Thrown into the compost pit. Laying the compost heap

Compost is an essential ingredient nutrient soil in the garden of any gardener. In addition, it is also recognized as the most affordable fertilizer in terms of costs, since the main component of its manufacture is waste. That is, it is made practically from nothing, because in any garden there will always be some kind of waste.

You just need to know that in order to get a complete nutrient for the soil, the compost heap must be properly prepared. After all, compost will not only fertilize the earth, but also serve as an improver of its structure, friability and ability to retain and absorb moisture.

What is compost

In order for the garden to be well-groomed and give good harvest, it just needs to be fertilized. You can do this with the help of chemical fertilizers, or you can get by with your free, useful and safe tool.

Compost is a natural organic fertilizer, which is obtained by fermentation under the action of earthworms and bacteria.

To obtain such fertilizer, a compost heap is laid. Often it is done by simply digging a hole in the ground, but it is better if it is a specially equipped place - a compost bin.

Composters are made in the form of closed or open containers, but you can also purchase special plastic crates equipped with lid and door.

The prepared compost is introduced into the holes before planting garden crops in open ground or for planting in greenhouses. Or it is scattered over the site before planting the seed and lightly mixed with the soil.

What is compost made from?

Many people think that to make compost it is enough to dump all kinds of waste in a pile in some corner of the garden. Time will pass, they will overheat, and fertilizer will turn out. But this is far from true.

To get safe and healthy compost, you need to arrange the right compost heaps, so there are some points to consider. First of all, the composition of such a heap. It may include:

ash, chalk, charcoal, eggshells;
cut grass, straw and hay;
sawdust and tree residues;
vegetable food waste;
weed grasses and healthy plant greens;
bird droppings and animal manure;
compost stimulants.

Compost bin dimensions

Composting ingredients are put into the compost bin. Proper compost laying does not release into the soil harmful substances and does not cause inconvenience with a strong unpleasant odor.

It is important to observe the dimensions of the compost bin, otherwise it will be difficult to create a comfortable temperature and humidity regime for the compost. Optimal sizes the piles are one and a half meters in width and as much or more in length. If you make a bunch smaller size, then it will quickly lose moisture and will not be able to warm up well. This will lead to the fact that the composting process will be delayed for a long time.

compost ban

Before you make a compost heap, you need to know what you can’t add to its composition:

disinfectants and chemicals;
weed residues with seeds of long germination periods or roots of creeping plants, since they do not lose their germination during composting;
remnants of coated glossy paper, rubber, textiles, as well as animal bones and stones - all these substances do not decompose in compost;
human feces and pet waste, which can be contaminated with worm eggs;
diseased plants that are affected by pests and fungi, such as late blight - such residues must be burned in the garden;
food waste of animal origin, which start the processes of decay and cause a persistent unpleasant odor.

Open composting device

You can run a compost maker, as gardeners are taught in specialized publications, in the following way:

Prepare a site for the compost bin. To do this, select appropriate place at the end or middle of the garden and level the ground. Shady places without direct sunlight are best suited for this purpose.
Then fence the area necessary for the composter with boards, shields or slate sheets. Or put together a wooden box with slots for air exchange. You can also fix a special garden grid on metal supports. This can be one container or two separated by a partition, one of which will be filled in the current year, and the second in the next.
Dig a hole half a meter deep and pour a drainage layer on the bottom. To do this, you can use sand, gravel, large wood residues. It is imperative to make such a layer, since it is impossible to allow the water that will wet the compost heap to collect in the compost bin. It should flow out of the compost bin without obstruction.
Then, on the drainage layer, it is imperative to lay a ready-made mature compost of the last or the year before last in a small layer. This is necessary to supply the ingredients of the heap with bacteria, with the help of which the compost is fermented.

Building an indoor compost bin

more reliable and solid construction than an open compost bin is a closed compost bin. It is built with walls that have slots for ventilation, and with a lid that will mix the compost. Such a compost heap in the country has a neater appearance, does not interfere with the aesthetic perception of space. As a rule, such a container is made of plastic, which does not rot, does not fall apart and will last for a long time.

To install the ventilation system, pipes are brought into the box, which are protected by a mesh so that they are not clogged with compost.

Benefits of closed compost heap are such that it allows heat to accumulate quickly and retains it well. From this, pests die, and the fermentation process occurs faster.

Another plus is that in these containers it is not necessary to observe the proportions of the constituent ingredients without fail. Various acceptable wastes, residues and grass can be dumped into the pile in any convenient quantities. It is only important to mix it all systematically.

How to make a compost heap

For the correct preparation of the ingredients of the heap, it is necessary:

Prepare necessary components by grinding them as finely as possible. Branches can be broken, and plant remains can be chopped with a shovel. The smaller the heap components are, the faster the compost will mature.
Lay the components in layers, the thickness of each of the layers should be up to 15 cm. In this case, it is imperative to alternate the laying of food waste, wood residues and green mass of plants.
Layers can be shifted with manure or droppings, or purchased liquid fertilizers. Compost stimulants are also used at this stage. As manure for a heap, it is better to use cow or horse manure, and the best bird manure is chicken manure.
From above, the pyramidal compost heap is covered with straw, spandbond, boards or plant stems. This is necessary for free air circulation. Often gardeners cover a bunch of polyethylene, but this is not recommended: when covering plastic wrap compost overheating will occur without air access. And this is fraught with the appearance of a putrefactive, unpleasant persistent odor.

Compost maturation

The preparation of compost and the duration of its maturation are directly dependent on which fractions have compost components and what fermentation mode is set. In general, fermentation and composting last a very long time, the minimum period is several months, the maximum is two to three years.

The smaller the fractions of the embedded components, the faster the composting will occur. It is also important that the temperature inside the compost pile is close to 60 degrees or higher. This will not only speed up the process of decomposition of the ingredients, which occurs with the help of bacteria, but also help to eliminate the possibility of germination of weed seeds as much as possible. Also, at such a high temperature, harmful insects die.

To provide correct mode fermentation, it is important that good moisture and air exchange be provided inside the pyramid.

Ensuring fermentation

In order to speed up the composting and fermentation of the components of the compost heap, it is necessary to perform the following actions:

When the weather is hot and dry, the compost pile needs to be watered. Moreover, the water should wet all the layers of the heap. This process is best done with a large gauge garden hose because it will take a large number of water.
Watering the heap must be done in the morning, in this case, during the day, the wet compost will have time to warm up well, and the process of active decomposition will start.
How to water the compost heap? Water it with ordinary warm water, but from time to time it is necessary to add a compost stimulant to the water or insist fresh manure in it.
A couple of times during the season, the compost needs to be shoveled. This helps to carry the well-fermented inner layers to the top. In this case, the upper ones move inward.
Also, when mixing, the compost is saturated with air and gets rid of accumulated gases.
With the onset of cold weather, the compost bin needs to be warmed, while the process of active composting is prolonged. For insulation, a pile is sprinkled with humus or peat, and then tops are laid on top from harvested crop root crops, sunflower stalks or fresh straw. This year, the remains of the plants will keep warm, and next year they will serve as ingredients for a new pile.

Fallen leaf compost

Separately, it is worth mentioning the compost from fallen leaves, popularly known as “leafy soil”. How to make a compost heap from fallen leaves?

Fallen leaves are taken as the basis of such compost. The advantage of this approach is that at the end of autumn the leaves lose minerals, and only lignin, tannin and hemicellulose, which are valuable ingredients of humus, remain in their tissues. And the downside is that these components overheat rather slowly, which prolongs the composting time. A lot of tannin contains the foliage of oaks, beeches, chestnuts, willows and plane trees. Therefore, their sheet mass should not be used for laying in a pile, but only for its shelter.

Leaf compost matures noticeably longer than usual, about two years. But gardeners do it, as it is very valuable in that it improves the quality of the soil. It also contains microfungi inside it, which decompose hemicellulose and lignin. And this becomes useful for those garden plants in which the roots interact with the fungal microflora in the process of symbiosis.

To get a good composting result, you need to consider some points:

When creating a compost bin, you need to take into account that microorganisms come from the ground, so you need to arrange it in a clean space where chemicals have not been used.
Accelerates composting by adding valerian officinalis, yarrow, chamomile and dandelion to a bunch of herbs.
To speed up fermentation, bioconcentrates are added to the compost. In this case, the so-called fast compost heap is obtained, which can mature in three weeks.
You need to know that a high content of fresh coniferous sawdust in the compost significantly reduces the potassium balance, so such compost at the stage of readiness must be enriched with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.
The presence of green constituents in the compost should not exceed one third of the total volume, because the herbs ferment slowly and may rot. If it turns out that the main volume will consist of grass, then it must first be dried in the sun.
The highest quality compost is obtained, created using a variety of components. Not only organic components, but also mineral ones should be present. For this purpose, the compost heap is supplied with superphosphates, dolomite flour, and complex mineral fertilizers.
It should be borne in mind that manure is a concentrated fertilizer, so its content in the compost should not exceed 10%.
For better stability and increased air exchange processes, the compost heap should be laid cone-shaped or in the form of a pyramid.
In order for the heap to ripen faster, components containing a lot of nitrogen, such as straw, legumes or leguminous plants, are added to it.

What can be put in compost: any organic residues are allowed: weeds (preferably directly with the ground on the roots, without shaking off), tops of carrots and beets, cabbage stalks, apple cores and potato peelings, paper napkins and toilet paper, fish husks and herring heads, coffee grounds and spent tea, waste from a juicer, water in which meat was washed, and so on. We also lay cut grass from a lawn mower, any organic matter, including feces and the contents of chamber pots. There is nothing to be afraid of - in the process of composting at elevated temperatures, everything is sterilized and decomposes into simple organic compounds. All this is laid in layers and sprinkled with earth (maybe even clay) or peat, sometimes sawdust is added, but in moderation. It is very good if you are not too lazy and mow young nettles (until the seeds ripen). It is even better to add comfrey, any legumes, yarrow, dandelions. This speeds up the composting processes and makes our substrate healthier.

For people who doubt the success of the event called “make our own compost” and that the components of the compost decompose to simple organic compounds, it can be advised to form two heaps in parallel. One pile with feces, and the other without them. Gardeners with an inquisitive mind, prone to experimentation, will have the opportunity to observe which one will be “ready” first. And it will be possible to use the resulting substrate in a differentiated way. Under garden crops, the one that is “without”, and the second - under ornamental trees, shrubs and flowers.

What not to put in compost: cucumber and squash tops, nightshade stems (tomatoes and potatoes), cut peonies, irises and phloxes, apple tree leaves and others fruit trees and bushes, clematis cut in autumn, shoots and leaves of roses. It is better to burn all the listed residues, because by the end of the season, as a rule, many pathogens of various diseases accumulate on them!

Do not put weeds in the compost that have already released panicles with seeds. The fact is that the seeds are able to remain viable for several years, so there is a threat to spread them over the compost site, which is highly undesirable. The same applies to dandelions. Important! You can compost them only as long as they have not dissolved their "parachutes" with seeds. No need to lay branches and straw - they rot slowly, then you won’t be able to choose them from the finished compost. It is undesirable to put wheatgrass and horsetail roots in the compost - there, in the dark, they feel at home, they grow fat on an abundant nitrogenous substrate and - they do not go anywhere, they only multiply. Therefore, the roots of these truly malicious rhizomatous weeds must be carefully selected and burned or fermented in a bucket until bubbles go. And only then send it to the "marten" of the compost heap.

Do not confuse a compost heap with a garbage dump. None hard household waste should not end up in the compost bin! Do not try to put vacuum cleaner bags in the compost heap! It is not recommended to put nut shells, tea bags and cigarette butts (nothing takes them!), coal ash, in particular, from the grill (wood can be!). I want to draw Special attention on the fact that water after laundry should never be poured onto a compost heap!

Is it possible to pour out the contents of the dry closet? You shouldn't do this for two reasons. Firstly, the active substance that decomposes feces is the most chemistry. Its presence will violate the environmental friendliness of the compost, the consequences of which will be unpredictable. And, secondly, in this case, an excessive amount of moisture will enter the compost, it will “float” and turn sour.

Can you put ashes in compost? Ash, only wood does not hurt, like lime. Not only is ash a natural deoxidizer, it gently alkalizes the soil, it contains almost all the minerals necessary for plants.

Technologies, methods and methods of composting organic and plant waste, sawdust

What composting technologies exist and should the contents of the compost bin be rammed? Remember that we are making aerobic compost, that is, oxygen plays an active role in its preparation. By tamping the contents of the box, we thereby prevent the access of oxygen and slow down the composting process. As the compost matures, the pile itself will settle and shrink in size.

What to do and what waste composting methods to use if there is an unpleasant smell? When correct organized process composting problems, as a rule, do not arise. In a compost heap, in a completely incomprehensible way, some cunning biochemical processes take place that convert all kinds of waste into a homogeneous, well-structured fertile substrate that has a faint smell of mushrooms and rotted foliage. It smells like an autumn forest.

If the composting methods are chosen correctly, but still there is an unpleasant smell, then something was done wrong. But everything is easy to fix - just add peat or any earth, and no smells will bother you.

How often should the contents of the compost bin be turned over?

During the composting process, which lasts the entire summer season, the compost heap should not be turned. Mysterious organic metamorphoses are already going on there, a certain temperature regime, which does not need to be disturbed by additional aeration. But in the spring, when the compost heap thaws, you will remove the top of the undecomposed residues, transfer them to the empty adjacent compartment to the bottom, where they will become the basis for the compost that you will form in the new season, and by autumn they will certainly reach “condition ". Composting vegetable waste greatly speeds up the cooking process. If there is no strength to wait until spring or go autumn plantings and compost is very necessary, you can do this operation with a transfer in the fall, and take the finished compost (it will definitely be less than in spring) around the site, covering the plants from the winter cold. It can be strawberries, phloxes and geyhers, clematis, roses and any other sissy plants.

Should I cover the compost heap? In summer, it stands open, precipitation freely gets here, the compost “breathes”. But if you still have the finished compost from last year and you didn’t have time to carry it around the site or put it in bags, be sure to cover it with dense black nonwoven fabric. This is done so that it does not become clogged with dandelions and seeds of other weeds. For the winter, according to the rules, the compost is closed with some dense, but breathable material. For this, a piece of an old carpet is best suited, which does not rot and lets air through. This is done to maintain a certain temperature in the compost heap so that it does not freeze longer, and there, with the participation of oxygen, the processes of organic transformations continue. It is desirable that this "marten" work longer.

What is the procedure for composting organic waste: from the beginning of the season, you start filling one of the empty compartments, layering weeds, kitchen waste, lawn grass after mowing, etc., and sprinkle each layer with earth or peat. Then the composting of sawdust is gradually added, giving the mass a light structure, enriched with minerals.

Can sawdust be used? Only from hardwoods. Coniferous sawdust is impregnated with resin and does not decompose well.

Do I need to grind the components of the future compost when laying? So the process will go faster. Be sure to chop the watermelon rinds into small pieces and chop the rotten apples. Otherwise, the apples will not rot, they will remain intact until spring!

Should I water my compost pile? It should be moderately moist. Usually 1-2 buckets of kitchen slops per day are enough.

If the weather is hot and you see that the pile has dried up, it should be shed a little, preferably with EM preparations.

How to determine by eye when the compost is ready? When there is nothing left of the compost components, except for a homogeneous, crumbly dark-colored substrate with the smell of rotten leaves, consider that the job is done.

How to speed up the maturation of compost? Two or three times a season it is necessary to shed this pile with a solution of some special composter solution, which are now commercially available in the assortment. I know from my own experience that for the natural composting process, when organic residues turn into a homogeneous, well-rotted earthen mass, one had to wait two years. But when using microbiological preparations, this process is reduced to one season! By spilling EM preparations, you “launch” beneficial microorganisms there and speed up the process of compost maturation.

Is it necessary to sift the finished compost? With properly made compost, this is not necessary. Loading a wheelbarrow finished products, just make sure that there are no large insect larvae that like to settle in a fertile, warm environment.

Cooking leafy earth: how to make and cook

How to prepare leafy soil, which is necessary for growing seedlings and some plants? Sick leaves of fruit trees, of course, it is better to burn. If you have a forest area, then birch, maple or oak leaves are best folded separately. In a shared compost heap, they will slow down the composting process as they take longer to rot. Before making sheet soil for it, you can specially make a box covered with mesh on all sides for better aeration. The front wall must be made on hinges, in the form of a door.

Leaf fertilizer is available to everyone: if you cannot afford to allocate a special place for obtaining leaf humus, collect the leaves in bags, preferably mesh, in which potatoes are sold. If there are none - in ordinary plastic ones, but in this case they must be perforated for air access or left open. Then put them somewhere in a secluded place and "forget" for two or three years.

Leaves are harvested either by hand, with a fan rake, or with the help of special vacuum cleaners. An excellent tool for collecting leaves on the lawn is a regular lawn mower with a hopper. By collecting leaves in this way, you seriously save your time and effort. But remember that when working with a lawn mower, the leaves must be dry!

On the other hand, it's not so bad if the leaves are wet from autumn rains. The preparation of leafy earth is accelerated, since the humid environment contributes to their rapid decomposition. But in this case, they must be raked only by hand. Usually in our garden we clean the leaves in the spring, they have already dried up over the winter, are quite wet and will rot well.

Layers of leaves are interspersed with layers of earth, even the most barren (but not sand!). And one more condition - no other organic matter should be added to the leaf humus, unless the addition of mowed grass does not interfere. All this " layered cake» from time to time (2-3 times per season) it is necessary to shed with a solution of EM preparations.

After 2-3 years, you will find yourself the owner of a beautiful fertile leafy land, airy and well structured. It can be used for sowing seeds and growing seedlings, mulching in the garden, adding to the holes when planting flowers, when planting flowers in garden containers.

Obtaining soil and organic fertilizer vermicompost

What is biohumus? Red California worm, a relative of a simple earthworm, “tamed” by a person, passing organic residues through itself, gives out the most valuable “on the mountain” organic fertilizer biohumus, which is used for feeding seedlings and indoor flowers, germinating seeds, when planting seedlings on beds in the garden, when planting potatoes, when it is added to each well. Soil vermicompost helps to accelerate the growth and development of plants. It is also useful when sowing a lawn. In this case, 1 kg of seeds is mixed with 3 kg of vermicompost, then they are evenly scattered and lightly buried in the ground with a rake. Californian worms are also indispensable when keeping country toilets. They literally feed on the contents cesspool, while disappearing unpleasant odors usually accompanying these establishments. Now there are nurseries of these useful creatures and entire farms where biohumus is produced.

If desired, you can organize the production of biohumus and breed them at home, for this special technologies have been developed for breeding worms. The essence of these technologies is that two boxes with a large-mesh bottom are placed on top of each other with a sort of whatnot.

Food for worms - finely ground vegetable and other organic residues, along with worms, are poured onto the lower level. As they eat the contents of the box, the same vermicompost is formed there. Then (or immediately, it doesn't matter) the box located above is filled with organic remains, the worms crawl there and begin to develop a new space. And the bottom box with ready-made vermicompost can be put into action. Having freed from the contents, it is put into place by the upper tier, and the process continues further. The difficulty lies in the fact that this living "factory" for the production of vermicompost cannot be left unattended for more than two weeks, since the worms will simply die without food.

What gives compost?!

Well-prepared compost is in no way inferior to well-rotted manure, and when 16 buckets per 10 sq.m are applied to the soil, no additional application of macro- and microelements is required.

Rasida Amirovna Kudoyarova - a leading biologist, microbiologist, gardener, biotechnologist, developer of a number of biological products. Over 30 years of experience.

INTERESTING! The word "compost" comes from the Latin componere and compositum and means mixture, something put together. Compost is a composition of organic matter decomposed under the influence of microorganisms. Compost is used to improve soil structure, as well as fertilizer and mulch.

Compost enriches the soil with nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, microelements, etc.), various useful microorganisms and organic substances, and soil and ground air with carbon dioxide. It is a kind of leaven that activates life processes in the soil.

Compost not only enriches the soil with humus and nutrients, but also improves its structure. Due to this, the soil becomes looser, air easily penetrates into it, and at the same time water accumulates in such soil.

Compost is suitable for all garden and garden plants, and, very importantly, compost cannot "overfertilize" the soil and harm plants.

Here, as in the proverb: "You can't spoil porridge with butter."

ATTENTION! Leftover food should always be covered with earth so as not to attract flies, mice and rats.

What can be put in the compost heap

All decomposable organic materials are suitable for composting.

1. Green plants with a layer thickness of 15 - 20 cm. K green plants include: cut grass, grass after weeding, weeds (preferably without seeds), green manure plants.

2. Manure, peat or earth are valuable components, when heating up to 60 0С and above occurs in a heap, it kills eggs and larvae of flies and helminths, as well as many pathogenic microorganisms.

3. Dry branches of raspberries, currants, apple trees for air permeability in a compost heap.

4. Newsprint is not colored.

5. kitchen waste: edible leftovers, spoiled food, old tea leaves, coffee grounds, eggshell, seed husks, especially pomace from the preparation of wine or juices (they contain components that accelerate composting and attract earthworms), but with large volumes of pomace, Lime - Gumi must be added. Particularly good banana peel, leftovers from cutting meat, fish - they contribute to an increase in the number of microorganisms that accelerate decomposition and make compost of high quality.

6. It is advisable to add a little phosphate rock, wood ash. This contributes to the enrichment of the compost with macro- and microelements - potassium and magnesium up to 10%. And Lime-Gumi is important to add if you use acid peat for composting.

7. All waste plant origin from the garden and vegetable garden: hay, straw, foliage and chopped branches of trees and shrubs, sawdust.

8. Be sure to shed the layers where the earth, peat, manure Gumi-Omi Compostin. This will increase the moisture content of the mass to 70 - 75%, and the beneficial microbacteria of Compostine will significantly accelerate the maturation of the compost heap.

Do not compost

1. Glass, metal particles, wire, ceramic fragments, plastic, batteries, synthetic textiles, waste oil, paint residues, aerosols, foil, soot, construction garbage etc.

2. Leaves collected in the city, as they often contain heavy metals (mercury, lead), which are stored in the compost and can subsequently pollute the garden plot.

3. Citrus peel reduces the rate of compost decomposition.

4. Do not put bitter wormwood, tansy, medicinal rhubarb, yew, broom, lily of the valley, aconite in the compost. These plants contain toxic substances that destroy microorganisms that process organic matter.

DIY composter

The simplest and cheapest wooden piles for a summer resident are self-built ones. Collar dimensions: width 1.5 m, height 1.0 - 1.2 m, and the length depends on the fertilized area and the availability of raw materials, it is advisable to make a cover on the collar. You can upholster the walls of the collar from the inside with foam to keep warm in cold weather. The formation of piles is carried out immediately completely or as raw materials are received.

From the editor.

At present, in many countries, especially in Germany, Finland, composters of the most diverse volume, shape and purpose are produced. Their cost is quite high, and therefore not all summer residents can purchase such a composter.

Composter - a rotating device for fast food compost at home. Getting the finished compost is possible after 2 - 4 weeks. The gardener will only need to rotate the compost bin twice a day with a special handle.

Bookmark compost

The compost heap is stacked in layers in the following order:

1) dry (precisely dry) branches (trimmings) of currants, raspberries, apple trees, etc. are necessarily placed at the very bottom. a layer of 7 - 10 cm, no more;

2) the second layer - cut grass (layer 15 - 20 cm), weeds, peat, manure (at least 5 cm). And we spill it necessarily with a solution of Gumi - Omi Compostin: 50 ml per 10 liters of water per 50 kg of raw materials.

3) the third layer - newsprint is not colored.

4) the fourth layer is kitchen waste.

5) the fifth layer - waste of plant origin from the garden: hay, straw, foliage, chopped branches of trees and shrubs, sawdust.

6) the sixth layer - manure with a layer of 3 - 5 cm, lightly powdered with phosphate rock, ash or Lime - Gumi thin layer. tops vegetable crops(raw) is added to manure or manure layer.

7) the seventh layer - soil or clay with the addition fertile soil as a dressing with soil microflora at least 2 cm thick.

ATTENTION! We spill each layer with Gumi - Omi Compostin: 50 ml per 10 liters of water. This will significantly accelerate the maturation of the compost heap, enrich it with beneficial microflora, sodium humate, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

8) If the shoulder does not have a cover, then be sure to upper layer cover with peat or earth.

9) If the compost heap is dry, then water it with Compostine: 20 ml per 10 liters of water.

If the compost heap is formed as raw materials arrive from spring to autumn, then it is also laid in layers, as mentioned above. In autumn, the pile is covered with sod, or manure, or earth, and is not touched for 18 months. During this time, organic residues go through all stages of decomposition and synthesis and turn into ripe humus.

And if you laid out a bunch at once, then on the 2nd - 3rd day the pile starts to warm up. On the fourth, seventh and tenth day, the pile is stirred and moistened if necessary. On day 14, the raw materials of the heap, although they have not turned into ripe compost, are quite suitable for use as garden fertilizer. At this stage, the compost heap is covered with a layer of soil, peat, leaves or straw until fully ripe, which is completed in 4 to 6 months in summer.

Mature compost is a homogeneous crumbly dark brown material with a fresh smell of forest land.

It usually takes from one to one and a half years for the maturation of compost.

This is how waste is converted into income!

So, you have made the decision not to throw all your waste in the trash can, but to recycle and reuse some of it. Namely, you decided to do for your garden. Great solution! But ... Is everything suitable for composting, and can everything be put in a compost heap?

Composting is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your garden. We can't get nutrients from the soil indefinitely, we have to put it back in. This must be done at least equally or even to a greater extent in order to replenish the supply nutrients in the ground.

Don't compost...

There are hundreds of things in your home that you can use to compost. And although it is technically possible to compost almost anything that was once organic, some things are better left out of the compost pile in order to improve its quality. Here are 10 of them...

Dog and cat excrement

If you still want to somehow recycle the waste from your cats and dogs, then you need to compost it in a separate compost heap, and use it as fertilizer for non-food crops.

Tea and coffee bags

Coffee grounds and tea leaves are definitely good additions to a compost heap. They provide generous doses of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, elements essential for plants. But it's all about the bags. It is highly desirable to remove tea and coffee residues from bags before composting. The fact is that the bags in which tea and coffee are packaged may contain synthetic fibers that are not recycled in the compost heap, and may contain chemical substances which is undesirable for the soil.

So don't compost bagged tea or coffee unless you're sure they're made from natural materials.

You can compost the contents of tea bags, but not the tea bags themselves.

Citrus peel and onion

While fruit and vegetable leftovers are the main constituents of a compost heap, there are two exceptions: citrus peels and onions.

Are you surprised? Unfortunately, the natural chemicals and acidity in citrus peels and onions can kill worms and other microorganisms, which in turn can slow down the decomposition of your pile. In addition, if you do not grind them into very small pieces, citrus peels rot for a very long time.

If you only toss citrus rinds and leftover onions into your compost pile occasionally, it's not a big deal, but if it happens regularly, it can hurt the process of turning the leftovers into good compost.

AT large quantities citrus peels are not recommended for composting.

Fish and meat waste

While technically this waste will decompose just fine, you still shouldn't add it to your compost heap. Fish and meat, of course, can add organic and other nutrients to your garden, but unfortunately, their smell will act as a magnet for any rats, mice, cats (or even bears, depending on where you live) that will dig through the compost to eat them.

And the stench of rotting meat and fish can also irritate you and your neighbors.

Never compost fish and meat waste

Glossy and coated paper

Many paper products are a potential source for compost: old paper towels, shredded cardboard, etc. After all, paper is made from wood.

However, paper that has been treated to make it bright, colorful, and shiny (like magazines, for example) will not decompose properly. In addition, it contains toxins and is not at all suitable for your compost heap.

Stickers for vegetables and fruits

These sticky fruit and vegetable labels and price tags are made from food grade plastic or vinyl and will not biodegrade. They are small and easy to see, but they are one of the biggest contributors to compost contamination.

Try removing those stickers from your fruit and vegetable scraps before putting them in your compost pile.

Stickers on fruits and vegetables don't belong in the compost heap.

coal ash

Ash from stone or charcoal should not be added to your compost heap as it contains a lot of sulfur which will make the soil too wet and eventually damage your plants. In addition, if this is ash from coal briquettes, then it may contain other chemicals with which these briquettes are processed.

Can be added in moderation to compost, but charcoal must be disposed of differently.

sawdust from treated wood

While sawdust from clean, untreated, natural wood can be a great addition to the compost, sawdust from wood that has been treated in any way—pressed, varnished, stained, or painted—should never be added to a compost heap.

Their toxic compounds are not destroyed during the composting process and can get into the soil, which will negatively affect the activity of microorganisms and the health of plants. Pressed wood sawdust contains arsenic and cadmium, two toxins you definitely don't want in your garden or on your desk!

In addition, sawdust from treated wood takes a very long time to decompose, because it is protected from decay by chemicals, it is better not to put it in your compost heap.

sawdust from treated wood (chipboard, furniture boards etc.) compost will only be harmed

large branches

Large branches will take a very, very long time to decompose, which will significantly delay the ability to use your compost in the garden. It's better to spend a little more time initially chopping up such branches, but then they will rot better and faster in your compost heap.

Alternatively, you can make a bunch of big branches somewhere separate. Let it rot there for a few years. But keep in mind that such a pile can become a habitat for small animals and snakes. So, get to know your surrounding fauna before doing this.

Large branches are best left to rot separately.

Synthetic fertilizers

Synthetic fertilizers bring inorganic elements into your garden ecosystem. Imagine that you start eating multivitamins instead of regular natural food. This can actually kill the micro-organisms in the compost and soil, which will eventually affect the health of the plants as well.

Connections in synthetic fertilizers, such as heavy metals, are also washed out of the soil in ground water, and disrupt the natural balance of nutrients in the soil and increase its salinity.

Now you know what not to put in the compost. Stick to natural ingredients for your compost heap and your soil will always be rich in nutrients.

In contact with

Many people think that making compost is a simple matter: put branches, leaves and other organic waste in a box or pile, cover it and wait for it to ripen. Simple, but not really.

Properly prepared compost will help the soil restore vitality and increase fertility, improve its structure. In practice, every farmer knows exactly how to make compost, and prepares it according to his own - the only correct - recipe. In fact, there are a great many of them, they include various ingredients, additives, are prepared aerobic and anaerobic way. It is impossible to describe each in detail in one article, so we will focus on the main, time-tested and thousands of farmers methods. I foresee the question: why make compost at home, because now you can buy it? Of course you can. If only you are confident in the decency of the manufacturer. Otherwise, you can not help the earth, but harm it. Only by preparing the right compost with your own hands, you can be 100% sure that it is "garden gold".

What can and cannot be composted

Can:

cut grass
Fallen leaves
Animal dung and bird droppings
Drinking tea and coffee
Egg shells that have not undergone heat treatment
Cuttings of raw vegetables and fruits
thin branches
Paper, feathers, natural fabrics (shredded)
Straw, sawdust, shavings, seed husks

It is forbidden:

Vegetables and fruits after heat treatment
sick plants
Perennial and seeded weeds
Synthetic fabrics and materials
peel from citrus fruits

Organic waste can be divided into groups:

nitrogenous

These include manure, bird droppings, grass, raw vegetable and fruit waste.

carbonaceous

These are straw, leaves, sawdust, grass, paper, cardboard.

Compost - how to cook

At the bottom of the container, lay the cuttings of branches, chips - they will serve as drainage.

Do I need to mix the compost

Yes need. The whole mass is enriched with oxygen, the layers are mixed, decomposition is faster. In addition, it is easier to control the moisture content of the compost mass. The more often you do this, the sooner you will get mature compost.

How to know when the compost is ripe

The compost mass should be crumbly, moist, dark in color. And most importantly - such compost should smell like forest land.

When is the best time to compost?

There are no strict limits here: you can lay layers of organic matter from the very spring, as they become available. Harvested leaves and fallen leaves are added to the compost in autumn.

Didn’t have time to lay the compost heap, but it’s already winter in the yard? No problem! Advances in science allow us to make compost in winter. personal experience no, but, according to the assurances of the manufacturers of EM preparations, ready-made compost can be obtained in 2 months.

To prepare quick compost, you will need food waste, land (10% of the volume of waste) and a solution of an EM preparation - Tamir, Urgas, Baikal M1. In a hermetically sealed container, we put a handful of waste, a part of the earth corresponding in volume, moisten it with an EM solution and close it. And so on until the container is full. The number of containers is not limited and directly depends on the amount of food waste you have) The smaller the embedded organic particles, the faster the decomposition process. The container must be placed in a room with a temperature not lower than 15°C. Under all conditions, EM compost is ready after 2 months. Naturally, the use of EM preparations allows not only to obtain compost quickly at any time of the year (except winter), but also to significantly improve it. nutritional properties. Friends, the conclusion suggests itself: make compost - you will have a rich harvest!

home > Mathematics