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Starting a Compost in Your Garden greenwoodnursery.com /page.cfm/208585 Are you ready to start a compost program? Anyone who has a garden should be composting. It is very easy to do and the benef its are numerous when it comes to enhancing the soil and producing quality f ruits, f lowers and vegetables. Compost bins in the garden. By def inition, compost is the humus like material that results from the decomposition of organic matter. When we grow and remove healthy crops in our gardens, we also remove many of the nutrients in the soil. For sustainable agriculture to thrive, even in a small backyard garden, we must replace what we have taken out of the soil. Good compost consists of elements that are essential to productive gardening, such as nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, sulf ur, etc. The most basic type of composting is simply a pile established near your garden. There are two components required to start your pile. So called, ‘brown” materials laden with Carbon such as f all leaves, dried grass clippings, dead f lowers, old corn stalks and even shredded newspaper make up part one. Part two consists of “green” materials loaded with Nitrogen like vegetable kitchen waste (excluding meat), animal manures f rom chickens, horses, cows, etc. and f resh grass clippings. Start your pile by laying at least six inches of brown material on the bottom. On top of this add a f ew inches of the green materiel. A good ratio of brown to green is about 4:1. Keep this brown/green layering going until your pile is about f our f eet high and make sure you keep the whole thing moist. The pile should be in a sunny location as the heat will accelerate the decomposition process. The only real work involved in developing a productive pile is that you will have to “turn” it every couple of weeks with a f ork in order to aerate it. Don’t be surprised if a little steam escapes as you turn the compost over. This is a good thing which occurs when the raw materials begin to decompose. Fresh ready to use compost. If you are diligent about maintaining your pile it will produce the humus like product we are looking f or in a f ew weeks. It will also look neat and be odor f ree. If you have limited space or are concerned about appearance, you should look into composting bins which are available at most garden centers and do it yourself stores. These keep the materials contained and some actually are mounted on rotating wheels making aeration very easy. Simply rotate the drum f ull of decomposing materiel a half a turn every week and what was on the top is now on the bottom.

Starting a Compost in Your Garden

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Page 1: Starting a Compost in Your Garden

Starting a Compost in Your Gardengreenwoodnursery.com /page.cf m/208585

Are you ready to start a compost program?

Anyone who has a garden should be composting. It is very easy to do and the benef its arenumerous when it comes to enhancing the soil and producing quality f ruits, f lowers and vegetables.

Compost bins in the garden.

By def init ion, compost is the humus like material thatresults f rom the decomposition of organic matter. When we grow and remove healthy crops in ourgardens, we also remove many of the nutrients in thesoil. For sustainable agriculture to thrive, even in asmall backyard garden, we must replace what we havetaken out of the soil. Good compost consists ofelements that are essential to productive gardening,such as nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, potassium,calcium, sulf ur, etc.

The most basic type of composting is simply a pile established near your garden. There are twocomponents required to start your pile. So called, ‘brown” materials laden with Carbon such as f allleaves, dried grass clippings, dead f lowers, old corn stalks and even shredded newspaper make uppart one. Part two consists of “green” materials loaded with Nitrogen like vegetable kitchen waste(excluding meat), animal manures f rom chickens, horses, cows, etc. and f resh grass clippings.

Start your pile by laying at least six inches of brown material on the bottom. On top of this add a f ewinches of the green materiel. A good ratio of brown to green is about 4:1. Keep this brown/greenlayering going until your pile is about f our f eet high and make sure you keep the whole thing moist. The pile should be in a sunny location as the heat will accelerate the decomposition process. Theonly real work involved in developing a productive pile is that you will have to “turn” it every couple ofweeks with a f ork in order to aerate it. Don’t be surprised if a lit t le steam escapes as you turn thecompost over. This is a good thing which occurs when the raw materials begin to decompose.

Fresh ready to use compost.

If you are diligent about maintaining your pile it willproduce the humus like product we are looking f or in af ew weeks. It will also look neat and be odor f ree. Ifyou have limited space or are concerned aboutappearance, you should look into composting binswhich are available at most garden centers and do ityourself stores. These keep the materials containedand some actually are mounted on rotating wheelsmaking aeration very easy. Simply rotate the drum f ullof decomposing materiel a half a turn every week andwhat was on the top is now on the bottom.

Page 2: Starting a Compost in Your Garden

Get into composting and you will be doing the environment and your garden a lot of good. Locallygrown, sustainable and organic…it’s the way to go!

Don't f orget plants f or your beautif ul new compost f rom http://www.greenwoodnursery.com/.