Composting
Did you know that if we increased earth’s land surface with just 1cm of compost, we would reduce carbon dioxide levels to that of pre-industrial revolution times?
Each and every one of us has the potential and responsibility to compost our waste kitchen scraps and lawn clippings.
A great compost also makes great food!
What you will need:
A composting enclosure. The plastic composting domes are a great idea and can be placed anywhere.
Lawn clippings, manure (horse, cow, chicken – anything you can get), dolomite lime, seaweed brew (if you make it), kitchen scraps, weeds, some woody material finely chopped.
Step 1
Choose a well-drained, sunny position. Lay down a layer of course material (broken sticks, twigs, prunings, dry leaves, torn newspaper, cardboard etc). Place some compost or rich soil on top. This will provide aeration and a starter agent.
Step 2
Collect and add other organic material eg fruit and vegetable scraps. The greater the variety of material the better the compost will be. You can add things like vacuum cleaner dust and hair!
Step 3
For even better compost add manure. Poultry manure is the highest in nitrogen, but cow or horse is fine. For a sweet smelling, ant and cockroach free compost add wood-ash, dolomite or lime.
Step 4
Water the ingredients. Make sure your compost does not dry out. It should be just moist. You could use your seaweed brew here if you have some.
Step 5
Keep layering in the same way. Each time you add material, cover it with some soil, grass clippings or shredded newspaper and put a Hessian bag on top to maintain moisture.
Step 6
Turn the heap every few weeks and check it is just moist. Aeration and moisture are essential for good compost. Compost turners are great for this job.
Water the ingredients. Make sure your compost does not dry out. It should be just moist.
Step 7
Micro organisms and worms break down the organic material. The compost is ready to use in about 8 weeks!