Whether you have a huge homestead or just a little backyard garden patch, there is nothing quite like diving into your own compost heap and pulling out rich, crumbly, and live compost for your plants and trees.
Creating your own compost is super simple, but there are some rules to follow if you don’t want to end up with a stinky pile of putrid-smelling mush. Equally, you don’t want to end up with a pile that never seems to break down.
Help is at hand. If you are new to composting and need a 101-type guide or you are a dab hand and just need some new ideas, then check out this compilation of OGP articles that walk you through everything you need to know about building soil!
1. Biodegradable or Compostable?
With commercialism becoming more involved in our compost these days, choosing what can and cannot go into the backyard bin is becoming more confounding. The simple terminology of compostable and biodegradable has developed tiers of meaning and a deliberate diluting of what they actually are. We are given “compostable” cups that are best suited for the trash can and “biodegradable” packaging that lasts years. Because these terms are now marketable, the definitions commonly associated with them have been blurred. Read on to learn more and answer the question What’s the Difference between Biodegradable and Compostable?
2. Failing Compost Heap?
Anything that was once living or part of a living being, be it a cardboard box vegetable scrap, or pile of leaves, can be composted. It’s just a matter of understanding that a successful compost heap is more than a pile of kitchen scraps. That’s just going to become a smelly feeding ground for pests and wildlife. Composting isn’t complicated, but some basic needs must be met, and simple guidelines can help. And, a good start is understanding why some compost piles fail and how we might prevent that from happening. Take a look at this list of 7 Reasons Compost Heaps Fail.
3. Awesome Compost Ingredients
Making a good compost can be like composing a work of art, or it can be like doodling while on the telephone, something that fills the empty/quiet spaces without being too interruptive. No matter what way we choose to do it, there are certain things we can put in compost to make it awesome. Now, for those who want to make compost the best it can be, something rich and complex and amazing for next year’s garden, here are 7 Things That Make Compost Awesome, making it more than just a smelly pile of kitchen waste.
4. Quick Leaf Compost
Leaf compost is a great way to use fallen leaves. Leaves are rich in trace minerals. They are abundant. But most importantly, if they are put into a timely compost pile before the snow comes, and maintained a little in the off-season, then by the time spring rolls around and the weather is fit for growing, there is a good lot of compost to get things fertile. It’s all about the timing, and right about now is just the right time to get a quick leaf compost going. Luckily, it’s not at all difficult to do. Learn How to Make a Quick Leaf Compost Out of All Those Autumn Leaves.
5. Way to Make Compost
While compost isn’t a particularly difficult thing to make, there are methods to the madness, and a pile of randomly strewn food scraps in the backyard isn’t exactly the best of them, let alone the only one. In reality, there are different types of compost—hot, cold, fungal, bacterial, quick, and so on—as well as some rules for making compost well. That’s good news because, even if that attempt at tossing kitchen scraps somewhere didn’t work, your composting options are not limited to that, and by the end of this article, you may be looking at organic waste with a much wider angle and in a completely different light: as a valuable resource. Take a look at these 7 Ways to Make Compost.
6. Compost in Under a Month
As spring gets nearer, the need for a good pile of compost is on the rise. We want to condition those gardens with fertility, soil life, and moisture-retaining carbon matter. Nothing does it quite so convincingly as compost does. However, most home compost piles take months to mature into something usable. After all, we don’t want to be spreading fresh vegetable scraps and such all over the garden. That’s not how compost works. In other words, we might need a method that gives us the good stuff without all the waiting. Read on to learn how to Make Compost Start to Finish in Under a Month.
7. No Compost Bin? No Problem
Compost bins have the habit of scaring people. Regardless of how much we’ve come to accept that we need to be composting our kitchen scraps, utilizing our lawn trimmings, and making the most of what’s biodegradable (like cardboard boxes, newspapers, and so on), there’s just something about that bin. It seems so big. Does it need to be turned? Why is it so smelly? It doesn’t seem to be doing anything. Can this thing even be here? Isn’t it illegal to have a compost bin in this neighborhood? Is there enough nitrogen? Too much carbon? Can I even put this in the compost bin? We manage to talk ourselves out of it! Take a look at How to Compost Without a Compost Bin.
8. Build a Compost Bin
Composting is one the simplest, greenest ways we can change what we are doing for the betterment of the planet. It boils down to this: Rather than burdening our landfills with soon-to-be contaminated organic materials, we stack them at home to create rich, organic soil. That soil can be added to vegetable gardens, put beneath trees, sprinkled on the lawn or simply disposed of in forest. It’s natural and healthy. It’s what is supposed to happen to organic material. Well, what if building that bin—the first step to a new green hobby—weren’t so tough? What if it required no construction chops at all? Would that help? If so, check out these 4 Ways to Build a Compost Bin With Little to No Construction Experience.
9. Compost Mistakes
By now, many of us understand that composting is a huge green plus for our list of good global deeds and environmental righteousness. Not only does composting cut down on the waste we create, but also we are supposedly going to get a great heap of natural fertility to add to our gardens. Why everyone is not doing this seems beyond a mystery until we take a look at all the abandoned compost bins out there. Many of us are under the assumption that we simply throw all of our kitchen scraps into a bin and that’s that. In reality, making even average compost is a little more complex than that, and making perfect compost can be downright complex. So, let’s figure out Why Your Compost May Seem Like a Mess.
10. Make Better Compost
Without a doubt, stories of failed composts are almost as commonplace as composting itself. Many of us have been led to believe that it’s as simple as throwing all of our kitchen scraps into a box and letting it rot. However, the truth is that this will more likely result in a fly-infested, smelly mess. Composting can be easy, but there is a little more to it than kitchen scraps. So, for the novice and experienced composter alike, here are a few tips, techniques, and clues gleaned from master composters, for making the pile work a little better. Check out these 7 Basic Composting Secrets for Better Results.
11. Hot Water Heater from Compost
Hot water is one of those modern conveniences that even the hardiest of nature enthusiasts and most green-hearted warriors never fully give up or get over. Taking a cold shower just isn’t the same, isn’t nearly as fulfilling. But, there is a way to have a hot shower without using gas or electricity to heat the water, and, in the end, the process creates the beautiful gift of rich and fertile compost. That’s right! That magic stuff that is making kitchen scraps and lawn debris into gardening gold can also provide the shower with hot water. Ever notice how the compost heap often lets off billows of steam when it’s turned or when the weather turns cold? Well, even if you haven’t, the fact of the matter is that compost piles get hot, and rather than just allowing all that energy to escape, it’s possible to utilize it as a natural water heater. Read on to learn How to Make a Hot Water Heater With Compost.
12. Non-Food Items for Your Compost
Composting is a fantastic pastime to adopt, and many of us on the environmentally friendly wavelength are already in tune with using our food scraps in the garden. And, while our intentions and efforts here are making a big difference in the amount of waste we produce, a bunch of food scraps doesn’t always make for the best compost. But, there are plenty of other things that typically end up in the garbage or recycling bin to help with that. It’s just as important to our compost bins that we include these other compostable curiosities as we do carrot tops and onion skins. Learn about these 8 Common Household Items That Aren’t Food But Make for Great Composting.
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