Organic Compost - The Easy Way | Gardening

By TomJohnson
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Word Count: 500

Organic compost is the very best material for growing successful crops. Good compost is exactly what your plants will thrive on, simply because it's made up from lots of great organic material. It's also the safest substance in which to grow your flowers and vegetables.

The starting point is plenty of carbon, which is the foundation of a good compost. Get it going by using brown material such as shredded newspaper, dead flowers, dried leaves and straw. A lot of people forget to add these important ingredients, but you won't.

Green waste that's high in nitrogen is next. You should throw all of your kitchen waste, grass clippings and green garden clippings into your heap. Your kitchen waste can consist of all your green leftovers, fruit and vegetable peelings, but no meat!

Then you need to top it off with some soil from your garden. It's very important to remember to add some natural soil to your compost heap to get it started.

So, to recap, you start with a layer of brown material, then you add some green stuff and then a layer of garden soil. On top of this you add another layer of brown waste. Lastly you need to damp down your compost by adding some water. Just make it moist, don't swamp it!

Keep adding alternate layers as above, trying to maintain a proportion of three parts brown waste to one part green for maximum effect. The most manageable size for your pile is abut 3 feet wide by 3 feet high.

You will need to turn your compost with a garden fork to aid the decomposition. As you turn, you want to move the stuff from the center to the outside and the outer material to the middle. You should do this every couple of weeks at least.

The moisture level is critical. It should be damp but never soggy and make sure you don't let it dry out. Allowing it to dry out stops the decomposition process in it's tracks. You should see steam rising from your pile as you turn it, this indicates that it's all decomposing properly.

You can accelerate the process by adding earthworms to your compost pile if you want to, they are readily available at any fishing bait store. The truth is that the resident worms in your garden will quickly find your pile anyway.

To stop your compost heap from being an untidy eyesore you can either make or buy a bin. There are even rotating bins available that make your task of turning your compost over much easier. The choice is yours.

You need to wait until your compost reaches an almost black color and smells fresh and sweet, this indicates that it's ready. Now you can use it for potting up your favorite plants, you don't need to add anything else to the soil. It's also wise to gradually mix it through your entire garden because it contains all the essential nutrients your plants will need. Your garden will be the envy of all your neighbors.

About the Author

Ready to load your small yard with plants and perfume? Tom Johnson has a Complimentary Report for you called Container Gardening Secrets.

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