Simple Green Living

Simple Green Living


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How To Make Compost

Anyone with a green conscience needs to know how to make compost.

Compost is not only easy to make but also a fantastic way to recycle your green waste at home. On top of this, compost is something from which your whole garden can benefit. If you have a vegetable garden then you will know how valuable a good source of compost is.

how to make compostIt is quite simple to build compost piles and advisable to have more than one composts pile, each in different stages of maturity. Obviously this is dependent on space in your yard.

If you do not have much space available to you, you may want to consider a compost bin or a compost tumbler or even a worm compost farm like Can-O-Worms. Take a look at the options you have in the side margins of this page.

Composting is a natural process that happens in nature, so providing you follow these easy guidelines on how to make compost you will have some mature compost within a year.

What can I compost?

Garden clippings, grass and small branches
Kitchen compost peelings
Used tea bags, broken open
Leaves
Soil
Shredded larger branches or corn stalks

Do not add leaves or grass in a thick layer as it prevents the movement of air and water which slows the breakdown process.

What not to compost:

Do not add cooked food or dog faeces.

Animal manure, like horse and chicken, can be added which accelerates the breakdown of the organic matter.

Making a compost pile – how to make compost

You can make a free standing compost pile on a cleared area in your garden in a flash!

Step 1 – Choose a relatively flat area, sunny secluded in your yard. Turn over a 1 meter squared area of soil to allow the movement of bacteria and earthworms.

Step 2 – Lay down a layer of small branches, torn newspaper, shredded cardboard boxes. Water it well.

Step 3 – Next add a layer of kitchen peelings and other green plant matter.

Step 4 – Add some horse or chicken manure if you have, then add a layer of leaves. Water well.

Step 5 – Cover with a layer of soil.

Step 6 – Keep adding layers to your pile until it reaches about 1m high.

compost bin

Keep your compost heap moist which aids the process. You can buy accelerators to speed up the process, but borage leaves also do the trick.

This way it should take about three months for your compost to be ready. You can check it buy turning it every month or measuring the temperature of the heap by sticking in a metal rod to the centre. If the rod comes out hot, it’s probably ready!

Other types of compost:

Liquid feed for plants

Worm compost bin

Leaf mould or leaf compost

All You Need To Know About Organic Gardening

Few things are as satisfying as getting your hands into the earth, planting and nurturing and harvesting the fruits of your labors. Adding to the knowledge that you have used the best possible practices to grow healthy food redoubles your satisfaction. Here are some tips on organic gardening to help you grow a harvest that will bring health to you and your family.

* Maintain your soil with kitchen ingredients. If you don’t have a compost pile, you can amend your soil by using ingredients from the kitchen. For example, finely chopped up boiled veggie scraps, eggshells or fruit peel can be worked into the soil to provide essential minerals. Coffee grounds work particularly well around plants such as rhodies and azaleas, and the remaining water after boiling eggs is full of calcium that will give a boost to any plant.

* Use color to add interest to your organic garden. Warm colors like red, orange, and yellow can help create focal points and even make objects appear closer. If you have a small garden that you want to appear larger, try using warm colors in the front and cool colors in the back of the space.

* In order to offer your organic gardening the most success, mulch it with 3 inches of organic material. By mulching your organic garden you will conserve water, add nutrients to the soil and stop weeds from growing. As an added bonus, mulching also gives your organic garden a bit of beauty.

* Instead of an abrasive and caustic chemical fertilizer, opt for an organic compost that breaks down substances like fallen leaves, grass clippings, loose hay, small twigs, and scraps of uneaten vegetables and fruits from your home dinner table. Allowing these elements to mingle in a compost heap will break down these individual ingredients into a nourishing organic substance with an even consistency.

* When watering your tomatoes in your organic garden, you should always water them on the soil instead of the leaves. When you water the soil, the water goes down into the roots. The roots are the parts of the plant that need water and other nutrients. If you water the leaves, the water will not be able to get into the roots.

* When starting your organic garden, a great tip is to figure out which vegetables you should pick to plant in your garden. Some vegetables are better suited for home germination than others are. Some great vegetables to consider planting include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, peppers, onions, tomatoes, basil, and more.

* Plants that thrive in mulch and acid-based fertilizers benefit from a think layer of pine needles. This is a great thing to do in the fall, as it also adds insulation from cold weather, and as the layer of pine needles decompose they will saturate the soil with their acid.<.p>

* Save your seeds. If you save the seeds from your plants, you will have new plants at no cost the next season. Remember to keep them in a cool, dry place as this is essential for germination. Always select the seed from the best individual plant, as this will ensure that you get a good plant next time around. Normally you can simply collect them from a dried flower head, but when saving seeds from something like a tomato, melon, or pumpkin, you will need to dry them thoroughly before storing them for the winter.

These tips should help you plan your organic garden. Follow the best advice and the hopes of spring will be fulfilled in autumn’s harvest–with delicious and nourishing meals for you and your family. Nourishing healthy soil, as shown in these tips, can be one of your best investments.

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Updated: June 17, 2014 — 4:01 pm

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