Building Compost
Building compost can be a wonderful way to produce rich, organic fertilizer that can be used in all of your home gardening projects. It is also a great way to recycle organic waste from your yard as well as from your household.
Once you have your compost bin or pile underway, the next step is to make sure that you add your additional waste material properly. This is essential to building compost that will break down quickly and properly. Many people make the mistake of squashing the materials down when building compost. The most common reason for this is to create more space in the compost pile, but it typically results in squeezing out any air that is present. This can be a huge mistake because compost must have air in order for the microbes that do the actual job of decomposing the materials to work properly. Avoid mashing the materials down. If your compost pile is higher than three feet, it is time to start building compost again.
You also need to give some thought and consideration to how the materials should be mixed in. Many people mistakenly just toss in materials without thinking about it. While this is not really harmful, it is not efficient either. Ideally, you need to try to create a mix of brown as well as green ingredients. Ensuring that your compost is well balanced will help to prevent smell and also help your compost to develop faster. For example, any time that you add kitchen waste to your compost pile, try to make a habit of also adding in some grass clippings or leaves as well. In addition, when possible try to make sure that the scraps that you add to your compost are already shredded so that they will decompose faster as well.
Finally, make sure that you check the moisture level and the temperature of your compost from time to time when building compost. Waste materials cannot decompose properly without sufficient amounts of heat and moisture. Your compost pile should always be moist, but not overly wet and the temperature of your compost pile should be between 140 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature can be checked using a compost thermometer, a device you can purchase at any gardening supply center. If your compost pile is dry, try spraying it with a fine mist of water and give it a good turn to provide more moisture.