How To Make Organic Gardening Compost
What kind of compost should you use for an organic garden? "Organic" means you don't use artificial chemicals or fertilizers to make your compost. It also means that you don't use lawn clippings, plant cuttings, or other material that has been exposed to chemical pesticides or herbicides.
Recipe For Quick Organic Gardening Compost
Visit your garden center and get some straw, because you'll need plenty of straw to make this organic gardening compost. Start your quick compost pile with a layer of straw. Don't mistake hay for straw; they are two different things. Hay contains many grass and weed seeds that you don't want to include in your compost.
For your second layer, use kitchen scraps or clippings from garden plants, or annual plants that are past their prime - remember, nothing that has been exposed to chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. Sprinkle the pile with plenty of blood meal or bone meal..
For the third layer, add dry brown material like shredded leaves, shredded corn stalks, or small, ground-up twigs.
Keep repeating these three layers. The straw will keep the pile aerated. All you need to do is water it enough to keep it barely moist.
Amazing Additions To Your Organic Gardening Compost Pile
Certain ingredients will give your compost pile a big boost and help it cook faster and be ready to use sooner. Plants, algae, and water from a freshwater aquarium contain nitrogen and other micronutrients that speed up the decomposition process.
Dead houseplants aren't so good for your home décor, but they make outstanding additions to the organic compost pile. Gardening outdoors is more fun, anyway. Make sure the plant is not showing signs of pest contamination or disease. Then just plop the entire plant, including the soil and root ball, onto the compost pile.
Weeds can be composted, too. Just be careful not to include any weeds that have set seed heads, or your compost pile will turn into a weed bed.
Coffee grounds add moisture and texture to the compost pile. You can compost the coffee filter, but it is very fibrous and will break down slowly. Cut it into smaller pieces so it can decompose faster.
Worst Compost Ingredients Ever
Whatever you do, do not add these ingredients to your organic gardening compost pile: Diseased plants; raw manure; sawdust from pressure-treated lumber; gypsum board scraps; vacuum cleaner bags and their contents; and meats, dairy products, bones, and fish.
