Compost...a MUST!

COMPOST

COMPOST...or as I like to call it BLACK GOLD! If you wanna have the best garden, the number one advice I can give you is COMPOST! Rich, dark, organic, nutrient fertilizer! At first that description sounded a little umm....nevermind! 😀 A well rotted compost will give your plants nitrogen, phoshorus, and potassium. It has a ton of micronutrients and trace minerals. Compost regulates PH, improves texture, moisture, and has microbes. What are microbes? I have no idea! I'm not a scientist. Something about plant roots.👍

The best part is it's slow releasing. You can use as much as you want! It's organic and gentle enough to put it on EVERYTHING....plants I mean!

WHY?

OK, here comes the soap box! Other than what I mentioned above(IT'S GARDENING GOLD), food waste, yard scrapes, and biodegradable materials are filling up landfills. Yea, so what? According to The Washington Post, food waste that decomposes in landfills causes methane gas. Methane gas is 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. 

Composting food waste and other materials will save you trips to take the trash out! LESS STINKY GARBAGE CANS! You also won't be wasting the resources that went into making your food to the landfill but be putting it back into the food cycle.

HOW?

The most nutrient rich compost comes from a variety of waste materials. A wider range of ingredients means richer compost. Composts need both green and brown waste materials. Green materials would be food scraps, grass clippings, manure 💩, and so on. Brown materials include newspaper, leaves, straw, saw dust, etc. 

WAYS TO DO IT

Worm composting....YEA, I CAN'T HELP YOU HERE! You could do research to find out about this. Or watch this helpful video https://www.planetnatural.com/worm-composting/ My composting is simple and has TONS of worms!

Open bile or pile...THIS IS FOR ME! Find a space in your garden where you can put a heap or pile of compost. I have a triangular wire fenced corner. It's not the prettiest since having to secure it many times with cinder blocks thanks to our personal garbage disposal...the family labrador! But, it's out of sight mostly and a place I just throw materials. 

Just a side, after years of having it I am surprised to say, IT DOES NOT SMELL BAD! The odor is earthy, and smells like dirt.

I mix the materials once on a while. Water it every so often...not very often 😆, and let it rot.  I use the most decomposed compost at the bottom and add it to my beds. The warmer and more humid it is, the faster it breaks down.

Closed bin...I have never used this either. I hear it's great but have never tried it. My husband for years has wanted to buy me a tumbler but I like my lazy way. It works and gets lots of ventilation. I let nature do it's thing.

MATERIALS

What I compost...All vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, newspaper, tea bags, paper bags, chicken manure, guinea pig bedding, shredded documents, Fall leaves, grass clippings without seeds, plants that are finished with their growing season without seeds and aren't too twiggy, and a little bit of fire pit ash.

What I don't compost...No meat! No mold! No weeds! No diseased plants! No Dairy! No Chemicals! And I don't want to say but ya never know, feces from humans, cats, or dogs! 

MY BEST COMPOSTERS....CHICKENS!

I have 7 laying hens. They are the best composters I have! They eat most of our family's scraps. You name it I bet they eat it. Meat..no problem! Egg shells, you bet! They even eat CHICKEN. A little cannibalistic but they have little brains and don't mind. I use their droppings and put it right into my compost. BUT, this needs time to break down. Fresh chicken manure can burn plants and roots. Give it time to break down before putting in beds. And as always be mindful of bacteria and pathogens, use gloves and wash your hands when handling.

Summary

Composting is so easy! The benefits will improve your soil,  improve your plants, create less garbage pick up and most importantly is good for the environment. I'd love to hear about your successes!