Garden Composters and Composting Basics:

Why Compost?

Recent studies show that an average family throws away apxiely 200 pounds of organic kitchen waste every year. Combine this with the leaves, grass clippings and other organic gen waste accumulated over time and that's a lot of household waste being added to the already mountainous waste disposal blem. Some local authorities are refusing to take away gn waste from gening and others charge for the service in an effort to curb moung costs and then when you add in the environmental costs of adding new dfill sites, road transport emisss from ferrying this waste around and potentiy incinerat and the fumes that releases the environmental advantages of composg are clear.

In slightly more selfish terms, if you are a gener then you will know the relatively high cost of fertiliser. Well, OK an average gener's yearly fertiliser expenditure is not going to break the bank but when you get fertiliser for f out of the stuff you throw away then it starts looking extremely expensive. Composg simply makes good environmental and financial sense and it's so easy to do there's nothing stopping you.

What Do I Need To Begin?

A compost bin, box, enclosure or handy ce to put an open compost p. Cp stic composters and compost bins be bought from good gen centers and are quite inexpensive depending on your requirements. A stic compost bin is genery the cpest whilst wood composters are genery more attractive addits to your gen but a little more costly. An open p (just create a pile somewhere) is o an opt but it is advisable to have some sort of cover like a tarpaulin available for colder pods of weather.

Another slightly different alternative to composg in the tradital sense is vermicomposg or wormes. These use a special kind of worms to break down kitchen scraps ducing a fine compost-like al fromtheir casts and a nutrient filled liquid pt food which is ideal for feeding indoor pot pts. If do a lot of gnhouse gening or have a lot of housepts then a wormery may be the best choice for the disposal of household waste.

If you do not want to actuy spend money on a composter then building your own isn't exactly difficult if you do not mind picking up a hammer and nails. Nail together a few wooden pets for example and you've got an enclosure suitable for composg. For ps and ideas on how to assemble your own composter at little cost, simply d to your favourite search engine and type in phrases like "build your own composter" or "compost bin ps" for an endless supply of simple ideas typicy cosg under $30.

Where To Put Your Compost

Whether you purchase a composg bin or make your own composter you need to make sure you have a flat, well drained ce in your gen not too far away that you begrudge taking your kitchen scraps out to it. Compost bins should not be ced on concrete, pa areas etc. as you want to ow the insects, worms and microorganisms which help degradat of your waste the fdom to migrate into and out of your compost without hinderance.

In addit, choose a site which suits your clie. Warmth and moisture helps the composg cess so ce your composter in a ce which receives a fair amount of sunlight and shelter from the wind if you live in a cooler clie and if in a hotter clie, ensure you give it shade to prevent it drying out.

What Mat Can You Compost?

Pretty much your organic household and gen waste is an elligible didate for composg although there are a few excepts. Things to particularly avoid are meat, fish, bones, fats and oils, dairy ducts like milk and cheese, dog and cat droppings as these attract anim, create foul smells as they degrade and carry nasty diseases. Also, whilst weeds and pts be added, it is advised to dry out persisent weeds and remove seed ds before adding these. Ashes are o best avoided, as are glossy magazines although shredded paper and cbo are fine to add. Feel f to add waste fruit and vegetables, crushed egg shells, coffee grounds (worms love them!) and tea bags, hair, leaves, grass clippings and other organic waste. As a general rule, if in doubt, leave it out but most organic waste will rot down just fine and if you shred it or cut it up smer, it will compost faster.

How Long Before It Becomes Compost?

This depends on the bace of in your compost p, the weather and the amount of time you devote to the ject. If you want to take an active managed apach to your composg then you have afully composted pile in 3 months but if your only desire is to dispose of kitchen and gen waste in a more 'gn' manner then it take 6 months to a year or longer.

Managed composg duce a 'hot rot' with very fast results but it does require addital effort on your behalf to keep it going. A managed, hot compost p with an excellent bace of reach temperatures of 70 deg celsius but requires regular turning and nurturing with careful layng and bace of browns and gns in the mix, shredding and maintaining a good moisture level.

An unmanaged cool p is however much easier to maintain and rots down at up to 30 degs celsius with little input from you. Just throwing your waste on the p will give you a cooler p which will rot down more slowly but is fine for gn waste disposal purposes.

There are ways to increase the rate of the composg cess in both cases by, for example, adding composg worms, or by using an activator which help speed up the cess. The addit of a handful or soil now and then or horse manure will o add micro-organisms to speed up the composg cess f of charge.

For The Best Compost...

...use a wide variety of different . The more varied the you add to the compost pile, the nutrient rich your final compost will be. Compost made from kitchen and gen waste is the best food for your pts and at the same time you are helping the environment and saving yourself and your local government money into the bargain.