Choosing a Garden Composter - Size Matters

Pretty, practical, homemade or shop bought. Beehive, tumbler or basic plastic compost bin? Choosing what kind of garden composter to use can be a minefield. The size of the bin is very important when garden composting.

Any large plastic compost bin will make compost quickly, as it keeps everything so warm and moist. You will need several though, as the compost is still likely to take three months or more to be produced. Alternatively you could look at some of the quicker working systems such as the rotating compost bins which are expected to produce good quality compost within weeks rather than months.The first point is to chose a garden compost bin which is the right size for you.If you produce large amounts of organic matter to add to your garden compost bins you can get away with very open compost piles such homemade bins made from old pallets or other wood scraps. But, if you only produce small volumes of garden waste, such an exposed pile of compost would never heat up enough to break down thoroughly.If you produce huge amounts of organic waste you need big garden compost bins. If you only produce small amounts of waste, get a small one. If you choose a size you cannot fill in a short space of time (within six months) you will find the garden compost never actually comes to much. As it breaks down at the bottom of the bin, and you keep adding to the top, the volume of matter reduces. You end up in a cycle of never filling the compost bin and so never actually reaping the reward of lovely free compost.Small volumes of garden waste need a little more protection. A small (200 litre) cheap plastic compost bin is the most practical for the small garden. It won't take an age to fill, and it will keep the contents warm and moist enough to break down thoroughly.First of all, do not stress too much about what kind of garden composter to use. Remember that nature wants all your garden waste to break down into lovely garden compost, and she'll do her utmost to help no matter what kind of compost bin you use.

Small volumes of garden waste need a little more protection. A small (200 litre) cheap plastic compost bin is the most practical for the small garden. It won't take an age to fill, and it will keep the contents warm and moist enough to break down thoroughly.

Author: Lec Watkins

Horse Manure Compost � Is It The Best Animal Manure?

Different animal manures have different qualities. Horse and sheep manure tend to be hot and dry. Cow manure is cooler and wetter and pig is cold and frankly sloppy! Poultry is very hot and will burn plants if put too close to them. A lot of people know this.

The first thing you will need for any compost heap of any size is something to keep it in. While it is possible to get reasonably good compost just by popping everything into a rough heap in the corner of the garden, this isn't the most efficient method. Besides, it doesn't look very good. A better option is to create some kind of structure to keep the compost contained. This will also allow warmth to generate within the heap as the compost breaks down, creating favourable conditions for beneficial microorganisms.Using a garden compost bin means you get to improve your garden for free whilst also reducing your household waste. It really is a win-win situation.Composting is one of the simplest ways to cut down on the amount of waste generated by your household (or organisation - workplaces, churches and clubs often throw compostable waste into rubbish destined for the landfill). What's more, it has some added benefits - you're left with magnificent organic fertiliser for your garden (or even houseplants).On the more personal side, garden composting creates usable material from your organic kitchen scraps and garden waste. So, you do not have to start using a garden composter for totally altruistic reasons. Instead use one because you get to create soil enriching plant food. Over time plants use up the nutrients in your garden soil and the action of weather will degrade its structure. If you garden continually on a plot without putting anything back eventually the soil will become useless and unable to support healthy plant life. This is particularly true because gardeners tend to be relatively tidy, removing debris which would otherwise go some way to replenishing the nutrients and structure of your soil.Ideally, you will need more than one bin or stack in your compost heap. Three is ideal, but two is adequate. These work on the same principle as in-trays on an office desk - in, processing and out (or in and out). Compost heaps can be constructed in many ways. Black plastic bags are basic but not very pleasant. Large bottomless plastic bins with lids (the size of rubbish bins or larger) work well, especially if made of darker material that absorbs sunlight to get the compost good and hot. A do-it-yourself type can easily construct a container using wooden stakes and either corrugated iron sheets (old roofing iron works) or wire netting around the outside. My compost heaps are made of pea straw bales pushed into a rectangle - these can be kept at one layer high or increased. Straw bales work just as well. The advantage of these is that the construction material eventually breaks down as well, adding to the compost heap even further.

Although cow manure might be the most perfect for your garden it tends to be much less available than horse manure the addition of which seems to keep my roses perfectly happy!

Author: Sarah Cowell

Benefits of Garden Composting

If you are considering garden composting but need some motivation please read on. There are numerous benefits to creating your own garden compost and no drawbacks either!

And at the end of it all, you'll be left with the richest, blackest organic fertiliser that you can put on your garden. And, contrary to popular expectations, it doesn't even smell too bad!What do you put onto a compost heap? You can put any garden waste and any kitchen waste into the compost heap. As a matter of fact, anything that has an organic origin can go in. This includes papers, old leather shoes, cat litter, wood ash, cloth made from artificial fibres and the contents of your vacuum cleaner bag. Some things take longer to rot down than others (leather, cloth and bones take a while), so when you come to using the compost, these items may need to be fished out and put back into the heap. Some people get very scientific about the proportions of different types of waste, but a good rule of thumb is to make sure that you have about the same amount of "wet" waste (lawn clippings, vegetable peelings, weeds, etc) to "dry" waste (dead leaves, paper, straw, ash, etc). If you want to really enrich your compost heap for use in the garden, then you can collect seaweed and animal manure to add in.Adding garden compost regularly gives your soils a feed of slow release fertiliser. Nearly all the nutrients needed by your plants, except perhaps lime, will be contained in your newly created garden compost. Also, of equal importance, hummus improves the very structure of the soil and its ability to retain moisture. Whether you dig your garden compost into the soil or just lay it as a mulch eventually all the goodness it contains is imparted to the soil and then your plants.For more information about garden composting and choosing a garden compost bin visit the Garden Composter site at http://gardencomposter.comSpecific properties of different manures can be used to improve particular sites. For example if a site is cold and damp, adding hot, dry horse manure is ideal (sheep dung is usually left in the field and fortunately the time hasn�t yet arrived where we need to painstakingly collect it). Likewise for a hot, dry site adding cool, wet pig dung will balance the site. Manure from cattle is pappy and wet and has a cool, restrained and long-lasting effect on the soil. It is the best manure for composting purposes, as the nutrients have been stabilized in the long digestive process of the animal. It contains valuable cellulose-decomposing bacteria making it highly beneficial in a compost heap.Poultry fed on seeds (grain) in which proteins and minerals are concentrated, provide a manure also high in minerals and with a low carbon nitrogen ratio (approx. 8:1), which means that it is low in carbon and is rich in nitrogen. It is also rich in phosphorus making it beneficial for growing the seed, flower and fruit parts of the plant.

For more information about garden composting and choosing a garden compost bin visit the Garden Composter site at http://gardencomposter.com

Author: Lec Watkins

How To Compost

Studies show that a large percentage of the household waste that reaches landfills, contributing to all the disadvantages and hazards that landfills bring, is composed of kitchen waste. Speaking as someone who's always had a compost heap and can't imagine life without one, I can't believe that people would throw such a valuable resource away...

Pig manure is rich in potassium and ideal for potash hungry root vegetables. However unless pigs are reared organically their manure can have a high copper content from the feed, so it isn�t suitable for the home compost bin and ultimately your veg. (In the UK there are strict regulations about composting if you keep pigs).Although cow manure might be the most perfect for your garden it tends to be much less available than horse manure the addition of which seems to keep my roses perfectly happy!Disposing of our waste is truly detrimental to the environment. The array of energy used to collect, transport and process our waste is all having a negative impact on the planet. Really it seems wasteful to use energy just to get rid of our excess stuff. This is compounded by the impact the waste itself has on the environment at large. Food waste, garden debris and other organic materials often end up in landfill. Because they are sealed under yet more rubbish they are unable to break down naturally. Instead they decompose anaerobically producing vast quantities of methane gas.The benefits of garden composting come in two different guises. Firstly the environmental impact you have on the planet and secondly the creation of something that benefits you, the gardener.Diverting all your organic waste reduces all the energy involved in processing it and cuts methane emissions which are a large factor in climate change. So by using a garden compost bin you really do help the environment.Your compost bin should either be placed on soil, or else dirt should be added to the bottom of your heap. This acts as a "starter" to begin the process of breaking down kitchen waste. For perfect compost, make sure you have some worms in your "starter". You can place bins or a stack on concrete - I had to do this once to stop a rat digging into the compost bin - but dirt is ideal.

And at the end of it all, you'll be left with the richest, blackest organic fertiliser that you can put on your garden. And, contrary to popular expectations, it doesn't even smell too bad!

Author: Nick Vassilev

What is a Kitchen Composter?

If you do not have the room to start garden composting, but want all the green kudos from making your own compost have you heard of a kitchen composter? If you would like to know how you could possibly recycle kitchen scraps into compost without your kitchen smelling like the municipal dump, read on.

When we root cuttings we use coarse sand in the flats, so when it�s time to pull the rooted cuttings out of the flats, the old sand goes on the compost pile. In our little backyard nursery we also have some plants in containers that do not survive. Rather than pulling the dead plant and the weeds out of the container, and then dumping the potting soil back on the soil pile, we just dump the whole container in the compost bin. This adds more brown material to the mix, and is a lot easier than separating the soil and the weeds.I would recommend using a commercial starter to begin with though, so you can see exactly how the process works. That way, once you start making your own you will know if it is working correctly. No-one wants a pile of fetid vegetable matter in the corner of the kitchen!Once the bin is full, the rules of composting say that you should turn the material in the bin every few weeks. There is no way that I have time to do that, so this is what I do. I pack as much material in the bin as I can before I start filling the second bin. I pile the material as high as I possibly can, and even let it spill out in front of the bin. Then I cover all the fresh material with mulch or potting soil, whatever brown material I can find.Having a pile of rotted compost near your compost bins is great because if you have a lot of leaves or grass clippings, you can throw some rotted compost in the bin in order to maintain that layered effect that is necessary in order for the composting process to work well.Although names and colours may vary every kitchen composting system is pretty similar. Indeed, there is nothing overly complicated involved. You can make your own, you just need a sturdy plastic bin with a very well fitting lid.My mulch pile might be 12� wide, but it may only be 24 to 30 inches high. Once I have all the compost on top of the pile, then I go around the edge of the pile with a shovel, and take some of the material from the edges of the pile and toss it up on top of the pile, covering the compost with at least 6" of rotted bark. This will cause the compost material to decompose the rest of the way.Around here many of the supply companies sell a compost material that is already broken down quite well. This is what I buy to add to my stockpile. But I try to make sure that I have at least 3 yards of old material on hand, then I�ll add another 3 yards of fresh material to that. Then in the spring I�ll empty one of the compost bins and add the compost to the top of the pile.

As foodstuffs ferment they will produce moisture. Each commercial bin for kitchen composting includes a tap, to drain off that excess liquid. If you make your own Bokashi style composter make sure to add a drainage tap too.

Author: Lec Watkins

Composting the Easy Way

Having an ample supply of good rich compost is the gardeners dream.

As foodstuffs ferment they will produce moisture. Each commercial bin for kitchen composting includes a tap, to drain off that excess liquid. If you make your own Bokashi style composter make sure to add a drainage tap too.It has many uses, and all of those uses will result in nicer plants. However, composting can be time consuming and hard work. I place a reasonable value on my time, so spending hours and hours turning compost piles doesn�t qualify as a worthwhile exercise, at least in my book. Nonetheless, I do compost, but I do so on my terms.A cinder block or brick bin is also rather easy and cheap to build. If you visit a demolition or construction site, you are bound to find the materials you need readily available. Simply ask for permission to take them. As with the pallets, if you take them away, it saves the company from having to pay for the costs associated with disposing of them. Simply create a square enclosure by stacking the blocks or bricks on top of each other. Make sure you leave space between the blocks for ventilation.Sure this process is a little work, but it sure is nice to have a place to get rid of organic waste anytime I like. Then down the road when I have beautiful compost to add to my potting soil, I am grateful to have done the right thing earlier, and I know that I have wasted nothing.All you do is introduce a 'starter' to your kitchen composter. This can be a cheaply bought product, usually made of rice, sawdust or wheat. The rice, wheat or sawdust is impregnated with special cultures to provide your compost bin with all the enzymes necessary to get things started. You can even make your own kitchen compost 'starters', with newspaper and yogurt. There is lots of free information online with clear instructions.I admit, I was very sceptical at first. But, it really does make sense. If you seal air out from organic waste, rather than rot, it will ferment. If you introduce helpful yeasts and bacteria into the mix it will start fermenting even quicker.Once you get this system started, you never want to use all of the material in the pile. Always keep at least 2 to 3 cubic yards on hand so you�ve got something to mix with your compost. If you use a lot of compost material like I do, then you should buy more material and add to your pile in the late summer or fall, once you are done using it for the season.The first thing you need to do before you build a compost bin is decide what your needs are. Many people actually use a three-bin system. The bins may be connected, or they may be individually lined up. Some people use the bins for different types of compost (regular compost, slow compost like woody plants, and leaves collected in the fall). Others like to have a three-bin system for the turning purposes. Move the compost from one bin into the next, allowing it to turn. Then you can start a pile in the newly vacated bin. By the time the compost makes it into the third bin, it is ready for use. Others find that a single bin is sufficient for their needs, and just go out to stir it around occasionally.A kitchen composter 'does exactly what it says on the tin' so to speak. With it, you recycle all your kitchen scraps and organic household waste into lovely friable hummus. Because it works through fermentation rather than aerobic decomposition, you can actually site your compost bin indoors.The beauty of the kitchen compost bin is that you add literally all food waste including bones, processed and cooked foods. Because you are keeping all the kitchen waste in a sealed environment you need not worry about vermin. This means you get to recycle more and get more viable compost too. Your green credentials increase as you send less food waste to municipal landfill. It is a win-win situation!You are welcome to use this article on your website or in your newsletter as long as you reprint it as, including the contact information at the end. Website URLs must be active links. You are welcome to use this article with an affiliate link, http://www.freeplants.com/resellers.htmOnce I have the first bin completely full, I start using the second bin. As the material in the first bin starts to break down, it will settle and the bin is no longer heaped up, so I just keep shoveling the material that I piled in front of the bin, up on top of the pile, until all the material is either in the bin, or piled on top of the heap. Then I just leave it alone, except to water it once in a while. The watering isn�t necessary, it just speeds the process.The pile of usable compost will be layers of material, some more composted than others. Kind of like a sandwich. So what I do is chip off a section of the pile from the edge, spread it out on the ground so it�s only about 8" deep, then run over it with my small rototiller. This mixes it together perfectly, and I shovel it onto the potting bench.Next you need to determine what materials you will use to build your bin. It is important to note that some exposure to the elements is necessary for more effective and quicker composting. Chicken wire is not particularly good for compost bins as it can stretch out of shape very easily and does not wear well. Materials like 16-guage plastic-coated wire mesh and hardware cloth are better choices, as is hog wire. Wood makes an interesting choice, but it is important to note that it will eventually compost itself and will need to be replaced. Do not used pressure-treated wood, as it has toxic levels of copper and chromium, and there is evidence that arsenic can leach into your compost. Other materials that are acceptable for building compost bins are spoiled hay bales, old cinder blocks or bricks, wooden pallets, snow fencing, and a discarded rabbit hutch. The hutch is desirable because there is very little that needs to be done to make it ready.I built two composting bins. Each bin is five feet wide, five feet deep, and four feet high. I built the bins by sinking 4" by 4" posts in the ground for the corners, and then nailed 2 by 4�s and 1 by 4�s, alternating on the sides.One of the easiest and cheapest ways to build a compost bin is to construct it from wooden pallets. Most warehouses, grocery, and hardware stores are more than happy to give these away for free, or for very cheap, as it saves them the trouble of having to discard them. You can use plastic ties to hold four of them together in a box formation. Adding another bin to create a system is easy: just attach three more pallets using one side of the already made bin to complete another box. Be warned: after about two years you will need a new bin, as this bin will be composting itself.Then when I�m out working in the garden I set a small sprinkler on top of the pile and turn it on very low, so a small spray of water runs on the material. Since I have a good water well, this doesn�t cost me anything, so I let it run for at least two hours as often as I can. This keeps the material damp, and the moisture will cause the pile to heat up, which is what makes the composting action take place.I started by filling just one of the bins. I put grass clippings, dried leaves, and shrub clippings in the bins. I try not to put more than 6" of each material on a layer. You don�t want 24" of grass clippings in the bin and you should alternate layers of green and brown material. If necessary, keep a few bags of dry leaves around so you can alternate layers of brown waste and green waste.

You are welcome to use this article on your website or in your newsletter as long as you reprint it as, including the contact information at the end. Website URLs must be active links. You are welcome to use this article with an affiliate link, http://www.freeplants.com/resellers.htm

Author: Michael McGroarty

Building a Compost Bin

Compost can act as a great fertilizer, enriching the soil with organic materials rather than making use of chemicals that can do more harm than good if used improperly. Composting is a great way to save money as well. Using compost requires that you thoroughly mix it into the soil, reducing compaction and providing oxygenation to the soil. Compost can help plants stay healthier, and that contributes to their ability to repel diseases and survive insect attacks. A healthy landscape can be achieved with a little help from composting.

It is important to note that composting does require a little extra work. The pile needs to be turned, and you need to make sure that you have adequate break down of the items in your compost pile. You need to be discriminating in what you put in your compost: it should only be items that will break down naturally. Plant matter (including pulled weeds) and some foods are excellent in compost and will add to the health of your soil, and thus to your landscape over all. There is no reason, however, that your compost pile needs to be a true pile. A bin can help you better contain your compost and keep it from being spread across your yard in a smelly mess by animals or a really fierce storm.--I left 2" gaps between the boards for air circulation. The 2 by 4�s are rigid enough to keep the sides from bowing out, and in between each 2 by 4 I used 1 by 4�s to save a little money. The bins are only 3 sided, I left the front of the bins open so they can be filled and emptied easily. Photos of my compost bins are on this page: http://www.freeplants.com/composting.htmShredded bark, left in a pile will eventually break down and become great compost. The potting soil that I use is about 80% rotted bark. I make potting soil by purchasing fine textured and dark hardwood bark mulch, and I just put it in a pile and let it rot. The secret is to keep the pile low and flat, so that it does not shed the rain water away. You want the mulch to stay as wet as possible, this will cause it to break down fairly quickly.

A cinder block or brick bin is also rather easy and cheap to build. If you visit a demolition or construction site, you are bound to find the materials you need readily available. Simply ask for permission to take them. As with the pallets, if you take them away, it saves the company from having to pay for the costs associated with disposing of them. Simply create a square enclosure by stacking the blocks or bricks on top of each other. Make sure you leave space between the blocks for ventilation.

Author: Janeth Duque