Working at becoming more green everyday is something I'm currently undertaking, for the environment and my kids as well. Learning to make your own compost is one of the most economical and effective ways to build fertile, organic garden soil.
Plants grown in compost-supplemented soil are stronger because they get more nutrients. By using organic garden compost, you are adding valuable nutrients to soil, enhancing vegetable and fruit quality and yield at harvest time. As gardeners, when we make compost we imitate nature by rapidly creating layers of rotting material in a small space. Turning piles of composted plant material speeds up the natural process of decomposition by heating up and aerating dry, green and brown layers of organic waste from our kitchens, gardens and fields.
Here are a number of urban composting basics for kids and beginners.
Why You Should Compost
The list of benefits that accompany composting is numerous and plentiful. Here's a few for you to ponder and start with:
- It frees up and loosens clay soil
- Loosened clay soil binds nutrients into the soil
- Soil life along with it's diversity is supported, whether it's fungi, worms or insects
- Ingredients for compost are easy to obtain…usually right from your kitchen or garden
- Improves soil structure
- Helps sustain soil life that supports the process of nutrients that promote crops that are disease and pest resistant.
Green and Brown
How are these two colors significant to you? Well, for starters brown compost substance supplies carbon to your pile. Add these to your compost pile in a non-living state. They have lower moisture content and take somewhat longer to decompose into nutrients that become available.
Shoot for a compost pile that is built 30:1, carbon to nitrogen. This would mean you'll be trying to gather 3 parts browns to 1 part greens. Getting this ratio right is an important piece to the composting puzzle because it creates quick decomposition.
Things to Avoid For Your Pile
- Avoid using meat, fish or bones
- Feces from household pets like cats and dogs
- Treated grass clippings
- Cat litter
- Dryer lint
- Diseased plant clippings
- Vacuum bag contents
- Dairy products
- Glossy newspaper
As your pile grows, you can add shredded fall leaves and newspapers, chopped ornamental grass and other fibrous materials to the dry layer of your pile. The green layer should contain grass clippings and kitchen scraps (vegetables, fruits, coffee grounds, egg shells, etc.) as mentioned, but you can also items like deadheaded flowers and other easily rotted plant material from around the yard. Once you have created a batch of your own compost, a 1/2″ sprinkling can go in as the final layer. I also like to add green sand to my compost. Green sand can be found at most farmer’s supply stores. This is an organic supplement from ancient ocean floors, and it adds valuable potassium to the garden.
A compost pile needs to reach about 3′ high (be patient, as it will settle) in order to generate internal heat. Once your pile reaches this height, you can cover it with a blue or black tarp to help retain heat and keep out excess water during rainy periods. Many gardeners have two or more piles going at once, however this isn’t necessary unless you have a larger garden with a great need for compost. Once your pile is 3′ high, turn the compost with a garden fork — really mix it well to fluff and aerate the pile. You can also add some water if the mix seems dry, and then cover it again. Keep turning your pile every few days –or at least once a week– until your compost appears dark and crumbly like good garden soil. Once the compost reaches this point, you are ready to pull up your bin, move it and start another pile. The old pile is ready to spread as mulch or add to supplement soil.
