Mindzle

Posts Tagged ‘Compost’

6 Must-Know Composting Tips to Get You Started
By Henry Allpas

Managing an efficient compost pile is an art. You will run into problems sooner or later on your road to becoming a composting extraordinaire. The following is a list of 6 tips that every good composter should know.

1. Keep a close eye on the temperature of your compost pile; it should be warm, but not hot. Try to maintain the temperature between 40 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. On the rare occasion a compost pile can become so hot that it can spontaneously combust. On the other hand, if the compost pile is too cold it will take forever for your compost to mature.
2. The moisture level of the is important. It should feel about as moist as a wrung-out sponge. If the compost is too dry add water and if it is too wet try to physically raise it (this should have been a consideration when you first built your compost pile) so that the excess liquid can drain out of the bottom
3. Cut up or shred anything you put into your pile for composting. This will increase the surface area of the fresh organic matter helping it to decompose more quickly
4. Aerate your compost pile 4 to 5 times each season. This prevents anaerobic decomposition which can produce toxic byproducts. You will know it is time to aerate when your composter starts to smell of ammonia
5. Keep the ratio of Greens to Browns at about 25:1. Greens are carbon-based organic matter and Browns are nitrogen-based organic matter.
6. Do not dump your fresh lawn clippings onto your compost pile. Instead spread the clippings over the pile and mix them under or spread the grass clippings on the lawn and let them dry before you add them to pile. If you do not do either of these the fresh, wet clippings will clump together and remove oxygen from the compost pile possibly leading to anaerobic decomposition which leads to toxic byproducts

If you want to learn more about composting toilets or just composting in general visit my website and join the movement to reduce, reuse and compost! http://www.bigsteamypile.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Henry_Allpas
http://EzineArticles.com/?6-Must-Know-Composting-Tips-to-Get-You-Started&id=1715797

Herbal Compost Activators
By Henry Allpas

You may have heard about herbal compost activators or perhaps you have not. Either way, they help your compost pile rapidly produce compost for you to use in your garden. If you find that your compost is taking forever to mature you can add some of the following to give it a jolt.

1. Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is rich in calcium, potassium, nitrogen and phosphates. Its leaves are hairy and they break down quickly. This provides a nutrient influx for the inhabitants of your compost heap.
2. Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) has the ability to attracts earthworms. Why? Who knows? But having earthworms in your compost pile helps your compost mature more quickly. After Earthworms eat the organic matter in your compost pile they leave their nutrient-rich castings which are great for your garden. The leaves of Valerian are also very nutrient rich.
3. Dandelions (Taraxacum sp) are rich in iron, copper and potash. All three of which are excellent for keeping your compost pile healthy. Not only that, but now you have a place to put those pesky dandelions when you pull them out of your lawn.
4. Yarrow (Achillea sp) has a big impact on your compost pile, even if you only add it in small amounts. It provides nitrates, phosphates, potash and copper.
5. Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) concentrates the potassium from the soil where it grows. When you add Tansy to your compost pile you are adding loads of potassium, which is great for your hard working worms and bacteria.

The great thing about herbal compost activators is that they are an all natural way of getting your compost pile steaming along at high efficiency. However, these plants cannot save your compost from everything. For example, if your compost pile is too cold then no matter how many herbal compost activators you add, it will not increase production until the temperature increases.

Composting is an art and there are lots of things you need to know to compost successfully, but once you have it it becomes a piece of cake. Learn more about composting, worm composting and the like on my website: http://www.bigsteamypile.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Henry_Allpas
http://EzineArticles.com/?Herbal-Compost-Activators&id=1722479

Winter Composting
By John Yazo

Composting is the recycling of organic waste. It can be from the household to yard and garden waste. When we are composting we are participating in a natural cycle, the same way that nature recycles in our forests, fields and meadows.

Worm composting or vermicomposting is a method of recycling food waste and other organic matter into a nutrient rich soil conditioner. Composting with worms doesn’t need allot of room to do and can be done outdoors, or even indoors in your house, garage or barn. This is a big advantage over the standard composting that is done it larger bins or piles in the yard because the quantities that are composted with worms can be done allot smaller.

The compost that is produced from worm composting is an excellent amendment that can be added to potting soil mix for household plants or just added as a layer of mulch in existing potted plants and container plantings.

The method of worm composting is fairly basic. There aren’t many supplies needed. To start worm composting you will need a container. The container size can vary depending on the amount of waste you have to compost. It can be as simple as a five gallon pail or you can make your own container. Building a container out of wood two foot by three foot is a sufficient size that should handle most household waste that most have. The container shouldn’t be any deeper than sixteen to eighteen inches deep and the bottom of the container needs to have holes in it about every eight inches apart for drainage. Bedding material is needed to create an environment for the worms to live, it will also hold the moisture that the worms need to survive. Compost makes an excellent bedding material to start with.

Once you have your container and bedding material you will need the last to most important parts, worms and food scraps. The worms that are best for composting aren’t your usual earth worms from your garden. They are called red worms or red wigglers. These worms can be purchased at bait shops, worm farms online or even some local garden centers carry them or may know where they can be purchased locally.

Now it is dinner time for the worms. The menu can be scrapes from fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, coffee filter paper, tea bags, crushed eggs, shredded paper without gloss finish, brown leaves, cardboard, and wood shavings. Kitchen scraps that are meat sources can also be used but keep them to a minimum because they can attract rodents. Start out slow, it takes a little time for the decomposition process to start and form the bacteria needed to produce a good nutrient rich compost.

A environment friendly and healthy way of gardening. Organic Gardening is away of gardening in harmony with nature. Growing a healthy and productive crop in a way that is healthier for both you and the environment.

John Yazo

http://www.organicheirloomgardening.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Yazo
http://EzineArticles.com/?Winter-Composting&id=1725896

The Secret of a Successful Worm Compost
By S W Allen

A solution has been discovered to one of the environmental problems and a lack of nutrition in the soil. This technique has been tested in the laboratory and has proven to be very useful.

Worm compost is the answer to many of today’s gardening problems. Some may have goosebumps at the thought of a multitude of worms in one place, the thought of a lot of worms can give a normal person the shivers.

They have been known to be very beneficial to the soil and the compost bin. It is really no surprise that they play a vital role in the whole composting process. The thought of worm composting may take a little getting used to, open your mind and consider the advantages of the worm composting technique.

Whether you decide to have your worm compost indoors or outdoors, you can have them in either or both areas. The good thing is that you will not have to sweat too much with your worm compost. They are very easy to transport and are non-complaining workers that will till your compost day in and day out, for relatively no charge. You only have to feed them to keep them in top condition.

Worms like damp areas, moisture is one of the easiest components of composting. If you are able to provide the moisture, you only have to wait and see until the worms do their wonders in helping you have more fertilized soil.

Worms are readily available and are not hard to find, in some areas you need not look very hard at all. You only have to get a jar and focus your eyes while walking in the garden. They will be very content to be in an enclosed place rich with food.

For further information visit my blog

S W Allen

Kitchen Compost Blog

http://www.kitchencompost.info/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=S_W_Allen
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Secret-of-a-Successful-Worm-Compost&id=1734601

Little Known Ways to Kitchen Compost
By S W Allen

When starting a compost program you will not have to look very far to find an abundant source of material. The good thing about composting is there is a wide variety of items that you can use from the entire household. The best way is to categorize the entire household into composting material candidates. This will help you sort out which part of your home has the best resource for your composting project.

Vegetables that have been burned by the freezer can still be put to good use in your kitchen compost program. food that has been in the freezer is also easier for worms to digest. Worms are a very important part of composting. They will eat most of the material that you will put in a compost pile and produce worm casting, a very beneficial product for plants.

Paper napkins, paper towels, old newspaper all good for the compost pile. Make sure they use a soy based ink as lead based ink is not good for a compost pile. Tear up the paper into strips as this will help in the break down process. If you have a way to shred paper that will help also.

The backyard garden is also a very rich place to find composting material. Organic material such as pine needles, leaves, herbs, chicken manure the list goes on and on. All you have to do is acquire some observant eye and a huge bag with which you can store the various discoveries you can find in your garden or backyard.

For more information visit my blog

S W Allen

Kitchen Compost Blog

http://www.kitchencompost.info/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=S_W_Allen
http://EzineArticles.com/?Little-Known-Ways-to-Kitchen-Compost&id=1740255