In
The Garden:
The Wonderful World of Compost
Compost.
Some call it "Black Gold." That rich, dark garden
elixir that plants love. We consider it the ultimate in
recycling—left-over plant material, either from your
kitchen or yard waste, turned into perfect fertilizer for
your lawn and garden. Making compost is easy and provides
many benefits.
|
Compost is simply decomposed
organic matter. It is nature's recycling plan. Left to the elements,
all organic matter decays and returns to the earth to be used
as nutrients for plants. Home composting simply harnesses this
natural process.
Compost is beneficial
in many ways:
- Improves
soil tilth, making it more "loamy."
- Compost
won't "burn" plants like some artificial fertilizers
will.
- Soil
improved with compost retains and disburses water better, making
it more drought-resistant.
- Encourages
the development of beneficial microorganisms found in the soil
that contribute to plant health.
- Improves
plants' disease resistance.
- Improves
soil pH.
Some
people worry that a compost bin or pile in their yard will smell
bad. This is not true. A properly tended compost bin or pile should
not smell at all. And it's very easy to care for compost. The most
important thing is to know what should and should not be included
in your compost.
Do include:
- Vegetable
and fruit scraps
- Grass
clippings
- Leaves
- Small
garden clippings and dead stalks
Do Not Include:
- Meat
and Dairy Products
- Fats/Oils
- Bones
- Beans
- Synthetic
fibers
- Sawdust
from treated wood
- Charcaol
ashes (contains unhealthy chemicals)
- Domestic
animal waste
Your
compost should be kept slightly moist. Too much moisture can produce
odors. If this is the case, turn your compost over with a shovel
to mix in more air (you should do this periodicaly in any case)
and add some dry material such as lawn clippings or leaves. Conversely,
ants in your compost are a sign that it is too dry.
Many
people say that there are optimum "recipes" for compost.
Like two parts brown (dry leaves, hay or other dry matter) to
one part green (grass clippings and kitchen scraps). However,
while this type of ratio may be optimum, any combination of the
above listed ingredients should produce fine compost.
There
are all kinds of (usually expensive) compost bins on the market,
but you don't need to spend a lot of (or even any) money to make
compost. It's possible to simply pile your composting material
in a corner of your yard and turn it with a shovel from time to
time. But most people prefer some sort of container. One of the
simplest bins is made from chicken wire. Just take several feet
of chicken wire and loop it around several wooden stakes to make
a circle.
Different types of compost bins
Here
are some good links for further information on composting, including
some bin designs:
Backyard
Composting
Mother
Earth's "Compost Made Easy
How
to Build a Compost Bin
Plans
for a Fancy Compost Bin
|
