Home composting is an exciting approach for reviving soil productivity. It provides a system where one can monitor progress to achieve maximum results.
It involves simple procedures to more integrative and technical processes which work to enhance soil productivity to maximize the yield. Composting may include simple methods such as digging a compost pit in your backyard and adding several organic materials to come up with a nutritious product which will work to restore soil nutrients.
Moreover composting is beneficial for the environment because it keeps food wastes away from landfills where they release greenhouse gases. These greenhouse gases emit harmful radiation into the atmosphere.
This article takes a focus on home composting, its procedures, advantages, disadvantages and its implementation mechanism. With many families, one would desire to have green grass or healthy plants which reflects a healthy soil or soil rich in nutrients.
Perhaps this picture is attributed to natural causes and dependent on one’s placement in the geographical setting however as much as we might not change nature we might undertake certain aspects to improve its output.
First, let us get a proper and a more detailed explanation of what home composting is, composting is a way of breaking down organic waste to provide nutrients to the soil, it involves decomposing the organic material over time and later harvesting the result to use as natural manure.
Home composting includes various steps which I will list below in chronological order:
1. Make your compost in the ground itself, and there is no need no need of putting it in some container. However, a compost bin or tumbler in the garden can be very helpful while you are still gathering materials. Once you have all the materials, you need to dig a shallow hole and set the compost pile in the earth. This is to let worms and other beneficial micro-organisms work on the compost.
2. If you have twigs and straw in your compost pile, you should put them in a compost pit first: bury them a few inches into the earth. These twigs help in ventilating and draining the compost pile.
3. When adding compost materials, make sure you do it in layers and that you alternate the dry and moist materials. Moist materials include seaweed, tea bags, and food scraps. The dry materials include leaves, sawdust pellets, and straw.
4. After adding the dry and moist materials in layers, you can then add the manure, grass and other plants. These ingredients emit nitrogen into the soil, speeding up the process of decomposition in the compost pile.
5. Always keep the compost moist, this will not be a problem during the rainy season since the rainwater will do the job. However, during the dry season make sure you water the compost just like any other plant that you take care of.
6. You can help retain moisture in the compost pit by covering it with anything such as wood, carpet scraps or even plastic sheets. This can also serve as protection from too much rainwater during the rainy season. Keep the covering moist but not soaked.
7. To aerate the compost pile, make sure that you turn the pile every few weeks using a shovel or a pitchfork. Composting is aided mainly by oxygen, and turning the pile now and then can help add oxygen to speed up the composting process.
You may choose to add new materials later on. Do not worry much about layering the materials since you can mix them with the rest of the pile.
Purchasing a rotating tumbler is not a must, but it sure does make small-scale composting easier. Nonetheless, this will largely depend on individual preference.
Benefits of Composting
Composting is economical as most products are naturally acquired, and they are not costly. Some composting materials are derived from other products such as egg shells.
To further expound on this, imagine how much more you spend buying artificial fertilizers for your flowers and the vegetables growing in your kitchen garden. With home composting, you will save much more and protect the soil from harmful chemicals that are used to manufacture artificial fertilizers.
Artificial fertilizers can alter the pH of the soil, rendering it useless to some plants. Using organic compost eradicates this problem since the organic material is composed of naturally occurring substances such as steroids that promote healthy plant growth.
Composting is environmentally friendly, and it offers a solution for organic waste disposal. Organic waste is smelly once it starts to break down and decomposes, it is also an eyesore.
Untreated organic waste creates a conducive environment for harmful bacteria to thrive. This may precipitate cases of water-borne diseases especially if the organic waste gets into contact with drinking water sources.
Composting this material by allowing controlled breakdown, ensures an efficient method of disposal that is also beneficial in the long run.
Composting is one of the ways to curb water, and land pollution as inadequate disposal of waste leads to rechanneling of the waste to waterways, and they end up in our water sources such as streams.
Composting provides an agricultural solution to poorly developed plants or non-productive soil and might be the first step to a greener home compound.
Disadvantages
Composting, however, has several challenges as it involves more or less a new kind of lifestyle, some of the hitches include:
It is a dirty practice and requires several sanitation practices during and after the procedure. It may not be for the light-hearted.
It could be smelly while piling up the materials.
Precautions to take while composting Identify the materials to use, note that NOT all materials are suitable for composting, meat, bone, perennial weeds, diseased plants, fruit peels, and fish products may attract pets such as dogs.
Examples of typical materials you can use for your organic compost include:
1. Food and vegetable scraps
2. Leaves
3. Eggshells
4. Garden plants and grass
5. Garden Weeds
6. Hay or straw
7. Flowers
8. Coffee grounds
9. Chicken manure
Put on gloves during composting to avoid direct contact with the organic material. The organic material may contain harmful microorganisms that can cause nasty infections or allergies.
Avoid a visit to the doctor by taking right precautionary measures. Designate a suitable place for the compost pit, do not place it next to a water source avoid leakage to the water sources.
Apart from pollution, all the nutrients will leach out making the compost less useful to plants.
Seek more information on home composting and fully understand the processes where clarification is needed.
Why Composting
If you have an image of a greener compound a more attractive yard, a more productive kitchen garden then composting is the way to go. It is a natural process, and it is evident that its advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
Home composting also offers a solution for the disposal of organic waste which at times would be hectic and then again there is no greater feeling than knowing you are taking part in a global initiative of greening the environment and keeping it free from pollution.
Composting also lays a foundation for eco-friendly processes in your home, and soon you will get to discover and desire these processes.
Composting on a Smaller Scale
You do not always have to dig a pit and follow the lengthy and tiring process that follows after that. This is why innovative companies have created compost tumbler systems, which make composting so much more comfortable.
The advantage of such systems is that you can efficiently control various parameters including moisture content and what goes into the compost tumbler system. When looking for a compost tumbler system always consider the following factors.
1. That it is made out of rustproof material, plastic should get the job done. However, inquire if the plastic is UV treated so that it does not degrade when placed outside.
2. Make sure that the tumbler is sturdy and that its capacity is reasonably good, and you would not want a tumbler that will fill up too quickly and overflow.
3. Ensure the tumbler does not leak, most tumblers have a mechanism to drain the fluid (compost tea).
4. Look for a tumbler that is easy to use and maneuver. Various companies specialize in making compost tumbler systems such as Envirocycle and Lifetime. You can read our review on the top composters here.
Composting is a great way to recycle organic waste, and you will no longer worry about disposing of your organic waste. You will be able to reduce the amount of waste your household produces and put it into useful work.
Happy composting!