Talk with your Animals

This text is meant to be an introductory guide to composting for beginners. Every organic garden, or in fact every garden, needs to have a compost pile.

How come?

Well, every time you take away a weed or plant residue of any kind from your garden, you also take away nutrients and organic matter. If you just let it go to waste, that is to the garbage can, you slowly deprive your garden soil of nutrients and organic matter. If you, instead, choose to put the plant residues in a compost pile you will recycle those goodies for your garden.

What biodegradable waste can I put in the compost?

In a simple compost pile you can put any plant residues except leaves and other plant parts contaminated with troublesome plant diseases. Those are better to burn or actually throw in the garbage can. Branches and the likes need to go through a compost mill before you put them in the compost pile.

I don’t know if I should choose a container or just set up a pile?

If your garden is somewhat spacious you can put a compost pile in a hidden and shady part of it. In order to add oxygen to the mix you need to turn it over every now and then. Even if this is a really simple way to start composting it looks a bit slatternly.

A more neat way of composting is to buy a bin with two, or perhaps more, separate sections. When the first section is filled up with composting material you can leave it to decompose, and meanwhile fill the second.

Composting in the fast lane

A fast and easy way to make compost is to use a closed compost bin that you can easily turn around with a lever every time you add material, to air the compost and mix it thoroughly. This makes the decomposition process develop fast, and your compost will be ready to use in a matter of weeks. In a compost bin of this kind you can also recycle food scrap, bringing plenty of nitrogen into the mix.

Perhaps the best way is to combine a closed compost bin with an open pile where you can put the most voluminous waste. Then you can really take advantage of all your biodegradable residues and waste.