Make your own compost
Use that past-its-prime tomato in the bottom of your fridge to nourish your garden and you'll be saving money on potting soil and fertilizer, and sparing the landfill your waste.
According to Ken Thompson's book Compost (DK Publishing 2007, $22), spread onto your garden, compost will suppress weeds, help retain moisture and protect soil from the damaging effects of wind and heavy rain. Make great compost from your kitchen and yard waste with these tips.
How to make great compost
-Include veggie scraps, tea bags, coffee grounds, eggshells, cooked rice and pasta, bread, grass clippings, thin leaves and other kitchen and yard waste, but leave out cat litter, animal products, woody garden waste and spicy, salty or vinegary foods.
-Put your compost in a bin unless you have a lot of outdoor space for a pile. Bins are neater and tend to keep compost more moist. You may want to contain your pile inside a frame protected by chicken wire to keep raccoons and other animals from making a mess of it.
-Create the right balance of carbon and nitrogen in your compost by making it a mix of three parts soft, green material (vegetable matter, grass clippings) to one part woody material (twigs, shredded or crumpled paper and non-laminated cardboard).
-Break down garden detritus, such as tough stalks, with an axe or hammer to help it decompose faster.
-Some tree leaves make better compost than others because of their nitrogen content. While ash, cherry, maple, elm and willow leaves are good for compost, don't bother with birch, beech or oak leaves.
-Warm compost breaks down faster, so put your bin or pile in a sheltered, sunny spot.
-Get wriggling: Accelerate your compost by adding worms to your compost bin. As they eat organic material, worms are breaking it down, and they're also aerating the soil as they move through it. Head to the nearest bait shop to pick up some "red wigglers," the worm of choice for quickly breaking down compost. But don't dump that compost full of worms on your garden -- freeze it first to kill the worms, since red wigglers and most other types are non-native species that, if released, can damage forests.
-Your compost is ready to use when the easily decomposed material has disappeared and more resilient elements are no longer recognizable.
-If you're using a compost bin and not turning over the material, simply remove the newer material from the top of the bin and toss it in a second bin or a wheelbarrow for reloading, then shovel out the bottom layers for use in the garden.
Want to make your yard even greener? Check out 5 earth-friendly gardening habits.
 | This article was first printed in the May 2007 issue of Homemakers Magazine. Click to subscribe online and don't miss an issue. |
