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I started composting before I had heard advertisements
for barrels, bacteria, or formulas for layering.
Although there is no problem with any of these
techniques, I reasoned that Mother Nature had been
successfully composting for quite a few years without
the benefit of human-concocted devices, so I forged
ahead without them. I began by putting my fall leaves
in a pile in the back yard! That fall and throughout
winter I added vegetable food scraps (no animal products
except eggshells should be composted) and made sure they
were covered with leaves so as not to attract flies. Not
much decomposition occurred over the winter. I left the
pile alone. The next summer I added food scraps and
other yard waste, including some of the neighbors’ grass
clippings.
I added clay to the pile from holes dug to plant
shrubs. I excluded sticks. Sticks can be used, but they
take longer to compost. In August I stirred up the pile
with a 3-pronged rake. The sharp prongs on this tool are
curved like a hoe, with the downward portion being 4
inches long. This particular item works very well in
mixing compost. Stirring allows the compost to decompose
faster. Just before the leaves started to fall, I
stirred the compost once again and then spread the loamy
product on my flower beds and bare spots in the yard.
I’ve been doing this for about 20 years now. My son
has since made me a bin by wrapping wire fencing around
4 iron fenceposts to form a circle about 5 feet across.
Newspapers can be added to compost, but take care to
exclude colors and ink that is not vegetable-based.
Sawdust, wood shavings, and even shredded white office
paper waste can be composted. Wood ashes help to add
potassium, but don’t use too much as they are alkaline.
Animal manure may be added. However, do not use the
manure of meat-eating animals, such as cats and dogs, if
the compost is to be used in growing food plants. Such
manure may contain bacteria harmful to humans.
My own yard reaps the nutrient benefits of receiving
back all its clippings from my mulching mower. The
bacteria and insects in a yard without pesticide and
chemical fertilizer use are able to decompose grass
clippings and mower-mulched leaves quite well.
I also use composted leaves as mulch to keep weeds
out of the flower beds. They work very well and looking
wonderful. They are available in the spring and early
summer from my compost pile.
Compost improves the texture and fertility of the
soil, stimulates root and plant growth, and provides
food for worms. Best of all, it’s free! |
Compost improves the texture and fertility of the
soil, stimulates root and plant growth, and provides
food for worms.
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