Organic Gardener:
How to Make Compost
Learning how to make compost is just one
of the organic gardening tips you'll find on this website. If you're a organic gardener then you should be
prepared to get your hands dirty. As a gardener, you need to handle plants, soil, rocks, fertilizer, soil
conditioners, etc. and a pair of gardening gloves are not always handy. At times using gloves can prevent you from
handling some delicate stuff delicately. There will be times when organic gadening that you'll have to get down on
your knees and get your hands dirty and nothing is dirtier that making compost.
Composting is the process where biodegradable materials, usually manure and
household wastes, are turned into a soil-like product by combining them with a little air, water and nitrogen. Is
that too technical for you? Well compost is a dark, crumbly, soil-like substance which functions as a soil
conditioner, mulch, and fertilizer. It feeds your garden soil the microorganisms that most plants need to grow
healthy and strong.
When you how to make compost, it
would be ideal to find a nice place near your garden that has enough concealment to not affect the overall look of
your garden. Does that make sense? Just like one of the famous movies say "hiding in plain sight". If such is the
case, a cleverly painted compost bin would help make the area neater. A corral or some similar fenced area would do
just fine.
After setting up your composting area, you should start composting by arranging a
3:1 ratio of brown and green organic materials. Green ingredients contain lots of nitrogen while the brown elements
contain lots of carbon. Together, they form the basic foundations of a compost file. The green organic components
of organic gardening can include grass clippings while the brown components are the dry leaves and other wood
products.
If you're concerned about the possibility that bad odors would come out of your
compost pile, then don't. When the ratio of greens and browns is correct, you don't have to worry about any bad
smell from your compost pile. Compost should have this earthy smell and not smell like something rotting. If it
begins to smell later then there could have been some unintended things that might have been included in the pile
or the ratio of the green and brown components is not correct.
 Click here for a Composting Guide
One way to make certain that your compost pile has just the right combination of
green and brown components, is to get a pile of green material and put it in you compost bin. Follow it up with two
piles of brown materials. Keep this gong until you have a nice pile of leaves and grass that measures about three
feet high. At this height, you will probably have a base measuring about 3 feet also. One good thing of having this
large a compost pile is that the greens and browns can easily and quickly break down.
If you want, you could add in a bucket of already finished compost to the newly
formed pile. This will help start the process and begin the microbial activities in your compost pile.
Make sure that you add enough moisture to the pile as well. Keeping the compost
pile damp will help quicken the breakdown of the organic materials. Add water to the pile and feel a sample. It
should be damp, somewhat like a sponge. See, I told you your hands will have to get dirty.
You will need to turn over your compost pile at least once a week. Doing so will
keep it loose and allow air into the pile which quickens the process of decomposition. After about two months, you
should have decent quality compost. The original materials you used should no longer be recognizable.
As you can see, being an organic gardener and knowing how to make compost is quite easy and requires not too much of your time.
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