Making your own compost at home holds so many benefits. Not only is it great for your plants and garden, but it is also a great sustainable way to produce less waste. It is very easy to make and I will be going through some tips and tricks to help make a super beneficial compost right at home!
What are the benefits of composing?
- Recycles kitchen and yard waste
- Reduces landfill waste, by turning that waste into reusable materials
- It is great for your soil and has many benefits for your plants
- It is a great alternative to using chemicals in your garden
What can I use to make compost?
To make a good compost bin it should include carbon rich matter and nitrogen rich matter and there should be more carbon matter than nitrogen matter.
Carbon rich matter:
- Coffee grounds
- Egg shells
- Dry leaves
- Small pieces of wood
- Paper bags
Nitrogen rich matter:
- Fruit scraps
- Vegetable scraps
- Grass clippings
- leaves
How do I make compost?
- Either start your compost on the ground or in a compost bin. Starting it on the ground allows for beneficial organisms to add to the compost, but a bin helps it stay neat and tidy.
- Start with a layer of twigs first which will allow for drainage and aeration.
- Start adding compost materials. Alternate dry and wet materials, for instance food scraps and then dry leaves.
- Adding a green manure like grass clippings will help activate your compost. Do not add pet manure to compost that will be used on food crops.
- Keep collecting your food scraps, you can create a bin in your kitchen that will be used for food scraps for your compost. Do not add meat bones, or fish skins; they will attract bugs and other pests. As well, be aware of food scraps like banana peels which might have had pesticides used on them.
- Continue adding layers of carbon rich matter and then nitrogen rich matter and your bin will start to decompose over time.
- Make sure to cover your compost because it will ensure that it does not get over watered by rain and it will retain moisture and heat.
- Mix your compost every few weeks using a shovel, and this will help aerate your compost.
After about 6 months your compost will be ready and it should look dark and crumbly. You can then remove the finished compost and use it on your garden and leave the rest to continue decomposing.
