Composting
Composting is turning organic materials into a usable and nutrient-rich fertilizer for your plants. Composting not only helps the plants in your garden but also helps the environment by minimizing waste and greenhouse gases.
Did you know that evidence of composting goes way back to the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans? Those are some of the people who built the pyramids, the Colosseum, and the Parthenon!
General Tips
Water means that you will have to moisten the compost once a week to help the microorganisms survive and thrive while maintaining good thermal temperature in the compost.
Air helps the microorganisms survive while helping maintain an even spread of the different materials throughout the compost. Mix the compost once a week to help keep good air balance!
Composting can be done in your backyard with just four main points to keep in mind: Browns, Greens, Water, and Air. These four items need to be in balance in order to make the best compost.
Browns stands for carbon-rich materials, including fallen leaves, straws (not the plastic ones you drink from), chopped wood prunings, pine needles, untreated wood, etc.
Greens stand for nitrogen-rich materials like fruit and vegetable trimmings, weeds without seed heads, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, etc.
Make sure all pieces in the compost bin are six inches or smaller, or else it will be hard for the microorganisms to break down.
When putting greens into the compost bin, make sure to top it with browns. This will distract pests and animals from the compost bin!
Your compost will be ready in 3 - 8 months! It will smell earthy and will shrink by 30-50 percent. The texture will be dark like rich soil and it will be unrecognizable from the start of your composting journey!
References: Unsplash, StopWaste