts as an accelerant and adds phosphorus, calcium, potassium and trace elements, so be generous.
Yarrow also acts as an accelerant.
Gradually in 3 – 6 months, depending on size of your heap and weather conditions your compost will turn into a dark brown, moist crumbly rich plant food.
From then on you can apply it to your garden, either dug in or spread on top of the soil.
Total Comments 2
Comments
 |  I would love to make my own compost but i'm quite impatient....but good things come to those who wait  |
  |
| | Haha, I'd love to have a garden! |
| |
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