Composting is a great way of getting rid of everyday waste in the household while being eco-friendly. It may seem like a complicated task, but these easy-to-follow tips will show you how to form compost and then use it for your own garden.
Before you get started, you need to inform yourself about what types of composting exists and what exactly you should compost. There are three best known composting systems that you can choose from- the compost bin, worm farm, and bokashi bin. Once you know which one you're going to use, you can add a few more things to your compost.
These three systems have some slight differences but when it comes to additions, it all comes down to pretty much the same type of waste. For instance, waste such as vegetable peelings, fruit waste, tea bags, and grass cuttings are generally acceptable because they are able to break down quickly and provide nutritional ingredients such as nitrogen and moisture. You could also include cardboard egg cartons, paper, and fallen leaves. On the other hand, some things you should avoid using in composting are meat, dairy products, diseased plants, etc.
Composting can pretty much be done anywhere. You can choose to compost either somewhere inside the house, such as in your kitchen, on the balcony, terrace or roof, or you can choose a spot somewhere in the backyard. If you are lucky enough to live in a house with a huge backyard, definitely use that opportunity.
The best option would be to find a spot which is on a level and well-drained. This way you will ensure that any excess water is going to drain away easily. This way will also help worms get in and out which is very important because their main job is to break down the content of the bin.
The next thing you should keep in mind is how to segregate your waste. It is very important to separate the things you will be putting in your bin. Besides, it's going to make a job of composting a lot easier. For instance, you can start by separating your edible waste such as vegetable peels, fruit peels, and leftover cooked food in one container. Then, use another container and fill it with dry waste like packaging material, dried leaves, grass, sawdust, newspaper chunks, and so on.
This way the that you're preparing will be more organized and ready to be used once the time comes to start with the composting process. Lastly, don't forget to close both containers in order to avoid the infiltration of flies, bugs, and worms.
Now that you've successfully segregated the waste, you can move on to the next step; constructing the composting bin. It's not as complicated as it may sound. The first step is to select any type of container. You can choose anything from a bucket to a regular dustbin or a garden pot of any size and shape. Then, drill approximately 4-5 holes at different levels of the container in order to let some air in. This is a crucial step. Lastly, to avoid any spills try placing a newspaper or any kind of tray beneath the container, and it will do the job just find. also, layer the bottom of your container with some organic soil and your container is ready.
Once the compost becomes completely dry, crumbly and brown, it is ready to be used for your garden. This is the part where you should add around 4 to 6 inches of the compost you made to your flower beds and pots when the planting season begins. Some gardeners might even leave their fully formed compost in water for several days to steep.
This is usually referred to as compost tea and is often used as a homemade liquid fertilizer. However, it is totally up to you whether you want to do this step or not. If you opt for using fully formed compost without any additional steps, you can then proceed to combine it with earth by using a high-quality garden fork that will help you layout your garden just the way you want. In the end, the only important thing is that you choose the composting method that fits your lifestyle and your garden's needs. No matter what system you end up using, compost will turn out just fine.
According to zero-waste & sustainability activist Antonia, you should mix three parts of greens rich in nitrogen compounds, such as coffee, fruit, vegetable, garden, and lawn leftovers to one part of sawdust, dead leaves or even shredded newspapers. The end result is a perfect organic, garden-boosting compost.
Lastly, it's important to let nature do its part too. Even though they are very small, compost worms actually play a huge role in composting. They tend to live their lives in the dark and they love the compost heap.
They eat the waste material in compost bins and then convert it into liquid feed and compost. One of the most efficient worms that can be found living in compost is called a tiger worm. They work their way through compost very quickly and can help you through your composting process a lot.
In conclusion, it doesn't take much effort to master the skill of creating compost, especially when nature does such a good job of helping throughout the whole process. By following these above-discussed steps, you will for sure learn how to do it within a couple of days.