Once in a year all our gardens and yards need maintenance to generate plenty of residues like twigs, branches, leaves, and dead plants. There are numerous ways that gardeners get rid of these residues, you could either compost it or burn it. It depends where you are located and I always feel that burning is never a good solution because the community ordinances as well as it involves risks to life and property. Also, most of the time the residue is green or wet and not good to burn. The best option that you could go in for is compost the entire pile and allow nature to take its course. Composting must be done in the right way it’s not just about gathering a heap of yard waste. It must have a good balance of greens and Browns to effectively compost. There are also certain measures and steps that you would have to take in order to receive nutrient-rich compost which is also most famously known as black gold. So, let’s take a quick look at a couple of things that you must consider to do and some to avoid let’s begin;
Compost do’s
- Be sure to add garden and yard waste along with other organic matter to the pile that could include; shrub pruning, shred trees, sawdust, hay, straw, grass clippings, and leaves.
- Create a pile in various layers of 4-6 inches layers of numerous plant materials with an inch of soil or leftover compose from your last batch. It should be added between each layer.
- Have a balanced combination of brown and green materials. Brown materials have carbon and green materials have nitrogen. Both the materials are vital for microbes to break down all the organic matter.
- Cut all shred large material prior to adding them into the pile they could include newspaper, twigs, and branches. Always remember that materials will always decompose quicker.
- Make sure to Add all the food scraps that could include melon rinds, orange peels, banana peels, apple cores, etc. You may also add eggshells, used coffee filters, and coffee grounds to the pile
- Be sure to turn the pile once in a couple of days. This increases the airflow within the bin adding to rapid decomposition.
- If the pile seems dry add water however, make sure that the materials are not soggy
- You must also have plenty of patience, it could take anywhere between 2-4 months before you get nutrient-rich compost.
Compost don’ts
- Don’t make a pile that is very small or very big, the ideal size for this is 5 feet.
- Don’t add dairy products, whole eggs, grease, bones, or meat scraps to the pile. These products attract rodents due to the odor and they also decompose very slowly.
- Do not add your pet waste or even the used cat litter
- Don’t add plant materials that are diseased or even weeds that may have seeds. They contain organisms or even seeds that are not easily destroyed contaminating the garden soil and your plants as well
- Don’t think of compost as fertilizer substitute as they are used as supplements. Compost releases plenty of nutrients that are released slowly into the soil supplying good nutrients to the plants as and when they require.
That’s all for now guys and I do hope that the do’s and don’ts on this list will help you to successfully compost and utilize them responsibly. All the best!