HOME COMPOSTING
A SIMPLE GUIDE TO REDUCE YOUR WASTE
WHAT IS COMPOSTING? ď‚—
Compost is organic material that can be
used as a soil amendment or as a medium to grow plants. Mature compost is a stable material with a content called humus
that is dark brown or black and has a soil-like, earthy smell.
IT IS CREATED BY:
combining organic wastes (e.g., yard trimmings, food wastes, manures)
adding agents (e.g., wood chips) as
necessary to accelerate the breakdown of organic materials;
allowing the finished material to fully
stabilize through a curing process.
Yard Waste
TYPES OF COMPOSTING ď‚—
Natural composting or biological decomposition began with the first plants on earth and has been going on ever since. As vegetation falls to the ground, slowly decays, providing minerals and nutrients needed for
plants, animals, and microorganisms.
TYPES OF COMPOSTING ď‚—
Mature compost IS a complex organic material that has been transformed into a stable humus by microorganisms.
ď‚—
It gives plants an advantage in increased nutrients and water availability and reduces disease pressures.
DID YOU KNOW THAT COMPOST CAN…
Suppress plant diseases and pests.
Reduce or eliminate the need for
chemical fertilizers.
Facilitate reforestation.
WHAT TO COMPOST
Animal manure
Houseplants
Clean paper
Leaves
Coffee grounds and filters
Nut shells
Eggshells
newspapers
Fireplace ashes
Tea bags
Fruits and vegetables
Wood chips
Hair and fur Yard
Wool rags
etc
trimmings
WHAT NOT TO COMPOST LEAVE OUT: 1. Black walnut tree leaves or twigs 2. Coal or charcoal ash plants : Might contain substances harmful to plants 3. Dairy products (e.g., butter, egg yolks, milk, sour cream, yogurt) 4. Fats, grease, lard, or oils 5. Meat or fish bones and scraps : Create odor problems and attract pests such as
rodents and flies
6. Pet wastes (e.g., dog or cat feces, soiled cat litter) : Might
contain parasites, bacteria, germs, pathogens, and viruses harmful to humans
7. Yard trimmings treated with chemical pesticides : Might kill
beneficial composting organisms
8. Diseased or insect-ridden plants : Diseases or insects might survive and be transferred back to other plants
A basic guide to composting STEP 1 :
ď‚—
First select a spot to set up your bin. It should be out of the way but convenient to reach with plenty of room to work around. Some good places would be near your garden or in a back corner of the yard. It is also a good idea to choose a location close to a source of water.
A basic guide to composting STEP 2
Now for the recipe for compost: ď‚—
micro-organisms that recycle leaves and other plant parts with a mix of brown stuff and green stuff. They also need air and water to live and work. Put all this together and in time you will have compost!
A basic guide to composting Recipe Ingredients
Air Water Brown stuff Green stuff
A basic guide to composting ď‚—
Brown stuff is dead, dried plant parts like leaves and pine needles. Brown stuff is high in the element carbon.
ď‚—
Green stuff is fresh, living parts like grass clippings, kitchen vegetable scraps, weeds and other plants. Green stuff is high in the element nitrogen.
A basic guide to composting
Don't Use ď‚— Don't use meat, milk products because pets and other animals may try to dig them up out of your compost bin. ď‚—
Also don't use diseased garden plants. They can spread disease back into the garden later when you use the compost.
A basic guide to composting Step 3 This is the easiest way to build our compost bin in layers of ingredients: Start with the brown stuff by spreading a layer of leaves or pine needles.
A basic guide to composting STEP 4 Next, for the green stuff, add a layer of grass clippings. It is helpful to mix the layers up a little as you make them.
A basic guide to omposting STEP 5 ď‚—
Sprinkle a shovelful of soil or compost to add microorganisms to the bin.
A basic guide to composting STEP 6 ď‚—
Each layer gets a good sprinkling of water to wet the ingredients. It is important to wet each layer as you build it. Repeat each of the layers
until the bin is full.
A basic guide to composting STEP 7 - Finished Bin! ď‚—
The microorganisms will go to work breaking down the ingredients into humus. If you want
faster compost. ď‚—
you can mix the ingredients every few weeks but this isn't necessary.
A basic guide to composting FINAL RESULT:
This is compost! the dark, earthysmelling stuff is rich in nutrients. Plants love it! Let's talk about how to use compost to help plants grow.
Handful of Compost
A basic guide to composting Use Compost as Mulch You can use compost as a mulch around garden plants. Mulch protects the soil and shades out weed seeds. ď‚— Nutrients are washed out into the soil with each rain to feed the roots of plants. ď‚—
TYPES OF BINS
Thank You