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How To Make Compos1

This document provides instructions for how to make compost at home. There are two main types of composting: cold composting, which is simply collecting organic materials in a pile and letting them decompose over 1-2 years, and hot composting, which uses specific ingredients like nitrogen, carbon, air and water to speed up the decomposition process to 1-3 months. The instructions explain that to make compost you need to combine green, nitrogen-rich materials like food scraps with brown, carbon-rich materials like dried leaves. You then regularly water and aerate the pile to encourage microorganisms to break everything down into compost. When the compost is dark and crumbly it is ready to

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ronalit malintad
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48 views

How To Make Compos1

This document provides instructions for how to make compost at home. There are two main types of composting: cold composting, which is simply collecting organic materials in a pile and letting them decompose over 1-2 years, and hot composting, which uses specific ingredients like nitrogen, carbon, air and water to speed up the decomposition process to 1-3 months. The instructions explain that to make compost you need to combine green, nitrogen-rich materials like food scraps with brown, carbon-rich materials like dried leaves. You then regularly water and aerate the pile to encourage microorganisms to break everything down into compost. When the compost is dark and crumbly it is ready to

Uploaded by

ronalit malintad
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How to Make Compost

Compost is the gift that keeps on giving. Cut back on food waste
and turn your scraps into "black gold" that will feed and enrich your
garden.
By BH&G Garden Editors 
Updated
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Some common misconceptions of home composting are that it's too


complicated, it'll smell funny, and it's messy. These are all true if
you compost the wrong way. Composting the right way is a very
simple approach: Simply layer organic materials and a dash of soil
to create a concoction that turns into humus (the best soil builder
around!). You can then improve your flower garden with compost,
top dress your lawn, feed your growing veggies, and more. With
these simple steps on how to compost, you'll have all of the
bragging rights of a pro!
Types of Composting
Before you start piling on, recognize that there are two types of
composting: cold and hot. Cold composting is as simple as collecting
yard waste or taking out the organic materials in your trash (such as
fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds and filters, and eggshells)
and then corralling them in a pile or bin. Over the course of a year
or so, the material will decompose.
Hot composting is for the more serious gardener but a faster
process—you'll get compost in one to three months during warm
weather. Four ingredients are required for fast-cooking hot compost:
nitrogen, carbon, air, and water. Together, these items feed
microorganisms, which speed up the process of decay. In spring or
fall when garden waste is plentiful, you can mix one big batch of
compost and then start a second one while the first "cooks."

Related: How to Build a Compost Bin

Vermicompost is made via worm composting. When worms eat your


food scraps, they release castings, which are rich in nitrogen. You
can't use just any old worms for this, however—you need redworms
(also called "red wigglers"). Worms for composting can be
purchased inexpensively online or at a garden supplier.
What to Compost
Composting is a great way to use the things in your refrigerator that
you didn't get to, therefore eliminating waste. Keeping a container
in your kitchen, like this chicwhite ceramic compost bucket from
World Market, is an easy way to accumulate your composting
materials. If you don't want to buy one, you can make your
ownindoor or outdoor homemade compost bin. Collect these
materials to start off your compost pile right:
 Fruit scraps

 Vegetable scraps

 Coffee grounds

 Eggshells

 Grass and plant clippings

 Dry leaves

 Finely chopped wood and bark chips

 Shredded newspaper

 Straw

 Sawdust from untreated wood

Editor's Tip: Think twice before adding onions and garlic to your


homemade compost pile. It is believed that these vegetables repel
earthworms, which are a vital part of your garden.

What NOT to Compost


Not only will these items not work as well in your garden, but they
can make your compost smell and attract animals and pests. Avoid
these items for a successful compost pile:

 Anything containing meat, oil, fat, or grease

 Diseased plant materials

 Sawdust or chips from pressure-treated wood

 Dog or cat feces


 Weeds that go to seed

 Dairy products

Step 1: Combine Green and Brown


Materials
To make your own hot-compost heap, wait until you have enough
materials to make a pile at least 3 feet deep. You are going to want
to combine your wet, green items with your dry, brown items.
"Brown" materials include dried plant materials; fallen leaves;
shredded tree branches, cardboard, or newspaper; hay or straw; and
wood shavings, which add carbon. "Green" materials include kitchen
scraps and coffee grounds, animal manures (not from dogs or cats),
and fresh plant and grass trimmings, which add nitrogen. For best
results, start building your compost pile by mixing three parts brown
with one part green materials.  If your compost pile looks too wet
and smells, add more brown items or aerate more often. If you see it
looks extremely brown and dry, add green items and water to make
it slightly moist.
Step 2: Water Your Pile
Sprinkle water over the pile regularly so it has the consistency of a
damp sponge. Don't add too much water, otherwise, the
microorganisms in your pile will become waterlogged and drown. If
this happens, your pile will rot instead of compost. Monitor the
temperature of your pile with a thermometer to be sure the
materials are properly decomposing. Or, simply reach into the
middle of the pile with your hand. Your compost pile should feel
warm.
Step 3: Stir Up Your Pile
During the growing season, you should provide the pile with oxygen
by turning it once a week with a garden fork. The best time to turn
the compost is when the center of the pile feels warm or when a
thermometer reads between 130 and 150 degrees F. Stirring up the
pile will help it cook faster and prevents material from becoming
matted down and developing an odor. At this point, the layers have
served their purpose of creating equal amounts of green and brown
materials throughout the pile, so stir thoroughly.

Editor's Tip: In addition to aerating regularly, chop and shred raw


ingredients into smaller sizes to speed up the composting process.
Step 4: Feed Your Garden
When the compost no longer gives off heat and becomes dry,
brown, and crumbly, it's fully cooked and ready to feed to the
garden. Add about 4 to 6 inches of compost to your flower beds and
into your pots at the beginning of each planting season.

Some gardeners make what's known as compost tea with some of


their finished compost. This involves allowing fully formed compost
to "steep" in water for several days, then straining it to use as a
homemade liquid fertilizer.

Every gardener is different, so it's up to you to decide which


composting method best fits your lifestyle. Fortunately, no matter
which route you choose, compost is incredibly easy and
environmentally friendly. Plus, it's a treat for your garden. With just
a few kitchen scraps and some patience, you'll have the happiest
garden possible.

https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/compost/how-to-compost/

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