Simple Facts About Composting

You would think that turning stuff into compost would be a simple subject, but, that's not completely true.

The general idea behind this article is to clarify this subject a bit for the newbie, if I can use "clarify" in relation to compost.

There’s a lot of information available about composting, so the last thing you need is another one that explains the technical aspect of the process and the scientific basis behind the importance of using compost to fertize a garden or improve your soil.

Although understanding the technical aspects are necessary, it would be nice to hear or read something more of layman’s view of the subject. Well that’s the intent of this article.

Quite simply, compost is an organic substance which can be added to the soil which does a lot more for your soil than just acting as a fertilizer. It is also a mulch, a soil conditioner, and gives the soil nutrients and minerals your plants need. The soil also is able to hold more water when compost is used properly, which is also beneficial for your plants.

SIMPLE COMPOSTING METHODS

You can actually choose from several composting methods, however, the so called "no-turn" composting method seems to be the easiest...especially for the composting beginner. As the title of this method indicates, you don’t need to turn the pile of compost at least once every week to quicken the process of decomposition as you will with other methods. In the "no-turn" composting method, all you need to do is add a lot of coarse materials to your compost.

For example, adding a lot of straw to your compost pile would do just fine.

What adding straw does is to create air pockets within the compost pile. This allows the pile to be aerated, which in other methods would be accomplished by turning the compost. Your compost will be processed at about the same rate as when you employ the traditional composting technique which involves turning the pile regularly.

However, when you use this "no-turn" composting technique, you will need to be careful to get the compost you want to use from the bottom of the pile. Just keep adding new organic materials on the top keeping in mind to add in the coarse materials as well.

EATS, SHOOTS, AND LEAVES

Okay, not much of a tie-in, but we will be talking about leaves.

Probably, leaves are going to be one of your most common composting materials.

If you find that the only available composting materials in your yard are piles and piles of leaves, then don’t let that bother you.

You can fairly easily create your compost from leaves alone. You will need a couple of other things as well, and use some very simple techniques.

To use mainly leaves as compost, first select the place where you will make your compost pile. For a leaf-based compost pile, the ideal place will be a well shaded area. This will help keep the pile damp or moist. As you might imagine after reading about coarse materials above, the pile should not be packed tightly. Leaves tend to pack down, so you will have to turn it regularly to keep it loose to allow the air to circulate.

In about four to six months, the compost from leaves should be useable and ready to be applied to the soil.

Don't forget, however, that the compost created mainly using leaves usually does not contain enough nutrients and microorganisms to work well as a fertilizer. Even so, the finished compost is still great as soil conditioner.

COMPOST AS FERTILIZER

If you intend to use your compost as fertilizer, you will need materials rich in carbon and nitrogen. This will include fruits and vegetable scraps and other table scraps except left over bones or meat because they attract a number of pests and animals. Fried materials also do not break down as well because of the grease which may be present.

Good products to use in compost intended to be fertilizer includes eggshells, grass or shrub clippings, pine needles, seaweed and kelp, coffee grounds, wood ash, tea leaves, cardboard and shredded paper, corn stalks, wood chips, and sawdust.

PESTS

You will want to discourage fruit flies and other pests from grouping together on your pile. It's a good idea to cover the pile or add lime or calcium over the top whenever you add new materials to your compost. The lime and calcium will also serve to help neutralize the odors from your pile.

There's a lot more to learn about composting to do well with it, but I hope this gave you at least a simplified view of the composting process and provided some useful and simple tips from the article. While there may be work involved, composting is really only difficult only if you make it so.