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Easy Steps to Composting
It is becoming more and more obvious these days that we need to
recycle as much as we can, and anyone with a garden has a head
start and can make a great contribution. To many novice
gardeners, including myself, this subject can be somewhat
difficult to grasp; but in fact it is really straightforward -
there are just a few very simple rules:
You need a compost bin, and the type you decide on rather
depends on the size of your garden, but there are a couple of
options:
A purpose built plastic bin purchased from a garden centre, not
too expensive; and you just fill up from the top and a few
months later, you can take compost from a small hatch at the
base. Alternatively, if you can wield a saw and some nails, you
can make a wooden slatted enclosure, one metre square - or you
can buy them ready made - and cover it with a piece of old
carpet to keep the worst of the weather off.
What you can compost:
- all uncooked vegetable and fruit peelings
- teabags, tea leaves and coffee grounds
- egg shells
- dead flowers from the house
- and from the garden, soft prunings
- spent bedding plants, dead leaves, lawn mowings
- spent compost from hanging baskets or containers
- some dryer materials such as shredded pape
- rabbit and guinea pig bedding.
The only thing you have to be careful about is to mix different
types of material; if you have too many grass clippings in a big
mass, they will turn soggy and slimy, or if there is too much
paper and prunings, it will be too dry. So keep an eye on it,
especially if you are using the wooden enclosure, and mix it
with a fork occasionally.
What NOT to
compost:
- all meat products and bones; bread, cooked food - these will
attract vermin
- dog or cat waste
- woody material - which takes too long to compost
- weeds - these can 'infect' your compost with their seeds
- anything that is non-biodegradable such as plastic.
And because you won't always feel like taking a trip to the
compost heap when it's wet or cold or every time you peel
vegetables why not keep a lidded container by the back door
which you can fill up and then make the trip to the compost bin
every one or two days?
Over a period of time - 3 months to 1 year, depending on
conditions - all this matter will have broken down into lovely
dark brown crumbly compost, which you can fork into your beds
and borders. It makes an excellent soil conditioner and can be
used as surface mulch, helping conserve moisture and discourage
weeds.
You can also convert fallen leaves into wonderful compost. Rake
up any leaves from your lawn - you may have to do this several
times over the autumn - and collect them from the borders. Put
them all into a black waste sack, sprinkle with water, put a few
holes around the sack with a fork, tie the top, and leave it in
a corner for about a year. What you end up with is known as
leaf-mould.
About the author:
Fran Barnwell is a self-taught gardener, learning through
experience in her own garden. Fran understands the difficulties
that face new gardeners, and has written The Ultimate Guide to
Gardening for Beginners, a successful eBook that helps anyone
new to gardening to get started, explaining the basics in easy
to understand terms. To find out more and to sign up to receive
a free series of articles, go to http://www.NewToGardening.com
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