If you are wondering how do you make compost, you are not alone. A lot of people are finding composting to be an enjoyable hobby and also a great way to recycle. There are many different ways to make compost and find out which way works best for you might just take some time and trial and error. Creating your own compost pile is easy and doesn’t require any special equipment or ingredients. You might even have everything you need right in your kitchen.
What you’ll need for composting depends on what type of organic material you are compacting. If you are just trying out making compost from dry leaves and grass clippings you will not need any special ingredients. Simply buy a compost tumbler and mix in dry leaves and grass clippings. Adding some bone meal, eggshell, or worm castings will help make the pile more effective. Other beneficial ingredients include sawdust, straw, or alfalfa hay.
If you are wondering how do you make compost from kitchen waste, this is usually easier than turning lawn trimmings or turning backyard weeds. Usually, all you need is a cup of kitchen waste (apples, oranges, and carrots work well) and a spade (a garden tool with a trowel attachment). Dig a hole where you will be storing your compost, put in the material, and rake or shovel the compost. This is a quick, easy, and low cost way to compost organic matter. It also is the most popular method used by households and large gardening facilities.
Aeration is important if you are interested in how do you make compost. It can add moisture and nutrients to the compost. A spade or shovel with an aeration feature makes it easier to aerate the soil. You can also use a garden fork or a garden hose to aerate your soil, especially if the compost pile is located in a shady area of the yard. Loose sandy soil works best for aeration.
After aerating the soil, add water. However, if the compost leaves and plants are not aerated, they may rot because the oxygen they contain has become separated from the air. When this happens, compost becomes saturated with oxygen. The result is that the contents of the pile start to turn gray and turn stale. Adding more water will make the compost leaves and plants aerated again.
Most people wonder how do you make compost from plant leaves. Plant leaves and dried leaves do not always have to be thrown away because they can be turned into fertilizer. Dried leaves can be soaked in water and then rinsed several times. Some plants even grow better if they are re-wetted before being added to the compost pile. For example, if a plant leaf is dry and hard, it will need to be thoroughly dehydrated before making it part of your compost pile.
Most people think that you can just add water and compost to a pile to make it ready to start producing nutrients. However, adding water alone will not work well. During the first couple weeks after you pile begins to produce compost, the pile will be full of nitrogen. This nitrogen is needed to get all of the microorganisms in your pile working properly. Once you start to use the pile, the nitrogen content will decrease, making it a good choice to make plant life a part of your compost.
Once you learn how do you make compost from green and brownish brown leaves, you can easily turn those ingredients into a huge variety of meals. Browns and greens make good meals because they are easy to digest. You can roast vegetables over an open fire or boil them in water to make soups. Both greens and browns are also excellent as ingredients for sauces and gravies. You can even make bread from leaves and browns by roasting or boiling the ingredients in small amounts of water over a low heat.