Composting Done in a Simple Manner
Composting Done in a Simple Manner
The ideal situation for a gardener is to have a plentiful supply of nice, rich compost.
It can be put to a variety of uses, each of which will result in improved plant appearance. Composting, on the other hand, can be a laborious and time-consuming process. Since I give a considerable amount of value to my time, I do not consider it to be a desirable activity to spend a significant amount of time rotating compost piles, at least not in the eyes of this individual. Despite this, I do compost, but I do it according to my own rules.
I created two containers for composting. Each of the bins has a width of five feet, a depth of five feet, and a height of four feet. After driving posts measuring 4" by 4" into the ground for the corners, I constructed the bins by nailing alternate rows of 2 by 4s and 1 by 4s to the sides of the structure.
In order to allow air to circulate, I left spaces between the boards measuring two inches. The two-by-fours are sufficiently sturdy to prevent the sides from bowing out, and I utilized one-by-fours in the spaces in between the two-by-fours to save a little bit of money. Since the bins only have three sides, I made sure to leave the front of the bins open so that they could be readily refilled and emptied.
You can view some pictures of my compost bins on this page: http://www.freeplants.com/composting.htm.
To begin, I concentrated on filling only one of the bins. I filled the containers with grass clippings, dried-off leaves, and shrub trimmings. I make it a point to use no more than six inches of any given material on any given layer. In the compost bin, there should not be more than 24 inches of grass clippings, and you should alternate layers of green and brown debris. Keep a few bags of dry leaves on hand, in case you need them, so that you can place your brown waste on top of your green garbage in a staggered fashion.
When we root cuttings, we use coarse sand in the flats. When it is time to remove the cuttings that have taken root, we place the old sand on the compost pile. In addition, we have a little backyard nursery where we keep some plants in containers, but unfortunately, some of them do not make it. Instead of emptying the potting soil back onto the soil pile after removing the dead plant and weeds from the container and then emptying the container's contents back into the potting soil pile, we just empty the entire container into the compost bin. This results in the addition of more brown material to the mixture and is a much simpler process than removing the weeds from the soil.
The composting guidelines state that after the bin is full, you should rotate the materials that are contained within it every few weeks. Because there is no chance that I will have the time to do it, I will continue to do this instead. Before I begin placing items in the following container, I cram in as much of the first container's contents as I can. I make the mound as high as I possibly can, and sometimes I even let some of the debris fall out in front of the bin. After that, I cover all of the new material with mulch, potting soil, or any other dark brown substance that I can locate.
Then, when I'm out working in the garden, I'll install a small sprinkler on top of the pile, turn it on very slowly, and position it so that a very fine mist of water runs over the material. Because I have a decent water well, doing this does not cost me anything; therefore, I try to let it run for at least two hours whenever I get the opportunity. This maintains a humid environment for the waste, and the moisture will cause the pile to heat up, which is what triggers the composting process in the first place.
When the first bin is totally full, I go on to the second bin and begin utilizing it. I just keep shoveling the material that I stacked in front of the bin on top of the pile until all of the material is either in the bin or piled on top of the heap. This process will continue until all of the material is either in the bin or piled on top of the heap. After that, I basically leave it alone, except for the occasional act of watering it. Watering is not required, but doing so will hasten the process.
Since I don't turn the pile, I can't reasonably expect all of the material to decompose all the way through. Although the material closer to the center will decompose more quickly than the material on the edges, the majority of it will still decompose rather nicely. The subsequent step is really effective for me because I run a small nursery, and as a result, I always have a stockpile of potting soil on hand. To get started, all you need to do is purchase two or three yards of shredded mulch and stack it up close to your compost bins. However, you may do the same thing by simply purchasing the mulch. If you follow these steps, you will never be without a source of high-quality compost from which to draw.
When shredded bark is piled up and allowed to sit, it will eventually decompose into excellent compost. About eighty percent of the potting soil that I use is decomposed bark. I build my own potting soil by purchasing hardwood bark mulch with a fine texture and a dark color, then piling it up and allowing it to decompose for a while. The trick is to keep the pile low and level so that it does not run off any of the water that is collected from the rain. It is in your best interest for the mulch to retain as much moisture as possible, as this will hasten the rate at which it decomposes.
As a result, I maintain a heap of decaying bark mulch close to where I store my compost bins. When both of the bins are entirely full, I empty the one that contains the oldest stuff by placing it on top of the mulch that has been decomposed by rotting bark. When I add the material from the compost bin on top of the pile of rotting mulch, the material from the compost bin will only be between 5 and 10 inches deep. To achieve this, I make sure the pile of rotted mulch is wide and level on top.
It's possible that my mulch pile is 12 feet broad, but it's probably just 24 to 30 inches tall. As soon as I have all of the compost piled on top of the pile, I take a shovel and go around the edge of the pile, taking some of the material off the sides of the pile and tossing it up on top of the pile, covering the compost with at least 6 inches of rotting bark. This continues until the entire pile is covered. This will result in the remaining compost material breaking down into compost more quickly.
Once you get this method up and running, you will never want to use up all of the material that is stacked up. Always ensure that you have at least two to three cubic yards available so that you have something to incorporate into your compost. If you use a lot of compost material like I do, then you should buy more of it in the late summer or fall and add it to your pile once you have finished using it for the season. If you use a lot of compost material, like I do, then you should also do this.
A significant number of the local supply companies sell compost material that has already been broken down to a satisfactory degree. These are the items that I acquire to add to my supply hoard. However, I do my best to ensure that I have at least three yards of previously used material on hand, and then I add three yards of newly acquired material to that total. After that, during the springtime, I will remove the contents of one of the compost bins and put them on the highest point of the pile.
The heap of compost that can be used will be composed of layers of material, some of which will be more composted than others. Comparable to eating a sandwich. Therefore, what I do is chop off a part of the pile from the edge, spread it out on the ground so that it is only approximately 8 inches thick, and then drive my tiny rototiller over it. This does an excellent job of combining everything, and then I put it on the potting bench.
If you have a lot of leaves or grass clippings, you may throw some rotted compost in the bin in order to keep that layered effect that is necessary for the composting process to operate well. This is why having a pile of rotted compost near your compost bins is beneficial. If you have a lot of leaves or grass clippings, you can throw some rotted compost in the bin.
Although there is some effort involved in this process, it is well worth it to have a location where I can dispose of organic trash whenever it is convenient for me. Then, at a later point in time, when I have wonderful compost to add to my potting soil, I am thankful to have done the right thing before, and I am aware that I have not wasted anything.
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