How to Compose at Home
Perhaps the most important thing you can do for your garden is feed it with nutrient-rich compost. This mix of decaying vegetable matter, grass clippings, and leaves may not be glamorous, but it improves soil structure and provides the nutrients your plants need to thrive. And it’s easy to create your own compost in your backyard or patio, at little or no cost.
Use the steps below as a guideline for how to compost.
1.) Select a site for your pile or bin. To keep your neighbors happy, consider a discreet location. You’ll also want to locate a spot with good airflow, access to water and partial shade in the summer (to keep the pile from getting too hot), but good sun in the winter (to keep the pile warm).
2.) Choose a bin. You can purchase a composter or make your own. Rotating bins make turning your treasure easy and keeps animals out, but it is easy to make a workable bin on your own.
3.) Add materials. Not everything can go into the compost bin; read on to find out what can and cannot be composted.
|
Yes! |
No! |
|
Vegetable scraps |
Meat or animal products (bones, fish, eggs, butter, yogurt etc.) |
4.) Monitor temperature, aeration, moisture and carbon to nitrogen ratio for optimum levels. The easiest way to test your compost’s temperature is to stick your hand in the center of the pile. If it is hot or warm — good job. Composting works best with 40-60% moisture content. More on monitoring compost moisture here. For perfect compost, maintain a C:N ratio of 25 to 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen. Use a compost aerator or pitchfork to mix your pile. If you are using a compost tumbler, you’ve got it easy. Just crank that lever. Efficient decomposition can only occur if sufficient oxygen is present.
5.) Mix rich, earthy compost into garden soil, or pile on top of the soil as mulch.
If you do not have space for an outdoor compost pile, you can compost materials indoors using The Ecofairy Home Composter Machine. This composter machine has a daily capacity of 11lbs, perfect for residential use and turning food waste into compost in 24 hours. This helps users divert food waste from the landfill, reduce the amount of methane gas generated from organic waste, decrease carbon emissions and one’s carbon footprint.
At The EcoFairy, our goal is to help you build a more sustainable life by offering you a line of reusable products. We offer products that last and that will help you reduce the amount of plastic you use.
More info on our website: https://www.theecofairy.com