Compost is something found from nature and can be obtained with a small amount of effort. Plants thrive on compost to remain healthy and grow, compost being a soil amendment that improves fertility and water-holding capacity.

Compost provides food for the microorganisms that help keep soil balanced and encourage healthy root development in plants, it being a good natural mulch to add to your garden. It is a good way to help the environment using its own products, helps reduce overflowing landfills and is a good way to manage household waste.

Over the years, composting has turned into something more than just a decomposing of food, it has become a science- and there are endless books and instructions on how to layer, what temperature it should be at, telling you to buy a compost starter and a tool for aerating the pile. But the truth is, it doesn’t matter what you buy, compost will be produced the best if you work with the environment. All good compost takes is a bit of time and management.

What exactly is Compost?

Compost is a combination of decomposed carbon rich materials (such as leaves) and nitrogen materials (such as food scraps). The result of this is from feeding the different organisms that live in the soil such as insects, bacteria, earthworms and fungi. To get the best compost, you need a mixture of carbon-rich materials, which are referred to as browns and nitrogen-rich materials, referred to as greens. A combination of heat, air and moisture will also speed up the composting process.

Choosing a Site-
For the best compost, set the pile on bare ground in a flat area, and ensure it has good drainage. Earthworms migrate into soil and won’t be able to if the compost bin sits on concrete or asphalt. Place it in a spot that doesn’t ruin the look of your garden, and is close to your home. Keeping the compost pile in a sunny area will help it decompose faster.

Creating an Enclosure-
In theory, you don’t really need a big enclosure to make compost- it will happen without one. But it will work better and be easier to manage in an enclosure. You can purchase pre-made compost bins or you can enclose your compost pile with three-sided wood, fencing or cement blocks.

If you are going to make one, ensure you leave opening in the walls for air. A bin no larger than 4′x4′x4’- this is the standard bin recommendation. If you have room in your yard, set up a second bin for more convenience.

Related posts:

1. How to compost Composts are not only great for creating your own soil...
2. Guide To Composting Composting our daily kitchen and garden waste is a good...
3. DIY Composting Compost is a version of humus found in soil. The...
4. Organic Gardening- Caring for your lawn Gardening is something many of us take great pride in....
5. Vegetable Gardening Basics Although it is not extremely hard to plant vegetables, the...