How To Make Compost

Black Gold For Your Plants

Once you learn how to make compost, you (and your plants) will quickly see how it's not only good for the environment, but also GREAT for your plants!

Compost is the most powerful substance in gardening!

You can make it yourself- For FREE

It improves the nutrient content of all soils.

It improves drainage in Clay soil, and helps retain moisture in sandy soils.

This attractive Compost Bin turns trash into fertilizer in as little as 2 weeks!

You can make your own natural fertilizer (compost) from materials you have (and now throw away).

If money allows,you could invest in a compost tumbler, easy to use, easy to turn, it makes great compost.

Or, you can build one yourself using some chicken wire and a few 2x4's.

Everyone has kitchen compost that gets thrown down the disposal or in the trash. Treat your plants to this natural fertilizer and watch them thrive!

Materials To Use

The recipe for compost involves using Two different materials. "Brown (or) Dry" materials for Carbon

and

"Green (or) Wet" materials for Nitrogen.

As you learn how to make compost, you'll learn that : You use Two parts Brown (or) Woody materials to One part Green, soft material

Brown Materials include:

Dead leaves (shredded is better) (run over with lawnmower)

Wood Chips (not to many)

Paper (shredded if you can, breaks down faster, only black print from newspaper, no glossy paper)

Cardboard (shredded or torn into smaller pieces if possible)

Plant Debris

Sawdust (add in light layers so it doesn't clumb together)

Wood ash ((use in layers to avoid clumping)

Dust from Vacum cleaner

Lint from Dryer

Hair trimmings

shredded woolen or cotton cloth

Green Materials include:

Grass clippings (use in thin layers)

Kitchen scraps Vegetable scaps,

Coffee Grounds (filters o.k.)

Pond Sludge

Tea Bags ( bagged or unbagged)

Egg Shells (crushed)

Manure (use rotted) (good activator)

Green Comfrey leaves (good activator)

Things to Avoid:

pesticide-treated or disease plants

weeds with seed heads

Bones

Dairy products

Human or pet waste

Lets Get Started:

How to make Compost

#1) Start your compost on bare earth. This allows worms to aerate the pile as it builds.

#2) Use Straw or twigs next,making a layer a few inches deep.

#3) Now add some Manure if you have it.

Keep adding things in thin layers, alternating "Green" and "Brown' materials. This avoids clumping in the pile, and lets it break down faster.

After the additions of kitchen scraps, throw on a few handfuls of garden soil. This covers the scraps, to deter animals. The garden soil will also help to mask odors. Micro-organisms in the soil help aerate the process. When ever you add kitchen scraps, you can add a few handfuls of soil.

You have to keep the pile moist, so water it if there isn't much rain.

You also should turn the pile every few weeks, with a pitch fork or shovel, to ensure it gets the oxygen needed for the material to compost.

To help eliminate less "turning" be sure to mix in penty of coarse material like straw when you build a compost pile.

If " Turning the Pile " doesn't appeal to you, you should think about

Worm Composting

A great project for the kids :

Learn how to make compost with Red worms.

This type of composting requires little attention or effort on your part. (The worms do all the work!)

Learn More about Vermicomposting

EM Compost Container for Kitchen Composting

If you Just can't waite for your own compost: You can purchase some -Ready-Made- fromGardens Alive!

This all Organic product company has some amazing stuff! and some amazing deals going on!



If you want more information in the form of an E-book,use this link Compost for a downloadable E-Book by Thomas, Kenneth Evans, published by Dorling Kindersley. This 192 page illistrated book, tells you how to make it, and how to use it in your garden.

Looking for books to guide you?