Start Composting On Your Own

     If you have seen the effects of composting on other gardens, or if you know that a compost heap can severely reduce your ecological footprint and save a great deal of space in the landfills, you already know that you are interested in putting one together, but you may be a little bit uncertain as to how to get started. A healthy and thriving compost heap is something that takes some time and effort to get rolling, but you’ll find that with a little bit of information that it is really quite straightforward!

     The first thing that you need to do is to start thinking of things in terms of what can and cannot go into your compost pile. Brown materials include things like leaves and hay, but you’ll find that they also include clean shredded paper, cardboard rolls, dryer lint that hasn’t used dryer sheets, and shredded newspapers count as well. Green materials are things like grass clipping, vegetable leavings, tea bags, coffee grounds, manure and fruit trimmings. Green and brown materials can be used in your composting, while things like cat litter, colored paper, dairy products and greasy materials, should be kept away.

     To make a traditional compost pile, you’ll need both green and brown materials, and you can put them into a pile that is roughly two to three feet square. You can also work with a compost bin, which will let you keep the pile more contained; some bins even give you the option of tumbling the compost to increase the heat reaction.

     After you have your compost pile together, you should add a little bit of garden soil or a compost booster in order to help with the break down. You’ll find that this is something that you can do to get it started, but that you can also do it from time to time to keep things happening.

     Make sure that your turn your compost pile several times a week to keep up the oxygen flow and to help things break down very quickly. You’ll also need to keep your compost pile a little damp, but not soaking wet; you’ll find that this will encourage a good breakdown of the components involved.

     When you are considering composting, you’ll find that there are many things to consider, but you’ll find that with the information listed above, you can get yourself off to a great start, and check out my Ebook The Backyard Organic Gardener for more on how to do it!