COMPOSTING
There are many ways to make compost from the scraps which you get everyday.
Remember not to use bones, meat products, oils of any type, butter, mayo products, dairy products and cheese products.
You should use fruits, vegetables with the peelings and cores, cabbage, carrots, celery, coffee grounds, eggshells, onion skins, potatoes, pumpkin shells, squash, tomatoes, turnip and rutabaga leaves and chopped up roots and all rinds. Add these to leaves, straw and some manure if available. Hay is also great for this and the composting should kill the weed seed if the inside temperature of the pile gets to at least 160 degrees and the pile is turned every few days.
Shredded newspaper is also great for the piles on the ground as they draw worms, and just make sure that the paper is wet when added to the pile. Grass clippings are one of the best things to add to any composting method.
You can contain and cover the pile if it is built using cement blocks with space left between the blocks for air to get through and worms to enter. This type of pile can be covered with black plastic to help heat up the material. This is a type of bin. Also use wood to do the same thing.
Trenches in the garden work well if you have the space to dig a trench next to a row of vegetables. Make the trench at least 12 in. deep and add kitchen scraps as you get them and cover up with garden soil. Next year you can plant the row and dig another trench next to the row for your current scraps.
If you have a space in the garden that can be dug about 11/2ft. deep you can put plant scraps into this all during the summer and at the end of the season put a few inches of soil on top and you can plant this area next season. You can also plant tomatoes and other vegetables around the edge of the dug hole. All plants should do very well and hide the pile of scraps. I add a little soil each time I put scraps into the hole to lessen the chance of drawing a lot of flies. The scraps do draw the worms and they begin to break the scraps down right away.
Barrels can also be used. Make sure to have air holes for ventilation by cutting holes and putting large hole screen to cover the cut out section. It’s best if the barrel can be rolled or turned each day so put a cover on it.. Use black barrels if possible to draw heat. This method takes up to 2 months to finish.
Snow fence or wood fence can also be used to contain a pile for composting. These piles also need to be turned every few days. Covering with black plastic will heat the pile better and quicker.
There are also many types of compost makers which can be purchased. Buy the type that suit’s the amount of organic scraps that you have. This type also uses a compost starter which get the process going quickly and takes less time to get the finished sweet smelling compost much sooner. The cost can be high at the beginning but you can make batch after batch of compost all summer and add it to the area needed while the garden is growing. Watch the promises and guarantees because not all things do what the manufacturer says it will in the time promised. All areas of the country are very different from each other as far as heat and humidity go and this does affect the composting time.
Composting can save you money, is organic which means no chemicals, and enriches the soil and makes it light. No soil compaction from clay or other heavy soils to contend with. Compost enables the plants to grow with a good root system. Without a doubt this also helps our world because the waste doesn’t go to the dump causing foul smells and use of space. Always remember to use, reuse and recycle all that you can and help yourself at the same time to great flowers and vegetables.
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