When tending to the plants in your garden, relying on soil and water is not enough. The warm temperatures of the summer months can dry and wither the soil in your garden. As for the winter, your soil gets practically frozen, which takes its toll on the soil’s nutritional content. You need compost to ensure the soil’s richness and your plants’ good health.
Compost is the combination of fertilizer, mulch and soil conditioner. When placed in your garden, it enhances and preserves the nutritional content of soil through the microorganisms that it releases. It also helps with the retention and the drainage of water, to control the water intake of plants.
A Simple Lengthy Process
Making compost is easy. You just need to mix the basic ingredients and have a sizable vessel where you will form the compost. The entire process may be lengthy but you will not have problems creating the mixture, if you have all the necessary tools. Just be precise when you are balancing the green and brown components.
Equipment Used:
garden fork
shovel
hose
compost bin
Materials for the Green Component:
fruit
coffee grinds
grass clippings
pieces of flowers
Materials for the Brown Component:
straw
stem pieces
tree bark
hedge clippings
Phase 1 Procedure:
Purchase a compost bin from a garden shop. The sizes of the compost bins vary. Just get one that can hold enough compost for your entire garden.
Gather the ingredients. Segregate them according to which compost component they belong to (brown or green).
Mix the ingredients of the green and brown components using your garden fork. Make sure that the components are throughly meshed.
Once both components have been mixed, use your fork or shovel to place the components in the compost bin. Place the components in this order: one forkful of the green component followed by two forkfuls of the brown component.
When the bin is almost full, add a layer of garden soil to start the decomposition process.
Decomposition Maintenance
The entire process of forming the compost lasts for about six to twelve months. You should keep an eye on the state of decomposition of your compost from time to time. Check its moisture levels and turn the composted material weekly to hasten the rate of decomposition.
Phase 2 Procedure:
After a week from the start of the decomposition process, go to the compost bin and touch the mixture inside. It should feel like a damp sponge if it contains the right moisture level.
Add water if your mixture is too dry or add more brown components if it is too damp.
Use your shovel to turn the mixture over inside the bin. Turning the mixture keeps air pockets from forming, which can slow down the rate of decomposition.
Do steps 1, 2 and 3 weekly ensure that your compost is decomposing properly.
You will know that the decomposition process is complete, when the compost’s ingredients are indistinguishable. Scatter the finished compost evenly on your garden. With the compost in place, you just did your plants a big favor. You shall be rewarded by beautiful summer blooms and total durability for all seasons.