Landscaping and Gardening Info

When we hear the words composting pile what do we all think about? Is it rural areas, where there are farms with large compost heaps in the corner of them? Do we think of the garden of that local oddball environmentalist who always has some waste stinking away claming its helping the environment? Probably, but that does not make it any less true. Composting is a great way to use your food and other waste, for a renewable resource.

Taking a large container - usually, this is a large box, a huge bin, or a garden barrel specifically designed for the purpose of compositing. The, you will be able to safely throw away your waste and will be able to utilise it to the best of your ability, effectively recycling in your own back yard.

But how do composting piles work.

To start with, what you will put into your composting pile is important, food wastes such as banana peels and rotten apples can all go straight into your compositing pile. Similarly, garden waste can do the same, the leaves which fall in the autumn, or the weeds which you pluck from your garden yourself. These are all great and suitable things for your composting pile. There are other things which must go into your compositing pile however to make it work effectively.

These are things like grass clippings from mowing your lawn, saw dust and wood chips, and also manure from cows, horses, and many other animals that you may have. If you do not have animals, you can buy a bag of manure specifically to put into your composting pile with the rest of your waste.

This waste is then broken down by micro organisms. But, as with any other living thing, a micro organism requires certain things to continue living and working for us. These are easy to provide if you know what they are. The first of these is heat. Make sure that your compost pile is not cold, or it will not decompose as the micro organisms will die in the cold.

The other two things which are required by micro organisms is air and water. Just like with humans and animals. Make sure that whatever container you plan to use is well ventilated with air holes all over it, while also ensuring that it gets enough rain water. If your compost pile is not moist like a sponge would be, then you should water it yourself as it is not getting enough of this from the rain.

The last detail which helps a composting pile to work is how the waste is thrown into this. Composting can be a relatively long process, and this can be made even worse if we do not cut up our food waste and make it smaller. Throwing a whole apple in their will take longer to decompose than throwing a cut up apple for example.

Composting piles take anywhere from two weeks to two years to actually produce something that we are able to use upon our gardens. The only way to ensure that this is going to be a fast rather than drawn out process is to make sure that all the things above are in your compositing pile, and the conditions are suitable.

Tags: garden, landscaping