If you start composting at home, then it will give fruitful results which would be beneficial in the longer run. It is easy to transform waste present in the yard and food scraps into a mass of black gold which can be a good source of nutrition for your plants and can improve the quality of the soil.
Misconceptions
There are probably as strong of misconceptions about composting as there are about online casinos such as Intertops poker bonus. However, as we learn more about things, we can quickly find that not everything we believed is true!
For example, many people think composting stinks or the process is really messy. Such misconceptions can only be true if the composite is not made correctly. It is important to learn the right way to prepare the compost.
Firstly, organic material is spread nicely then a layer of soil is added which receives a splash of water. Then, you have to wait for it to break down into more soil. The material can then be used to improve the growth of flowers and will feed the growing vegetables.
Composting at your place is the best way in which you can make use of materials in your refrigerator which cannot be used anymore; this would be the best way to reduce waste. You can even compost yard waste instead of throwing them away.
Collect the materials and start preparing the pile. The required materials would be coffee grounds, egg shells, dry leaves, shredded newspaper, and sawdust from the untreated wood.
Types of Composting
Before initiating the process of composting, it is crucial to know the different types of composting. composting is classified as vermicompost, hot compost, and cold compost.
Cold composting is about collecting the waste of a yard or collecting the organic material and then assembling them in a pile.
In a year or two, the pile or material will start to decompose. Hot composting requires an active role of the individual but it’s comparatively a faster process. The process of cold composting requires four essential materials; water, air, carbon, and nitrogen.
These items when combined can feed microorganisms and fastens the decaying process.
Vermicompost is done with the help of worms. When worms eat up the food scrap, they give out castings which are a good source of nitrogen, but for this redworms are important.
Nearly 8% of the greenhouse emission originate from food that is wasted, and the food becomes wasted mostly in the consumption stage. It is important to keep certain foods away from the area of land as this will be beneficial in fighting climate change.
Choose the Food Scrap
Start the food scrap with veggies and fruits like the strawberry top, skin of a potato, egg shells, tea bags, or even human hair. Cooked food, buttery things, and bones attract pests. Some products are compostable however they can’t be used at home for composting purposes.
Store the Food Scrap
While composting, you should make sure that the kitchen scrap is the part of layering process of compost. There is a proper way to add the scrap in the layering process but first, you should store them so that you can add them later slowly. The kitchen scrap can be anything, even a piece of a milk carton. Another way to store the kitchen scrap is to place them in a bag and store them in the freezer, this is the best way as it will protect it from insects and bad odor.
Find the Best Place to Make Compost
First, have a look at the place you are living in. A proper backyard will be beneficial in that case but if you don’t have a backyard and still want to opt for a traditional composting process, shift the food scrap to a compost pile located in the community garden or a garden that you share with your neighborhood.
Another way in which it can be done is by fermenting the food scrap through a method known as the bokashi method. The only things required for this method are bokashi mix and container plus colony growing on bacteria present on grain.
Start Making the Compost Mixture
While talking about the process of composting, you might have heard about the term; browns and greens, both are crucial ingredients for the compost mix. Green refers to the food scrap items like the peeling of fruits and vegetables, coffee grounds, or even grass clippings. They will enhance the nitrogen content which is important for microbial growth. Microorganisms play an important role in the process of composting.
The term brown refers to the carbon-rich content like dried leaves, newspaper, pine needles, etc. This would help shred the paper products before adding them to the pile. The green material which you add to the pile of compost is wet whereas the brown materials are dry.
During the layering process, the dry brown pieces are kept at the bottom and green wet pieces are placed on the top. Brown materials are important because these dry materials allow the water and air to follow easily through them and aid the process of aeration. The process makes sure that microorganisms can perform their job well Make sure that the pile is not soggy.
The proper process of composting requires the same techniques as the process of preparing a fire because when you lit a fire, proper structuring of wood is required so that air can go in. While composting you have to do the same i.e. leave the space between the material so that air can be supplied to the microbes which will support the process of composting.
The layering process comprises the brown layer then the green layer, and another brown layer which is followed by the green layer. The available space and the amount of food scrap available define the layer you have to add in the composting process, but a layer of one inch or two is best for this purpose. Some people also add a layer of brown at the top to prevent insects and flies from attacking the compost.
While layering the compost, more brown material as compared to green material is required. The ratio of brown to green part is three to one. The dry part is required more as this will support the process of composting.
Wait for the Process of Aeration to Start
Next, you have to wait so that it can aerate properly. For things to proceed, it is important to turn the pile or rotate it with the help of a spade or stick, you have to make sure that air is flowing through the material and the pile is not waterlogged. Again what matters here is the correct ratio of brown and green in the pile.
Fin
Having the correct amount of brown and green would require less action on your part in turning the compost. Incorrect amounts or improper ways of layering can lead to a bad odor that won’t smell much nicer than those old dumpsters behind your local apartment complex… The reason can be that your pile is too wet that it smells just like a landfill.
When you are finally done with making earthy, fluffy compost, place it in your backyard or you can even give it to your community garden. The whole process of composting requires great patience and proper techniques to do the layering of materials, but the results are worth it for helping your plants grow and making the world a better place!