Unleashing the Power of Nutrient-Rich Soil with Smart Composting

Composting involves putting food scraps, garden waste, leaves, and other organic materials into a container for microorganisms such as fungi or bacteria to break them down - transforming it into nutrient-rich material. This in turn promotes plant growth in gardens, while the compost material also serves as a soil amendment, improving its quality and structure.

Composting elevates both the fertility of soil and vegetation, returning essential elements and nutrients to them. It is also an eco-friendly practice, helping to reduce gas emissions and to maintain thriving gardens. 

Instead of wasting organic material by putting them in landfills and releasing harmful gasses, opt for composting to turn waste into food for your garden, and respect the planet too. 

Composting basics

Organic material naturally decomposes with help from bacteria, microorganisms, as well as decomposers like worms and insects. That said, composting is essentially decomposition in a controlled environment, where we create the conditions to let decomposers do all the work. This can seem complicated at first, so here are a few tips to help set up your compost with ease.

Create a dedicated space 

Designate a location in your backyard for your compost pile or bin, ideally in a shaded area with some access to sunlight. You can use a variety of materials to make your own compost bin, such as wood, metal, or plastic. The container should be bottomless, with lids and holes in the sides for airflow.

Green and brown 

 

Your compost pile should be a good mixture of greens and browns. Greens in this case are wet and colorful waste like fruit and vegetable scraps, grass, or coffee grounds. Meanwhile, browns are mostly dry waste such as leaves, cardboard, egg shells, and lint.

Moisture 

Compost material should have a good amount of moisture, but not too much. If your pile is becoming too dry, spray it slightly and make it wet enough for optimal decomposition to take place. 

Aeration 

To accelerate the composting process, you need to turn the pile every now and then to redistribute the nutrients, and to allow air and moisture through. Aeration also encourages microbial activity and prevents unpleasant odors. 

Layer your compost 

Another tip to improve your compost is to put alternating layers of green and brown together. When adding food waste or scraps, make sure it is buried under a layer of brown material to minimize the presence of pests or rodents. 

Compost bins 

Many experienced gardeners store their compost in bins. These are typically bottomless bins that come with lids, and you can find them in hardware or gardening stores. Fill them up with a good amount of both green and brown waste and set it aside in your backyard for up to a few months. You can then remove the compost from the bin, and use it directly on your garden soil. Place the compost bin anywhere that’s convenient in the garden, or near your garden beds for easy access. 

Add some worms 

Now that you have your compost bin set up in the garden, you can also consider vermicomposting – which is composting with worms. Worms are great helpers that digest food waste and excrete castings rich in nutrients. The microorganisms from vermicompost are also effective in protecting your crops from diseases, and thereby reducing the need for pesticides.

Smart composters 

To make composting even easier, you may want to give composters a try. These compact containers can be buried in the soil to store your waste and food scraps as they compost, while you can add worms to speed up the process, too. Once nature has done its magic, you can then unveil this earthy richness and use it on your soil or around your garden for best results.