Home Garden Compost and Mulch
Garden compost and mulch are two of a gardener's best friends. It is beneficial
for strong and healthy plants, and will significantly increase the productivity
of your garden. Their long lasting benefits save time and effort in all types
of gardens. There are many forms of compost and mulch. Some are organic,
while others are artificial.
Be a soil saver..... start organic home garden composting today.
Did you Know? Mushroom compost is a highly valued soil amendment.
Do you know what mushroom compost is made of?
Find out now
What's the Difference between Compost and Mulch?
Compost is any kind decayed, organic plant or animal waste matter.
In the home garden, we think of compost as organic plant matter. It's
nutrient rich composition, acts as a natural, healthy, organic fertilizer
for your plants. The act of "composting" is the process where organic plant
and animal matter decays, as a result of piling it up and allowing it to
break down through the natural process of decomposition. This is accomplished
over a period of time, by a combination of natural bacteria, air, worms,
heat, and water.
Compost is literally any organic matter. It can include weeds, grass clippings,
hay, seaweed, garden waste, kitchen scraps, tree leaves, or branches to name
a few. It can also be animal matter. Animal matter is discouraged, as it
has several dis-advantages, most notably attracting unwanted garden pests.
Mulch on the other hand, is any material placed around plants as a
protective covering for the purpose of:
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Reducing weeds around the plants
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Increasing or decreasing soil temperature
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Retaining moisture around the plant
Mulches can be organic such as compost, wood chips, grass clippings, or hay
to name a few. Or, they could be inorganic such as black plastic newspaper,
or even aluminum foil. The benefit of organic is that it also enriches the
soil. In-organic mulches can be much more efficient in keeping out weeds.
But they are of no benefit to the composition of your garden soil.
Tip: If you recently sprayed or applied chemicals to your lawn, do
not use the grass clippings in compost that will make it's way to your vegetable
garden.
How to Make Compost:
Home garden composting is easy. There is not much you can do wrong long term
to the compost pile (also called the compost heap) Pile up any organic matter
and it will decompose over time. If you simply pile it onto a heap, it will
decompose.....eventually. What most gardeners want however, is to speed up
the composting process and avoid the pitfalls of bad odor and attracting
unwanted pests.
A well maintained and active compost pile, will convert organic material
to compost in as little as thirty days. Left to nature, a compost heap
can take several months or even a year. The byproduct of active decomposition
is heat. Have you ever seen a large twenty foot pile of wood chips pile up
at your local nursery in the middle of the winter? You may have observed
it smoking. A compost pile can actually become so hot, that it ignites. This
is a not so rare an occurrence, most commonly occurring in large town or
industrial composting.
The basics to good composting:
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Select an area to create your pile.
-
Many people opt to close in their pile with fencing or acquire a home composter.
Home composters are neat and more aesthetically pleasing than a pile of weeds
in the middle of your yard.
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Add any organic matter from your garden or yard.
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Also include any vegetable waste from your kitchen, including egg shells,
coffee grounds, tea bags, etc.
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If possible, alternate layers of green (new) and brown waste. This helps
the mixing process, and aids in decomposition.
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Keep the compost pile moist, but not wet.
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Turn the pile over from time to time to maximize air circulation to the bacteria
and microbes that "eat" and convert your pile into rich compost.
-
Use the compost after it has almost completely turned into soil. It will
be rich in nutrients and minerals.
-
Use and enjoy!
Did you know? Along with heat, odor is another common by-product of
your compost pile. You can keep odor to a minimum by turning the pile regularly.
One of the most common culprits is grass clippings piled too thickly. Make
sure to mix them in well.
Some Do's and Don't's:
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Do stir the pile to allow air penetration
-
Do not put animal remains or meat and fats from cooking in the pile. While
they may be rich in nutrients, they attract unwanted little "critters"
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Do keep the pile moist
-
Do not put grass clippings too thickly, or they will smell as they decay
and decay slower.
-
Chip or shred larger items such a branches and plant stalks if possible.
The more area bacteria has to work, the quicker the decomposition.
-
Do not put diseased plants of any kind into the compost pile. They can overwinter
in the pile and re-infest your garden next year.
Speeding up the process:
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Stirring the pile from time to time, speeds up the composting process.
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Keep it loose to allow air flow
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Red worms speed up the composting process. Add them to your pile once and
they should reproduce and you may not need to buy them again.
What to Compost/Compost Materials:
In general you can use most vegetable matter. This includes yard and garden
waste, weeds,leaves, branches and twigs, and kitchen scraps. Ideally you
want to use a mixture of green and brown matter. The green matter, like grass
clipping, is high in nitrogen. Nitrogen gets the compost "cooking", or
decomposing.
For an extensive list of what compost materials to use, and what not to use,
see What to Compost.
Related Topics:
How to compost and use manure - Manure is another
great compost for your garden soil.
Compost Honey Hole
More
on Composting at Garden Hobbies
Compost Tea a great liquid fertilizer. And,
it's free! Use Compost Tea for both indoor and outdoor plants.
Buy Composters - See the top composters and compost tumblers
on the market.
More Information:
Buy Flower, Vegetable and Herb Seeds Ferry Morse
seeds, America's oldest seed company with their famous "guarantee to grow".
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