Posted by Len Dietrich
What Type of Compost Pile Should I Build?
I usually set aside about a 3x3 foot area to compost. You can stack up some bricks or use some untreated lumber to create "walls" or, if you are in an apartment you can use a plastic container or metal trash can. Most anything from you kitchen can be composted. Start a "slop" bucket in your kitchen. Start collecting unused waste from your kitchen. Grape stems, orange peels, lemon peels, broccoli stems, etc. Just start adding them a little at a time. It may get a little smelly but that is just part of it. If you want to produce more compost in a much quicker time, and are able to put a little more effort into it, follow the 'HOT Compost Pile' option. V:4
1. Collect together a batch of compost materials. Start off with some grass clippings, weeds and some chopped up limbs and leaves. Put the limbs and twigs on the bottom so that the compost pile will naturally aerate. Try to get it at least one foot high. Add your kitchen "slop bucket" daily. (Go to Step 2, or jump to the 'HOT Compost Pile' Step 2 if you can make the time.)
2. Just slowly build up your heap evenly distributing your composting materials.
3. Paper towels, cardboard and egg cartons make a good addition. Be sure to wet these down thoroughly so they will break down quicker.
4. Go to Step 4, or take a detour via the 'HOT Compost Pile' Step 4 on the way if you are energetic enough to turn it.
5. As you add contents to the composting area it should start to settle over time.
6. After about 6-8 weeks you should have a compost pile that is nearly ready to go. What you are looking for is a dark brown, earthy smelling material. Check your pile. If the lower layers have composted, use this on the garden. If need be you can separate what is already composted from what still needs to "cook" a little longer. Add water if needed and then leave it to rot.
The Hot Compost Pile
1. If you want to make a big batch all at one time then go to your local market and ask them for their discarded fruits and vegetables and a bit of cardboard. Find some manure locally and/or ask your neighbors to contribute to your pile by giving you their grass clippings and bush trimmings. Be sure you have a good mixture of soft materials and also rigid.
2. If you have a shredder then shred it all up. If not, you can just take a good garden spay and chop it all up. Remember, the smaller your contents are the quicker they will break down. So, do a good job of chopping up your contents you are adding.
3. Mix these ingredients in to your container or area a little bit at a time. Watering as you go. Remember to put a good layer of small sticks and yard trimmings at the bottom so they'll allow your compost pile to breath. Keep building it layer by layer all while watering as you go.
4. Mix the heap well. Let it sit.
5. Within about a week your heap will be a little warm to the touch. Check it daily and as it cools (usually within a week or two) turn your pile, add some water and let sit again.
6. After you've aerated your pile it will likely heat up again due to the air you have introduced to the pile. This allows the fast-acting aerobic microbes, i.e. those that need oxygen, to continue with their work. You can continue to mix the heap about once every ten days and add water as you go. At some point your pile will become brown and smelly. When your compost no longer heats up again, leave it undisturbed to finish composting.
Looking to find the best resource on easy vegetables to grow, then visit our site to find the best advice on easy vegetables to grow.. This article, Composting Tips - Easy Vegetables To Grow is released under a creative commons attribution license.
Tags: composting, easy vegetables to grow, Gardening, Planting
Posted by David W Lambert
Initially, in our Composting 101 Guide, it would be advantageous to know a few things about composting and how the process works before you jump into it and build your compost pile. Mother Nature will take care of most of the composting procedures because she knows what she is doing, even though breaking down of organic matter into compost is quite a complex endeavor. So without getting too bogged down in the science of it, here is a short review of what exactly is going to be happening in your compost pile, and how you can help keep things on track.
Breaking Down Of The Organic Matter
When your organic matter is breaking down, the term composting is used to describe the procedure. There are going to be two processes that get your compost broken-down, both physical and chemical processes are involved.
The Physical Decomposition Process
There is a large community of invertebrates that get the ball rolling in your organic matter by grinding, chewing, and shredding larger pieces into smaller ones, executing a larger surface area. Chemical and bacteria decomposition is the primary breakdown in the early stages of the process.
The Chemical Decomposition Process
Microbes such as fungi and bacteria will release enzymes that break down the complex organic compounds into smaller ones during this stage of composting. The microbes absorb these nutrients into their bodies, and then become food themselves when other organisms eat them. Also, as the microbes dis, their nutrients that they have absorbed will become food as well.
The process is thorough when the microbes can't break down the substances any further. The material then binds together to form a humus, which is the ending process of the composting procedure. The never-ending food chain of these tiny critters being eaten and eating forms an incredible delicate food network.
Create The Best Environment For Your Compost Pile
In managing a compost pile, you are basically providing and maintaining a hospitable living environment for the tiny critters that will do all the heavy lifting. The basics that these creatures need for survival are what all life on earth need: water, food, air and a comfortable climate.
Getting The Organic Matter Chopped Up
Just remember that as a general rule, the smaller you make your organic matter in your compost pile, the quicker you will see results and obtain your compost. The cuts and wounds that are made by cutting and chopping of the plant materials make for an easier break-down of the materials by the microbes. Note only are more uniform particles easier to turn in the pile, they also allow for easier chemicals and physical decomposition. Your goal ought to be to keep organic matter in 2 inch long bits and pieces.
Moisture and Air In Your Pile
The organisms hard at work in your compost pile need moisture to survive. Your compost pile should attain between 40 and 60 percent moisture by weight. Select several special areas of your pile and squeeze the compost to determine the moisture level of the compost. If you have the proper moisture levels, your compost should feel like a damp, wrung-out sponge. If it feels dryer than this, then it is time to add some moisture to the pile.
Too much moisture is as bad as not enough moisture; Air flow will be blocked by too much water and this can result in odors. A good way to gage if you have too much moisture is if you squeeze more than a drop or two of water from your compost material.
If things have been too wet, simply turn the compost pile to introduce air to dry out the wet matter. You can also add moisture at the time of turning if the pile is too dry. There will not be any bad odors from a properly aerated compost pile. Again, if you experience bad odors, you likely have a too high a moisture content. Leaves, straw and sawdust introduce dry carbons to the pile and is another way to reduce excess moisture.
Heat In Your Compost Pile Is Key
The hard-working organisms in your compost pile will generate heat as a by-product of their food eating, reproducing, and dying. You can speed up the procedure of making your compost by properly managing this heat.
Get into the habit of consistently monitoring the temperature of the pile on a daily basis so you can keep the pile at optimal temperatures. Higher temperatures will result in much quicker breakdown of the organic material than do cooler temperatures.
Your temperatures of your compost pile will begin to drop as the supply of food,air and water is used up. To help the temperature rise, mix in newer materials into the center of the pile and add moisture as needed. You will observe that temperatures of between 130 and 140 degrees for a minimum of 72 hours will kill all the weed seeds and plant pathogens.
Composting 101 - Don't Overdo It
Be sure to monitor the heat of your compost pile as too much heat can be a bad matter too. Temperatures over 170 degrees Fahrenheit will shut the process down, because the high heat will inhibit the microbe's activity. This can easily be rectified by turning the pile contents down to the pile core, which released stored heat.
Using this Composting 101 Guide, you can't go wrong to get the best, fresh-smelling, organic compost to use in your landscape and garden.
For more on this composting guide, visit our article Composting 101. Then, for more composting articles and reviews on composting products be sure to visit Green Living Made Easy.
Tags: composting, composting 101, Gardening, organic gardening
Posted by Trevor Thompson
You will find a wide variety of compost bin instructions on the web.
Therefore, whenever you decide to begin the process of making the actual compost don't get all worried around learning to make them. By using a lot of these plans you actually can easily make simple and easy starter varieties of compost bins, and also really complex industrial bins I actually could not even fantasize about undertaking. As reported by many compost bin instructions that I came across on the internet, quite likely the very most effective bins usually is designed utilizing a small amount of chicken wire stapled to a good stake that you simply pound into the soil.) Then you hammer three additional wooden stakes into the soil in order to create the shape you need. Connect the chicken wire on the inside of the wooden stakes with staples, and you're done.
Just simply put in leaves in addition to lawn cuttings, and then, give it time to compost for one season. This certainly will generate nutrient rich planting soil for a organic garden.One additional straight forward set of compost bin instructions covered selecting four plain wooden pallets. Stick hinges on 3 of the pallets and a latch on two sides to close, and also open it quickly, similar to a door. Now, simply fold the four pallets to make a square and also latch each of the sides together to finish the square. Now, just fill it up and allow it to compost. Then you will just simply open up the latch, turn the pile, and close the latch back. It will be as uncomplicated as that.
Another simple set of compost bin instructions involved utilizing four plain wood-pallets. Use metal hinges on 3 of the pallets plus a latch on 2 sides to help you to open and close it comfortably, just like a door. After that, just simply fold the four pallets to create a square shape and also lock the 2 main edges together with each other to finish the square shape. Last of all, merely fill it up and give it time to compost. Whenever you will need to turn the compost just simply open the latch, turn the compost, and then close the latch back again.
You can also get compost bin instructions available for starting earthworm bins as well as tumbler bins. None highly complex which means that maybe even somebody as unhandy as I am can make them. For the most part you only need an effective way to enclose a spot to support the types of materials which are composting to make sure plenty of air will be able to circulate throughout. Now, water may easily be sprayed over it effortlessly. You see, the composting procedure calls for water so as to keep it moving.According to the compost bin instructions which I read... Various other types, including earthworm compost bins can be built out of deep plastic-type trays so the earthworms just can't leave. Setting up two areas using a divider in between the two is the ideal approach to take. You need the style established so that a center panel is able to be swapped from a solid part to a new one with holes in it.
Finally put in a bit more soil, and allow the earthworms to transfer back into the original part, and perform repeatedly. For Your Information: Take a trip to the area library also. Anybody have the ability to uncover a wide range of priceless content for making your own compost bin instructions, and setting one up correctly.
Travis Thompson is the owner of several websites dedicated to living a more green lifestyle. In this compost bin plans site he reveals layers of secrets to composting and other gardening topics.
Tags: compost bin instructions, composting, composting bin plans, Gardening, gardening with composting
Posted by Trevor Thompson
The world wide web provides a wide array of compost bin instructions which you can come across. Most certainly never become all concerned with how you can make a new compost bin whenever you want to get started generating your own personal compost. Together with these kinds of plans you definitely can easily create simple novice varieties of compost bins, or perhaps extremely advanced commercial bins I personally couldn't even dream about undertaking.
As outlined by several compost bin instructions which I discovered on-line, by far the very easiest bins is usually built by using a little chicken coop wire stapled to a good solid wood stake that you just pound straight into the soil.) Afterward you hammer 3 extra wood stakes straight into the soil to produce the design you need. Add the chicken wire onto the interior of the wood stakes by using staples, and you're finished. Merely incorporate leaves and also grass cuttings, and thus, give it time to compost for one season. Your flowerbed will likely be satisfied with the particular nutrient dense planting soil this will certainly generate.
An additional simple set of compost bin instructions included utilizing four basic wooden pallets. Place metal hinges on 3 of these particular pallets along with a latch on 2 sides to help you open as well as close it effortlessly, just like a door. After that, simply fold your four pallets to produce a square shape and also lock both edges with each other to complete the square shape. Lastly, simply pile it up and thus allow it to compost. Whenever you would like to flip your compost simply open up your latch, flip, and then shut the latch back again.
You can also get compost bin instructions acceptable for starting earthworm bins as well as tumbler bins. None of these are extremely difficult thus maybe even an individual as unhandy as me can certainly make them too. Generally you only need an easy way to close off a location to support materials that will be composting to ensure plenty of fresh air will be able to pass throughout. Now, water can easily be squirted into it very easily. The entire composting system should have water in order to get it progressing.
According to the compost bin instructions that I looked at... Other types, such as worm compost bins can be made out of deep plastic trays so the worms can't leave. Setting up 2 sections with a divider between them is the best way to go. You actually want the frame set up so the entire middle panel can be changed from a solid piece to one with holes in it. This way, when one side is all composted, you put the divider with the holes in it, in place, and put all the worm food on the other side. This will attract the worms to the un-composted side, so you can use the completed compost for your garden. Then put in more dirt, and allow the worms to move back to the original side, and repeat.
FYI: Don't forget about using the resources at your local library. You will be able to find a lot of useful information for creating your very own compost bin instructions, and setting them up properly.
Trevor Thompson has always enjoyed helping people and discussing composting with compost bin plans. On his web site he has lots of quality content that helps to provide directions for backyard composters both experienced and newbs.
Tags: compost bins, composting, Gardening
Posted by Wayne Allen
There is an alternative --- composting. It is a great idea whose time has come. Now more than ever it makes sense to compost all of your family's food waste, plus paper and any other organic carbon-based waste you can. By composting your household food waste, you are not only reducing strain on already overtaxed landfills, but you are also providing yourself with a source of rich fertilizer for your garden. With your own compost on-site, you no longer have to go to the store to get fertilizer.
If you're not a gardener, you should still make your own compost --- you can give it away to acquaintances who are gardeners or you can sell it. You can practice random acts of kindness by spreading it on select neighborhood parkways or secluded park corners.
Making quality compost is not complicated. You just need a place to put your compostable materials be it a separate corner of your yard that you designate as your compost heap, or one of the many commercially available compost tumblers. Compost heaps must be turned and aerated every couple of weeks, and you should follow manufacturer directions for working with a compost tumbler.
Be forewarned: different compost bins can handle different materials, and most composting systems cannot handle meat, bone or excrement. There are two big problems with composting meat 1) It takes longer to break down than most vegetable matter and 2) Meat attracts scavengers like raccoons an opossum that can spread your compost all over the neighborhood. Compost tumblers are a way to solve both these issues by making it easy to frequently aerate your compost and by being more secure against roaming critters.
Another alternative appropriate for meat and other food waste, the "Green Cone" system, is secure and includes packet of composting enzyme that accelerates the composting process. The Green Cone does not, however, produce compost to be redistributed elsewhere. Instead, it breaks down the contents and lets the nutrients seep into the surrounding earth for a radius of about 15 feet. Ideal placement for a Green Cone would probably be the middle of a vegetable garden. The Green Cone is also capable of handling small amounts of animal excrement.
If you are interested in recycling larger amounts of manure, I would suggest you look up the "Humanure Handbook". It is about composting human excrement to reduce stress on sewage treatment plants and the special challenges associated with the process. Pet waste usually goes to landfills, so following the principles in the handbook to handle pet waste would relieve even more stress on landfills.
Composting excrement is not for everyone, but it is worth considering.
How does composting help save the world? Remember that the less rubbish needs to be taken away in garbage trucks, the less gasoline they use and the less material is sent to the landfill. This is all good.
What can you compost? Vegetable and fruit peels, apple cores, small rodent and rabbit bedding, tea bags, coffee grounds, shredded paper newspaper and cardboard, and egg shells all work. To make good compost, you generally need a mix of 3:1 paper/cardboard to vegetable waste.
Many localities now sell compost bins and some will even subsidize the cost for homeowners --- people need only ask at their village offices or local township.
If your municipality does not offer compost bins, there are many how-to sites on the Internet with details on how to build your own compost bin. All you typically need is some wood, chicken wire, and a four by four foot carpet remnant to cover your compost pile and retain heat.
And if building your own compost bin is too much work, you can buy one, whether standalone or tumbler, from your local garden shop or on the Internet.
Place your trash in, rotate as necessary to aerate, and in 6 to 18 months waste that would have gone to the landfill will have been changed into one of the most valuable resources for rejuvenating the earth: rich black compost. Composting is the answer to a lot of problems. This article, Composting - Complete Details is available for free reprint.
Tags: build a compost, compost, composter, composting, environment, family, Gardening, health, hobbies, home accessories, home and family, Home and Family Gardening, home improvement, Outdoors
Posted by David A. Scarborough
Having the right mix for your compost bin is significant
To get the most out of your compost it is important you have a balance of green and brown matter. If you have too much green, grass clippings and such, the compost can become quite sharp. If you have too much brown matter it may not heat up properly and delay the decomposition. The addition of water is also necessary in a number of cases, though too much isn't good either. Just enough to dampen the mix is good.
Finding the proper balance is generally attained thru random attempt. It is relatively straightforward to add the right mix of ingredients; a mix of grass clippings and household kitchen scraps is generally all it requires. You can begin with half kitchen scraps and the other half from the yard and then adjust from there to meet your requirements.
Using compost in the garden will naturally fertilize your plants, flowers, veggies, herbs, shrubs and grass so making it an eco-friendly garden. Compost may help to loosen clay soils and in sandy soils it helps to keep water.
Gardens with healthy soil grow hardier plants and help reduce pests. The natural fertilizing ability encourages the plants to grow larger and more fit, so shading weed seeds and stunting their expansion. For the weeds that do germinate, they are easily pulled and may be thrown into the compost bin provided they haven't turned to seed yet, you do not need the weeds growing in the compost bin. Good compost will heat up enough to kill most weed seeds, but it is better not to throw them into the compost at all.
Even the smallest garden can have a compost bin. There are several different sizes to meet the home gardener's needs; they are compact, self contained and simple to operate. Their good for the environment, save your cash on commercial manure and allow the home gardener to grow organic quality vegetables and fruit.
Find out more about the amazing benefits of composting andcompost binson our website www.GoGreenGardening.com. You'll find lots of products to help you Go Green Gardening and there are additonal articles on gardening and the method of composting.
Tags: compost bin, compost bins, composting, Gardening, home gardening
Posted by Ganga Patel
A buying group I'm associated with has helped 100s of food service businesses over the past several years push toward zero waste. Zero waste is a school of thought that encourages the reconstruction of resource life cycles so that all products are reused or recycled.
Restaurants pushing toward zero waste focus on minimizing waste wherever possible and then rerouting all leftover waste toward recycling & composting facilities. To accomplish zero waste, I have found these food service businesses incorporate 3 major tactics:
1) Removing Non Recyclable And Non Compostable Waste - I have seen a variety of our generations green bistros and cafes effectively get rid of all waste that can't be sent for composting or recycling. For outbound packaging supplies (the ones used by consumers), numerous businesses have shifted over to compostable food packaging (e.g., biodegradable cups, compostable plates, compostable forks, biodegradable containers). Note: Managers should make sure that any item labeled "biodegradable" meets ASTM D6400 for compostability in a commercial composting facility. Incoming packaging supplies are a little tougher to control (e.g., it's harder to make sure that your supplier does not wrap your vegetables with cellophane), but still many restaurants have been able to ask vendors to avoid using product packaging which is difficult to recycle (e.g., Styrofoam).
2) Doing Away With their Trash Bins - I have seen several green minded business owners dispose of or substantially reduce the size of their trash can. This appears to be a very powerful strategy assuming that you have already executed strategy #1 and reduced a majority of your packaging to items such as biodegradable cups and biodegradable plates. By eliminating your trash bin, you effectively force consumers to think before discarding their food & packaging waste into a composting or recycling can; and particularly when combined with proper recycling & composting signage, this is a very powerful tactic for getting consumers to self-sort their recyclables & compostables.
3) Staff Education - I have found that businesses that are the most effective at moving toward zero waste take significant effort to train their staff on effective recycling practices, composting practices, and the use of re-usables. Education is key when answering questions from customers (e.g., which bin does this fork go in?) and for the sorting of waste left on counter-tops or in the kitchen. Additionally, having employees that are excited about a business' transition toward zero waste will definitely go a long way toward embedding that feeling into a restaurants' culture and the minds of its customers.
Hope you enjoyed hearing about the eco-oriented steps being taken by small businesses. Good luck on your eco-minded journey!
Learn more about zero waste solutions and get access to steep discounts on biodegradable cups and biodegradable plates.
Tags: biodegradable, business, business practices, composting, eco friendly, environment, food, Gardening, Gardening Articles, recycling, restaurants, small business, sustainable, waste, zero waste
Posted by Steve Jenkins
Gardening can be fun and very rewarding. You get to plant little seeds in the ground, and if you are lucky, watch them grow into big plants with lots of flowers, vegetables or fruits. Your green thumb can help your plants come to fruition and that's a nice reward. But along with your successful planting comes a need to prune, thin out, and cull as well as get rid of the spent plants.
Should this all go in the garbage can to be hauled to the landfill. Well, the diseased plants and the weeds should, but everything else can go in your very own compost pile or bin. Composting is a wonderful way to take care of your garden pruning, grass clippings, tree trimmings and even kitchen scraps.
There are two good reasons why you should be composting your scrapscomposting your scraps .
It keeps the yard and kitchen waste out of the landfills where it has difficulty breaking down with all the plastic and other non-compostable stuff around it.
Composted scraps break-down and turn into a gardener's secret weapon for next year's crop... "black gold". This nutrient-rich compost is just what your tired topsoil needs and is the perfect way to keep the cycle of life going.
To begin composting, you will need a bin or two, rather than open piles. Bins encourage the piles to heat up quicker and longer, which helps the waste to decompose faster. Plus, closed bins discourage little critters from coming along and feasting on all the goodies that make up your compost.
You can find a compost bin at your local garden store or online, and while they tend to be on the expensive side, they may make you some good compost faster. You can also make your own compost bins with instructions you can fine online or using your own imagination. You can even drill some holes in a plastic garbage can for aeration and use that. When the pile needs turning, fasten the lid down with a bungee cord, lay it on it's side and roll it around some.
Once you have your compost bin, you need to create a pile of brown, green, and soil with manure. Brown is Dead leaves, prunings, spent plants, smallish twigs. Green is Veggie scraps, crushed egg shells, coffee grounds, used tea bags from the kitchen.
Bones and other meat leftovers should not be in your compost pile because they attract wildlife.
If your compost pile gives off an odor, then you need to adjust the amounts of what you have in it. The rule of thumb is to add equal amounts of the brown, green, and dirt. When you throw something on the pile, like peelings from your potatoes and carrots, plus the broccoli your son refused to eat, then add some dirt and brown leaves as well.
It might take some time for your compost to break down, so you might want to have 2 bins going. One will be the bin that is older and is busy turning into compost, the other is a bin for the newer stuff.
When composting your scraps is ready, you will know it. It will be a dark color, smell good, and appear to be the best looking top soil you've ever seen. Go ahead and spread it around your plants and garden and watch it grow. Compost is a natural fertilizer that your plants will love.. Unique version for reprint here: Composting Your Scraps Can Help The Planet.
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Tags: compost, composter, composting, environment, family, Gardening, health, hobbies, home accessories, home and family, Home and Family Gardening, home improvement, kitchen compost, Outdoors
