Planning to compost at home? But you don’t quite know how composting works? The truth is, composting can be a great way to recycle food and garden waste. You can read more from here: Composting. It helps the environment and gives you rich soil for your garden. This is what this article will cover — it is going to be a beginner’s guide on how to start composting at home. Let’s define composting, shall we?
What is Composting?
You can think of composting as when you break down food scraps and leaves, and you put them into a dark, crumbly substance — that dark substance is what is called compost. It is the process of breaking down organic materials. Compost contains nutrients that can be used to improve soil in your gardens and pots.
Why Compost?
- Reduces Waste: When you compost, you reduce waste. Composting keeps food scraps and garden waste out of landfills.
- Improves Soil: Compost can be useful to soil — in what way? It adds nutrients to the soil. This, in turn, helps plants grow better.
- Saves Money: You can save money when you reduce the need for chemical fertilisers by using compost.
- Helps the Environment: Composting reduces greenhouse gases and helps the planet.
What Can You Compost?
Can you compost foods or organic materials? You can compost many types of organic materials. These are some common items you can compost:
- Green Materials (Nitrogen-Rich): You can compost fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and filters, and tea bags — but make sure your tea bags are compostable. You can also compost grass clippings, fresh leaves and eggshells.
- Brown Materials (Carbon-Rich): You can compost dry leaves, straw or hay, shredded paper — make sure your paper is not glossy. What about cardboard and wood chips or sawdust? You can compost cardboard and sawdust, but ensure your cardboard is shredded.
What Are the Items You Shouldn’t Compost?
Do you know there are items that should never go in your compost pile? What are they?
Meat and fish scraps, dairy products (like cheese and milk), and oily foods shouldn’t be composted. Pet waste, weeds with seeds, and diseased plants also should not go into compost.
How Can You Start Composting?
There are many ways to start composting at home. Let me tell you about the ways and methods you can choose from.
- Compost Bin Method: You can buy a compost bin or make one from wood or wire. This keeps your compost contained and tidy. Your compost bin can be in the form of a compost pile — this is when you create a compost pile in your garden. It can be a space where you stack materials. What about a compost tumbler? It is another form of compost bin — this is when you get a container that you can turn like a tumbler, where you can mix the compost easily.
- Find a Good Location: Can you just use any location? The location or spot you choose for your compost bin or pile is very important. What should the location be like? It should be well-drained. Avoid areas that get too wet. Choose a spot that has sunlight, because it helps to speed up the composting process. The last one here is that it should be accessible — ensure you can easily add materials and turn the compost.
- Start Layering: This is how to layer. You can begin by adding a mix of green and brown materials. A good rule of thumb is to use three parts brown materials to one part green materials.
- Maintain Your Compost:To make good compost, you need to take care of it. And to take care of your home compost pile is to turn the pile every few weeks. Your compost should be moist but not too wet. If it’s too dry, add some water. If it’s too wet, add more brown materials.
If your compost is working well, it will be warm at the bottom — this means the temperature is good. Compost generates heat as it breaks down.
- Know When It’s Ready:
How do you know if your compost is ready? This is how to know — when it looks dark and crumbly, and when you can’t recognise the original materials. For compost to be ready, it usually takes a few months to a year. It depends on the conditions. You can tell it’s ready when it smells earthy — not bad — and when you touch it, it feels cool to the touch.
How To Use Your Compost When It’s Ready
You can use your compost in many ways:
Garden Soil: Do you have a garden? This is how you can use compost. You can mix compost into your garden soil — this will help to improve its quality.
Potted Plants: What about potted plants? Can compost be used on them? You can add your compost to pots — this can help your plants and keep them healthy.
Mulch: What is mulch all about, and how can you use compost when it's ready? You can do this by spreading your compost on top of your soil. This can help to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
Conclusion
This is a quick question for you: Do you still wish to compost at home? Composting at home is very simple and rewarding, as you can see for yourself. It is a way to help the environment and improve your garden. When you follow these steps, you can also create compost. It can be created when you use your kitchen scraps and garden waste. It is important to be patient, as composting takes time. But even though it takes time, it can benefit your home.
