Garden Composting

COMPOST - EASY AND FUN

Composting or worm farming your food scraps, grass and garden clippings (organics) can give you excellent garden food and soil improver that is free. Composting organics (rather than putting them in the rubbish) is one of the best things you can do in your garden -- as well as creating great fertiliser, it reduces greenhouse gases, saves water and dramatically reduces your waste. Composting and getting that 'perfect mix' can also be lots of fun. Its not hard and almost half of household rubbish can be turned into compost that's useful for your garden.

COMPOSTING TIPS

1. Your compost bin or heap should be on soil, not concrete, so it drains well and the worms and bacteria can enter the bin to decompose the waste.
2. All compost bins or heaps, need a balance of materials that:

• are high in nitrogen, such as blood and bone, Dynamic Lifter or chook manure,
• contain carbon, such as dried leaves or shredded newspapers, and
• contain both carbon and nitrogen, such as kitchen scraps, pea straw and green garden prunings.

3. In addition, the compost heap or bin needs:

• water, but only enough so that the contents are moist but not wet,
• oxygen, from air, added by regularly turning over the contents of the heap,
• warmth, by putting it in a sunny place, and
• easy access

4. Hot (fast) compost takes 3-6 months - you need a recipe and to turn the compost every day. Cold (slow) compost post takes 6-12 months -just keep adding, waste, especially kitchen scraps.

1. Building a layered Compost Heap
2. Build your compost in thin layers (3-10cm)
3. Alternate kitchen waste (high nitrogen) and garden waste (low nitrogen) layers
4. Use diversity of materials

This diagram is an example of the different layers. Alternating kitchen and garden waste layers with an occasional layer of manure works well.

Guest Book Comments page 1 of 1 Click here to add a comment Your Name: Image verification: Message:   bhumi Posted 21 days ago fantastic way of explaining <1>