Any garden will benefit from nutrients being added to the soil. One of the most popular and beneficial things to add is compost. It is readily available in all garden and most hardware shops too. It is, however, very easy and less expensive to make your own.
As we have just come through winter, our gardens will be full of leaves and off-cuts from winter pruning. Instead of packing them into plastic bags and carting them off to the dump, you can put them to good use by using them to make your own compost. Composting is a great way of recycling, and homemade compost is the best and most inexpensive kind of fertiliser for your garden!
Very basically described, composting comprises the collection of organic material in a container or pile, and ensuring that it is damp by watering it regularly. Once in a while, the pile will need to be turned in order for the beneficial bacteria to thrive. This creates a high heat that eventually breaks down the organic materials into a dark, rich, soil-like product called compost, which will boast a pleasant earthy smell. To make your own compost, you will need three ingredients: green material, brown material and water.
Green material
Green materials are high in nitrogen and generally comprise things from the kitchen – such as old tea bags, coffee grounds, eggshells and any off-cuts from fruits and vegetables. Basically, anything from the kitchen that is not meat or in any way greasy can be composted. No dog and cat waste can be composted. Grass cuttings, leaves and weeds are also considered to be green materials.
Brown material
Brown materials consist of small branches, twigs, sawdust and even paper. The smaller the branches and twigs are, the quicker the process will take as they will be easier to break down into compost. If you have cut down some larger branches, it is highly recommended that you rent a wood chipper from your local tool hire shop to break the branches down into small pieces. The wood chipper will quickly and easily reduce your branches into a compost friendly pile of wood chips, or alternatively, you can also use these as mulch for your flower beds. All of this brown material is very high in carbon, which, together with nitrogen, causes the composting to happen.
Water
Water is the last and most important part of a thriving compost pile – without water, the pile will take months to do anything and if the weather is very dry, it could just lie there and nothing at all will come of it. Be sure not to over-water the pile, as this will cause it to become slimy and smelly as the ratio of bad bacteria will outweigh that of the good bacteria. If you do not have enough rain in your area, just wet the pile about once a week with about a bucket of water. This will keep the process going.
To test and see that the process is working well, you can put your hand into the compost – if it is hot, you will know that everything is going according to plan. The heat is essential, as it kills off any weed seeds and any bad diseases there may be in the mix. Make sure you have good access to your pile, because every week, you will need to turn the pile inside out to ensure that the process gets to every section of the pile. If the pile heats up gets enough water and is turned regularly the compost should be ready to use within six weeks.
How and where to use the compost
In spring, before planting in the flower beds, mix a good helping of compost in with the soil. This will make the soil rich in nutrients for the seedlings and any other plants that are planted. Very often, you will notice that the soil around the plants in the pots seems to have subsided – use the compost to fill these pots up, as each time you water the pots, the nutrients will be carried through to the plants’ roots. - Antonella Dési
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