So you can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk? Hopefully, this page will help you.
All things DIY and How To
All things DIY and How To
1. Choose a Compost Method
After deciding to compost, there are a lot of choices to be made before you can begin, and much of it depends on you specific situation. Many think that composting can only be done outside a house with a large yard, but with recent technology, composting can be done inside even the smallest apartment kitchen. If you have the room outside, I would say keep the compost in the yard. Outside composters can decompose more and are more convenient. If the space is limited, you can make or purchase (info on both included on this page) an enclosed compost bin for indoors.
Love Infographics
A great infographic from http://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/which-composting-method-is-best-for-you-infographic-helps-you-decide.html
Helps define the lines between Hot and Cold Composting as well as alternative methods. Outlines the advantages and disadvantages of just a few ways to compost.
A great infographic from http://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/which-composting-method-is-best-for-you-infographic-helps-you-decide.html
Helps define the lines between Hot and Cold Composting as well as alternative methods. Outlines the advantages and disadvantages of just a few ways to compost.
Compost Indoors with Worms
There is stigma against composting. To the uninformed it seems unsanitary and smelly, and without the proper care and instructions, it can be. Here is a stench-free and sanitary method of composting indoors. The worms, which can be purchased at a local farmers market or online. For those who are still not convinced, take a class in vermicomposting. Detroit Farm and Garden offers a comprehensive class for beginners.
Find more information about the class on their website or on the Facebook event:
http://detroitfarmandgarden.com/
https://www.facebook.com/events/452134511567561/?ref=22
For those who aren't DIY fans, there are a variety of vermicomposter available for purchase. For help choosing one, visit http://www.vermicompost.net/worm-composting-bins/
There is stigma against composting. To the uninformed it seems unsanitary and smelly, and without the proper care and instructions, it can be. Here is a stench-free and sanitary method of composting indoors. The worms, which can be purchased at a local farmers market or online. For those who are still not convinced, take a class in vermicomposting. Detroit Farm and Garden offers a comprehensive class for beginners.
Find more information about the class on their website or on the Facebook event:
http://detroitfarmandgarden.com/
https://www.facebook.com/events/452134511567561/?ref=22
For those who aren't DIY fans, there are a variety of vermicomposter available for purchase. For help choosing one, visit http://www.vermicompost.net/worm-composting-bins/
Treehugger posted a great article with a wide variety of time tested DIY compost binsHere is the link: http://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/4-diy-compost-bins-you-can-build-one-day-video.html
2. Fill It Up
Brother Nature founder Greg Willerer compares building a compost pile to making soup. "In good soup, you want a complex mixture of spices and ingredients. In compost, the more variety of trace minerals, the more nutrients the plants will absorb." Getting the right mixture can be tough.
There are hundreds of websites that will all tell you about the perfect carbon to nitrogen ratios and perhaps try to sell you
Here is a comprehensive guide released by the United States Environmental Protection Agency about what does and doesn't go into a compost pile.
To find the rest of the document, visit http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/tools/greenscapes/pubs/compost-guide.pdf
Especially helpful is the Troubleshotting Your Pile section. I have come to realize that compost is a hit and miss learning experience. You must be patient and adapting when working with compost. It is a natural process that can be affected by many elements including weather and temperature, which means you aren't always going to get exactly what you want. You must learn from mistakes and be willing to put some work into it.
To find the rest of the document, visit http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/tools/greenscapes/pubs/compost-guide.pdf
Especially helpful is the Troubleshotting Your Pile section. I have come to realize that compost is a hit and miss learning experience. You must be patient and adapting when working with compost. It is a natural process that can be affected by many elements including weather and temperature, which means you aren't always going to get exactly what you want. You must learn from mistakes and be willing to put some work into it.
3. Be Patient
DECOMPOSITION TAKES TIME. There is now way to avoid it. websites will try to sell you concoctions that promise to speed up the process, but the truth of the matter is that no matter what you do, the decomposing process will not be instantaneous. You can try putting your pile in the sun so the heat speeds it up, or use a bin that aerates the mixture (like my compost tumbler), but in the end it take patience.
From experience, I have found that compost is very forgiving. Don't worry too much about finding the "perfect ratio" of ingredients or hitting the exact temperature. Decomposition is a process that happens in nature in a variety of conditions, it is very hard to mess up.
Though it may seem like extra work, the work is worth it. Not only does composting give you a natural fertilizer and weed reducer, it helps fulfill the human desire to care for the environment by reducing waste and pollution.
From experience, I have found that compost is very forgiving. Don't worry too much about finding the "perfect ratio" of ingredients or hitting the exact temperature. Decomposition is a process that happens in nature in a variety of conditions, it is very hard to mess up.
Though it may seem like extra work, the work is worth it. Not only does composting give you a natural fertilizer and weed reducer, it helps fulfill the human desire to care for the environment by reducing waste and pollution.