Compost: Transforming garbage into gold!
Compost: Transforming garbage into gold!
Compost: Transforming garbage into gold! Composting involves the natural process of recycling organic matter, as food scraps and plant debris, resulting in a nutrient-rich mixture that can serve as fertilizer and enhance soil quality.
If you’re throwing away kitchen scraps like coffee grounds and eggshells, and not recycling yard waste like leaves and grass clippings, you’re missing out on some valuable resources! Instead of letting these items go to a landfill, they should be added to your compost bin where they can do some good.
Composting is simpler than you might think, and it allows you to produce your own Gardener’s Gold or Black Gold—a term used by gardeners and Farmers for this nutrient-rich blend of decomposed materials that can enhance your garden. You don’t need a lot of space for a compost pile, it can be done on any scale.
Compost is a fantastic resource; the best part is that it doesn’t cost anything! You just need a blend of yard scraps and kitchen waste, along with a little time and patience. Over time, those solid materials will decompose, allowing you to create compost that enhances your soil’s texture and helps retain moisture, whether using it in containers or mixing it with the native soil for planting shrubs and trees.
Here are some tips for composting:
- Choose a location
Materials:
You need a balance of green materials—which are fresh, moist plant materials—and brown materials, which are dry, carbon-rich plant materials with no life in them.
Green/wet materials :
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- Eggshells
- Grass clippings
- Coffee grounds/filters and tea leaves/tea bags without staples
Brown/dry materials:
- Dry/dead leaves
- Wood chips and wood ash
- Straw
- Chopped up twigs
- Dryer lint
- Paper towels or napkins
Start with a layer of bulky brown materials, like twigs, to provide drainage and aeration. Then, alternate layers of green and brown materials, keeping the pile moist.
- Maintain the ratio
Aim for a ratio of two to three parts carbon-rich material (browns) to one part nitrogen-rich material (greens).
- Turn the pile
Regularly turn the pile with a shovel or pitchfork to distribute air and moisture.
- Cover the pile
Cover the pile with wood, plastic sheeting, or carpet scraps to retain moisture and heat.
- Avoid certain materials
Don’t add meat, dairy, greasy foods, bones, baked goods, or fatty foods to your compost pile. These materials don’t decompose easily and may attract animals.
We can all contribute to making a positive impact in our world. Remember, this is our home, and it’s important to cherish it. Let’s each take action in our own way. Implementing small changes that lead to significant benefits for the environment. Together, we can ensure that future generations enjoy a beautiful planet just like we do.
At Johnson Ops Tree Care, we’re committed to maximizing the resources in our yard. We transform chipped brush and wood into mulch, mill slabs and lumber from logs, and include stump grinding in our nursery’s Legacy Trees system. Eventually, we could potentially venture into the production and sale of compost.