|
Environmental Issues By Alan J Hartley |
||||||||||||
Making Your Own Compost |
|||||||||||||
|
Most of us have council green waste re-cycling bins, but why let the council benefit and have all the fun of turning your garden waste into valuable compost. It is quite simple to build a compost bin in an unused corner of your garden and if looked after it won’t smell one little bit. All you need is a few dozen house bricks stacked Lego fashion into a square with a small gap between each brick to let the air in. If you are careful their own weight will hold them in place as it does not need to be very high, 18 inches or so should be plenty. As you add to the heap you can add a few more bricks until the heap starts to sink as it rots and then you can just as easily remove them to get at it. Obviously grass cuttings can be added to the heap, but don’t just pile layer after layer of cuttings on to it because they will not rot properly and they will smell. In between each layer of grass put a layer of something else such as leaves that will be available in the Autumn. Even a thin layer of poor soil from the garden will help. Weeds can go on to be composted, but do not add Twitch, Brambles, Dandelions or other perennial weeds because they are very difficult to rot properly. If you have a garden shredder all of the shrub prunings in the Autumn can be shredded and added. Of course you could use these as mulch in your garden anyway to suppress the weeds. When you remove all of your old bedding plants from your borders in the Autumn they can be roughly broken up with your hands and added as well. Another
type of waste that can be added to good benefit is shredded paper if you
have a paper shredder for your bank statements etc. Torn up newspapers
can also be included, but not in thick layers or they will not rot very
quickly. Do not be tempted to add leftovers from meals or old bones
because they will smell, attract rats and will not rot very well.
Vegetable trimmings from when you are preparing potatoes, carrots and
the like are fine though. A bag of horse manure added to your compost
heap will work wonders with it. A sprinkle of garden lime over a fresh
layer occasionally will benefit the compost heap, especially if grass
cuttings are frequently added. Prevent the heap from getting too dry by
giving it a can full of water regularly in any dry spells and turn it
occassionally. This will encourage the worms and bacteria to get busy as
they like moist conditions. The secret of making a good compost heap is
to add many different types of material in thin layers and give it at
least one year to rot. After that time dig into it and examine it to see
if it is nice and crumbly. If not leave it a little longer to rot but if
you have treated it well you should have some very good compost for use
in your garden to enrich the borders. You may find the odd twiggy bit
that has not rotted, but this can either be discarded in your bin or put
onto next years heap. |
More Gardening
Tips
Unusual
& Old
Unusual
|