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How to Make Compost

Compost is a minor miracle of recycled kitchen and garden waste that, when properly mixed and developed, ripens into a natural substance that feeds and conditions the soil.

Components of Compost

Compost is nature's way of cleansing itself. And best of all, compost "just happens." All you have to do is pile up organic matter and let nature and time take over. Here are some of the elements from which compost can be made:

fruits and vegetable scraps
tea bags
coffee grounds
dead flowers and plants
straw and hay
autumn leaves
hedge clippings and pruning waste
wood ash
cardboard, paper towels
egg boxes.

Leave these substances OUT of your compost mix:

meat
fish
newspapers
cooked foods
cat litter, dog feces
diapers
coal and coke ash.

Your Compost Bin

The materials can be placed in a container called a compost bin. There, they undergo a basic biological process in which they break down into a powdery material called humus. Here's how to make an ideal compost heap:

Layer at least thirty centimeters of suitable materials in a compost bin.
Spread the ingredients out to the edges of the bin and water it thoroughly.
Continue to fill it as time goes by.
Mix or turn, and add water as needed.
When the ingredients have turned dark brown and develop an earthy smell, your compost is ready to use.

Note: Compost can be made in as little as six to eight weeks or as long as a year, depending on your skills and experience in making it. While compost is probably safe to handle, you should work with rubber gloves. And just to be extra safe, keep your tetanus shot treatments up to date.

Using Compost

Use your compost to improve the condition and fertility of soil. Just add it to a garden or to the landscape soil. Compost is especially valuable when it's applied to soil that's low in organic matter. Compost improves heavy clay soil by binding particles into crumbs. It makes soil easier to work and it encourages greater growth.

In sandy soils, compost adds vital nutrients and improves water retention. Also, compost improves overall aeration and root penetration. In short, compost is a perfect top-dressing for gardens and lawns, and it even provides a growing medium for houseplants.

In essence, compost is created by speeding the natural decomposition of organic matter under controlled conditions. As compost piles settle in compost bins, the microorganisms within them decompose and their body heat causes the temperature of the piles to increase steadily. To hasten the process, you can add fertilizer, which contains large amounts of nitrogen.

Problems and Their Solutions

Here are some basic tips to keep in mind if any problems occur while you're making compost:

If the pile emits a bad odor, it might be too wet or packed too tightly. Just loosen it by mixing and turning it to improve drying.
If the decomposition is happening too slowly, add water to the mix and turn it.
If the pile isn't getting hot enough, it may lack enough organic material to cause a complete breakdown. Add more materials as well as nitrogen.

Your goal is to have a compost heap that's moist and sweet smelling while the decomposition is underway. It's a balancing act that's well worth the effort because the end result is an inexpensive fertilizer that will give you amazing results in your garden.

About Compost Tea

Another way to make the most out of compost is to brew or steep a compost tea. It's easy to make and you can spray it on leaves or apply it to soil. Compost tea is a great way to build your garden because of these benefits:

It breaks down toxins.
It provides nutrients to the soil and to plants.
It works to suppress diseases.
It's a natural, environmentally-friendly alternative to toxic garden chemicals.

To make compost tea, you'll need a setup similar to an aquarium so that you can circulate air through a mixture of one gallon of compost, one ounce of unsulfured molasses and four gallons of water. After a few days, strain the tea through cheesecloth and spray immediately on your plants and soil while the beneficial microbes are still alive.

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