Composting

 

 

Kitchen and yard waste can be used to make rich organic material called compost. During the warm months of April to October you can add kitchen scraps, leaves, grass and stems to make compost. This will help reduce the amount of garbage you have and also help your soil. If you build or buy a compost unit, be sure to place it in a location that gets at least 4 or 6 hours of sun. This helps to keep the pile cooking. Also add water weekly if there hasn't been rain for a while. Keep a pail or large container with a lid under your kitchen sink to put scraps in daily. Old plastic barrels or bricks make easy open compost piles. Drill holes in the bottom and sides to allow air to circulate and water to drain. Stir the pile often with a pitchfork or shovel the mix the layers.

 

Add vegetable peels, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags, grass, leaves and a shovel full of soil each week. Layer the kitchen and yard waste. Weeds can go in too if they've not gone to seed. DO NOT ADD DAIRY, MEAT OR ANY KIND OF RINDS FROM ORANGES, LEMONS, BRANCHES, CORN COBS. THEY TAKE TOO LONG TO BREAK DOWN. ALSO AVOID ADDING ANY DISEASED LEAVES FROM PLANTS, ANIMAL DROPPINGS OR POISONOUS LEAVES LIKE RHUBARB.

If you want to speed up the process add some manure to the layers. If the pile dries out it will stop cooking. Turn the pile or use a broom handle to poke some air holes. This will help you add moisture. If your pile is too wet (like muck) add more dry ingredients like grass, hay and straw. In spring dig out your compost from the previous year and spread it onto gardens. You don't have to mix it because the worms will do that for you.