Composting, or composting, doesn't just mean building a composter and keeping it tidy, it also means knowing and controlling what you pour into it to get a good fertilizer. This article will give you simple guidelines on what you should and what you shouldn't compost. Follow the three "Rs" (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) to decrease the amount of waste you have to throw away!
Steps
Step 1. Build a composter for your compost
While it is still possible to compost properly in a pile directly on the ground, a composter will keep the process cleaner and tidier and will help keep animals away if you are composting food scraps. Depending on how the composter is built, it can also help regulate humidity and temperature. The minimum acceptable size for the good composting of a pile of material is at least 1 cubic meter, although, treated properly, piles that are quite large and a little smaller can still make a good compost.
Step 2. Fill the composter with a balanced blend of ingredients (for best results):
- Green materials (with a high nitrogen content) to activate processes that generate heat in your compost. Among the perfect materials to generate heat are: young weeds (before they go to seed); comfrey leaves; Yarrow yarrow; chicken, rabbit or pigeon droppings; weeds etc. Other green materials that compost well are fruits and vegetables, fruit and vegetable leftovers, coffee grounds and tea leaves (including sachets - remove the paper if you want), plants in general.
- Brown (high carbon) materials that act as "fiber" for your compost. Among the brown materials are: autumn leaves; dead plants and weeds; sawdust; cardboard sheets and tubes (from packaging etc.); old flowers (including dried display flowers, once any plastic or polystyrene accessories have been removed); old straw and hay; small animal litter.
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Other materials that you can compost with but which you may not have thought of: napkins and paper handkerchiefs; paper bags (such as bread bags); cotton clothing (torn to shreds); egg shells; hair and hair (human, dog, cat, etc.). However, all these materials should be used in moderation.
- Air. It is possible to compost without airless (anaerobically), but the process involves different bacteria and an anaerobic compost pile makes a sour stench similar to the smell of vinegar. It may also attract flies or take on a musty, oozy appearance. If you feel your compost pile needs more air, turn it over and try adding more dry matter or brown matter to "open up" the structure.
- Waterfall. Your pile should be roughly damp like a wrung out sponge. Depending on the climate you are in, you can add water directly or rely on the humidity that comes from the green material. Putting a lid on the composter will help maintain moisture. If the pile gets too damp or wet, it may not get enough air.
- Temperature. The temperature of the compost pile is very important and is an indicator of the microbial activity of the decomposition process. The easiest way to check the temperature inside the pile is to use your hand and feel directly: if it is warm or hot, everything is decomposing properly, but if the temperature is the same as the surrounding air, then the activity microbial has slowed down and additional nitrogen-rich material needs to be added to the composter.
- Earth or compost starter (activator). It's not strictly necessary, but a light sprinkle of garden soil or other ready-made compost between the layers can help introduce the right bacteria to start the composting cycle a little faster. If you are pulling weeds out of the ground, the soil left on the roots may be sufficient for this purpose. Compost starters are also available, but they are probably not needed.
Step 3. Layer or mix the different materials in your composter so that they come into contact with each other and avoid large clumps that don't decompose well
In particular, avoid creating large blocks of green matter, as they become anaerobic very quickly.
- If possible, start with a layer of light brown material, such as leaves, which helps keep some airflow near the bottom.
- Try to mix 3 parts brown to 1 part green to 1 part brown to 1 green, depending on what materials you have.
- As you build the pile, spray each layer with a little water if you need to moisten slightly.
Step 4. Turn your compost pile upside down regularly, once every week or two
Cut out a patch of free ground next to the heap, then use a pitchfork and move the entire heap onto the vacant lot, turning it over. When it's time to turn it over again, move it back to its original location or inside the compost bin. Turning the pile in this manner helps to maintain the influx of air into the pile, which promotes aerobic decomposition. The anaerobic decomposition will make a really stinky smell (generally acrid like vinegar) and will cause the material to decompose more slowly than with aerobic bacteria. Turning the pile over promotes the growth of the right type of bacteria and produces a nice (or almost) fragrant compost that decomposes much faster.
Try to move material from the inside out and from the top to the bottom. Break any lumps or blocks that have formed. Add water or moist green materials if it seems too dry. Add dry brown materials if the pile feels too wet to you. If you are adding material to the pile, take the opportunity to mix the new material well with the old one while you are turning it over
Step 5. Decide whether to add slow-decaying materials such as still-hard branches, twigs and hedge foliage, wood ash, pruning and planing debris
These materials can be composted, but it is best to compost them separately as they will take longer to deteriorate, especially in cold climates with a shorter composting season. Crumble heavy materials if possible for faster decomposition.
Step 6. Try to avoid introducing bread, pasta, nuts, and cooked food into the composter
They do not deteriorate easily, they become rather slushy and can slow down or limit the decomposition and heating processes (and nuts left in the garden will disappear quickly if there are squirrels or other rodents around!)
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Never introduce these materials into the compost for reasons of health, hygiene and in general problems with decomposition: meat and leftovers of meat, bones, fish and fish leftovers, plastics and synthetic fibers, oil and fats, human or animal feces (with the exception of those of herbivorous creatures such as rabbits and horses), weeds that have gone into seed, diseased plants, diapers, glossy paper or magazines, charcoal, charcoal ash and cat litter. Throw these materials into regular bins.
Step 7. Collect your finished compost
If all goes as planned, you should eventually end up with a layer of good compost at the bottom of the compost bin or pile. Collect it and spread it on the lawn or in the field, or dig it up and fertilize your garden.
- It may be a good idea to sift the compost with a fairly large mesh net, or use your hands or a pitchfork to remove any larger lumps that have not yet decomposed.
- Fresh compost can grow plants, but it can also drain nitrogen from the soil as it continues with the decomposition process. If you think the process isn't quite complete, leave the compost in the compost bin a little longer or spread it out in the garden and leave it there for a few weeks before planting anything.
Advice
- Composting works almost magically and very quickly if you start with one cubic meter of the right materials (3 parts brown vs 1 part green), keep it moist and turn it over every week. It is possible to get two substantial productions every year if you follow these rules. If you don't respect them to the letter, it will take a little longer, but the material will compost anyway.
- The fastest way to compost is to combine 1 part of cut grass with 3 parts of dead leaves (cut into pieces with a lawn mower), put everything in a 3-wall composter without lid or bottom, keep moist and turn with a pitchfork every 2 weeks.
- Place the compost bin in an easily accessible place to encourage yourself and your family to use it.
- Compost jointly with other people if you live in an apartment building.
- Keep a composting litter box in your home near the kitchen or wherever you prepare food. It should be small enough to fill easily, so it empties into the compost bin daily and stays clean. A good option is a small plastic container (there are also tiny ones with a lid), or else use something as simple as a terracotta flowerpot - it's nice to look at, easy to clean, and moves around with ease.
- To help with decomposition, you can compost earthworms, which you can buy online. If you use an open-bottom composter on the ground, the earthworms from the garden will still arrive in your compost pile on their own.
- You can cut the top of any plastic container with a handle just above the attachment of the plastic and wash it if necessary. It will become a handy bin to collect composting waste that can be kept under the kitchen sink.
- For faster decomposition, chop foliage and plants into small pieces and break the eggshells.
- At some point, it will be better to start a new compost pile and stop adding material to the old one to let it complete the decomposition process.
- Layering, when possible, is a very effective method. Try a carbonaceous (brown) layer, a nitrogenous (green) layer, an earthworm layer (as long as the heap temperature does not exceed 25 ° C) and so on.
- If for any reason you can't compost, contact your local government to find out if they collect organic waste from your home and garden for composting. Some municipalities collect Christmas trees and shred them for compost in January.
- When the weather is dry, fill your trash bin with water every time you throw it in the compost pile. This will help maintain the necessary humidity.
- If you mow the lawn, collect the cut grass! It's free and is a great way to make more compost, unless you have a mulching lawn mower. The latter returns the grass to the lawn as mulch (and not fresh straw), which will provide your lawn with 40% of the fertilizer it needs. Also avoid using in compost grass that has been sheared within a few days of applying pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
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Image Banana peel and other food scraps to cover with leaves and grass. Cover scraps of food with a layer of gardening debris if you want to compost it. It will serve to keep flies and animals away, as would a covered composter.
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Image Steam on a cold morning. While not a necessary condition, generally a compost heap that is decomposing properly will warm up enough. If you have mixed the materials well, you will find that it is very hot inside the pile, so much so that it could start generating steam on cold days. This is a good sign.
Warnings
- Do not compost the materials indicated above as per "never introduce" in the pile - they will, for one reason or another, completely ruin the compost and are absolutely unhealthy.
- Although composting of dog droppings is slowly becoming widespread, this should only be done under certain conditions and in compost containers approved by the local administration. In the United States and Mexico, collection in city parks is becoming quite widespread. However, the compost obtained should not be used near fruit plants or garden vegetables.
- If you intend to use miscellaneous herbs in the compost, be sure to dry them before adding them to the pile. If you don't, they may start growing in it.
