How to give your garden a boost with composting
Published on Wed Oct 24 2018 in Lifestyle
Even if you don’t have a green thumb, you’ve probably heard about composting before. This process may sound complicated, but it can actually be an easy way to perk up your garden. Composting is also a great way to lessen your household’s impact on the environment, by putting nutrients back into the soil rather than into a landfill.
What is composting?
When organic matter—think leaves, grass clippings and some food scraps—breaks down, it turns into compost. This is a material similar to dirt but packed with nutrients. Composting is a natural process that happens all the time, like when leaves fall to the ground and decompose. However, there are ways to speed up the process, whilst letting nature do most of the work.
Why should I compost?
Composting can be a great way to boost a lawn, garden or vegetable patch. Mixing compost with soil puts nutrients within reach of your plants’ roots, helping them grow healthier and faster. It can also help improve drainage and hold water, so your plants are never too thirsty or drowning.
Composting is also a great way to help the environment. Food decomposes without oxygen in landfills, releasing harmful methane gas (which is 20 times more toxic than carbon dioxide1) as it does. Composting is more natural, letting in oxygen as the food scraps break down. Each tonne of organic waste kept out of landfills can drastically reduce the amount of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere.
In a way, composting is just another way of reusing and recycling waste in our backyards!
Getting started
Starting a basic compost pile is easy. You don’t need many tools or knowhow to begin with.
What you’ll need:
- Bin – a specially made one just for composting, or a large rubbish bin with a few holes drilled for drainage
- Shovel – for mixing the compost and getting oxygen into the middle
- Thermometer – to monitor the temperature of your compost (or, you can estimate the temperature by sticking your hand into the middle of the heap)
- Garden clippings – dry leaves, grass, brush or any other plant material
- Kitchen scraps – keep reading to learn what can and can’t be put into compost!
Once you’ve collected some clippings and kitchen scraps, put them in the bin. You’ll need about a metre’s worth of material to start. If the pile is very dry, add some water until everything is the consistency of a damp sponge. Too much water will cause everything to rot rather than decompose.
Check your bin about once a week. When the middle feels warm (about 54 to 66°C), stir the pile using your shovel. This helps everything get enough oxygen and prevents it from developing a foul smell.
Your compost will eventually become dry, brown and crumbly, and will stop creating heat. When this happens it’s ready to use in the garden!
Composting dos and don’ts
Whilst composting is a great way to decrease the amount of rubbish you throw out, there are some household scraps that don’t break down well using traditional composting methods.
Do compost:
- Fruit & vegetable scraps (anything that’s not cooked)
- Coffee grounds & tea bags (just remove the staples)
- Eggshells
- Herbs & spices
- Wine
- Garden clippings
- Dryer lint
Don’t compost
These items are not ideal for a healthy garden and will give your compost a foul smell. They might also attract animals and pests, like rats!
- Meat, fish & bones
- Dairy
- Cooked food
- Pet droppings
- Coloured paper
- Diseased plants
- Plant material recently sprayed with herbicides or pesticides
Happy gardening!
With some clippings, kitchen scraps and a bit of patience, you could be on your way to a healthy garden. The rich compost you create will not only perk up your plants but keep useful rubbish out of the landfill. That’s a win-win for you and the environment!
Are your indoor plants looking a bit droopy? Do a bit of troubleshooting with these helpful tips!
1. SparkPeople, A Beginner’s Guide to Composting
About Author: Momentum Life is a leading provider of Life insurance and Funeral insurance in New Zealand.
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