If you have been wondering how to make your own compost, it is not that difficult if you follow some basic rules. Composting provides some relatively easy methods for recycling your yard clippings into usable garden soil for your backyard or garden. As all organic matter eventually decomposes, composting merely speeds the process.
Decomposing organisms (bacteria, fungi, etc) need four basic elements to do their job: nitrogen (clover, fresh grass clippings, livestock manure), carbon (dried leaves and twigs), moisture (rain or your garden hose) and oxygen (you can aid this process by turning or mixing your compost).
Some more materials you can use to make your own compost are straw, woody brush, coffee grounds, vegetable and fruit scraps, sawdust and shredded paper. Do not use; meat scraps (they may attract animals), diseased plants or dog/cat manure (which can carry disease).
There are a few options when you make your own compost, all supply you with the same final result; humus or garden soil. Humus helps all kinds of plants grow and look better by providing vital nutrients to the soil. Below are 3 basic ways you can easily make your own compost.
1. Cold composting is a simple task and works well if you don't have a lot of yard waste, don't have the time to tend the compost at least every other day and are not in a hurry. Simply create a pile of your grass clippings and dry leaves on the ground. A barrier or wall can be used to keep the compost more together and chopping or shredding speeds up the process which can take many months to a year to complete with this method.
2. Hot composting requires more work, but will create humus in weeks instead of months. With this style the pile must be at least 3' x 3' x 3' to create efficient heating. It is also necessary to enclose your pile with a wall (wire mesh, bamboo). Choose a level, well-drained area. Make sure you include high-carbon and high-nitrogen materials and mix the two together. If you are low on nitrogen material, you can add a small amount of commercial fertilizer containing nitrogen. Roughly a 1/2 cup of fertilizer for every 10 inches of compost should do the trick.
You will need to keep the pile moist, but not soaked (when it is too wet the pile will start to smell bad). It is necessary to turn the pile when the internal temperature reaches 130-140 degrees Fahrenheit. Checking temperature can be done with a compost thermometer or by reaching into the pile to feel the heat, if it is uncomfortably hot, it is time to turn the pile.
To make your own compost in a month, you will need to turn the pile daily. Turning every other day will yield humus in 1 to 3 months. The finished product will smell sweet and be cool and crumbly to the touch.
3. Rotating barrels work on the same principles as hot composting, but offer several advantages. Compost tumblers are nice looking (not like an ugly pile of fermenting yard waste), pest resistant, easy to keep aerated (you simply flip the barrel to mix the ingredients) and they stay closed which helps keep them more insulated from weather conditions like excessive rain or heat.
Compost tumblers make the whole process more fun by eliminating the hard work involved in turning your compost pile and still deliver a finished product in the quickest time possible. This style of composting is the perfect solution for a busy lifestyle.
Once you make your own compost it can be used for all your planting needs. It works well in your garden as well as potted plants and improves the soil structure of any soil you add it to. Creating your own compost pile is a wonderful way to recycle at the same time improving your garden and all the plants in it.
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