composting leaves – Simplify Gardening

Composting for beginners, The complete guide helps new gardeners who are terrified by the very word compost. But I am here to tell you that composting isn’t hard nor does it have to be complicated. After all, It is a natural process and all you’re really doing is helping to speed up the entire procedure. So what is the definition of compost? https://youtu.be/n1cVCkCfwi0 How To Make Compost - Composting Process - Compost Methods Compost is defined as a collection of plant material that is left to decay and this provides organic fertiliser to improve the quality of the soil. I would like to add here that plant material also refers to the manures from herbivore animals, such as cows, horses, sheep, poultry and rabbits. manures from carnivores should not be added to your compost. What should I add to my compost? All plant material from the gardenFruit & Vegetable kitchen scrapsCooked pasta and riceCardboard boxes from packaging (remove plastic tape and windows and shred these products)Newspaper (Shredded)Old stale bread, crackers tortilla chips and crispsUsed Coffee GroundsUsed tea Bags (Minus the bag itself as this contains plastic and does not break down)Dryer LintDog and human hairHorse, Cow, Sheep, Rabbit, Poultry Alpaca and Goat manureStrawHayWoodchipsWorm castingsTree cuttingsWoolBrackenAsh from burnt hardwoodSawdustLeaves Shredded vegetables As discussed compost is a collection of waste plant material, you can add the following items to this in order to bring in as much nutrition to make better compost. As discussed compost is a collection of waste plant material, you can add the following items to this in order to bring in as much nutrition to make better compost. What shouldn’t I add to my compost? You shouldn’t add the following to home composts, Not because it wouldn’t compost, but for various other reasons such as a health reason or the fact it would attract vermin. orange peel coal ash Meat (Raw or cooked)FishCheeseMilkDog or cat ManuresCoffee or Tea Bags (These contain plastic and do not rot)Citrus Peel & Onions ( These make the compost too acidic killing off the bacteria and microbes)Glossy or coated paper or cardboard ( Plastic contained here too)Coal fire ashSawdust from treated timberLarge branches (they will steal the nitrogen while trying to break down)Chemical fertilizers How to Compost: Greens & Browns Before we even think about starting our compost pile, we need to know how to build it. We could just throw it all in a heap and wait for it to break down, but if you get the wrong amounts of things in your compost it might either take an age to break down. Or it may turn into a slimy stinky mess. So how do I know how much of what to put into my compost? That is a bit of a larger subject but each component that you add is associated with a colour. Either Green Or Brown. essentially greens are products that contain high levels of nitrogen. This is needed to break down the heap. And Browns which typically are a carbon source. What’s the ideal green or brown ratio? Ideally, you are looking for a mix ratio of about 30:1. But let me explain this before I go any further. You may have heard the volume 30:1 when it comes to browns and greens when making your compost. But, I want to make it crystal clear here so there is no misunderstanding. Too many people who garden throw this figure around and don’t really understand the concept behind it. The ratio of 30:1 is not a volume ratio, it is based on carbon to nitrogen ratio. So simply put, you DO NOT add 30 times more browns to 1 part green, this will never break down and it is the number one reason why new gardeners struggle when making their own compost. This is why I created the composting for beginners guide. So how do I know how many parts carbon or nitrogen it contains? This is the challenge. Below is a list of some of the most common ingredients used in making compost which will help you. But The term green and brown, or carbon and nitrogen still don’t cover what any ingredient contains. Furthermore, All products you add will contain both carbon and nitrogen in varying forms. Now you understand this you can make sense of the information below. Carbon To Nitrogen Ratio In Ingredients First, let’s check out the high in carbon products and their ratios. High CarbonC/N RatioFruit35:1Sawdust325:1Leaves 60:1Shredded Newspaper175:1Straw75:1Hardwood Ash25:1Shredded Cardboard350:1 High NitrogenC/N RatioClover1:23Food Waste 1:20Coffee Grounds1:20Garden Waste1:30Grass Clippings 1:25Hay1:25Seaweed1:19Vegetable Scraps1:25Alfalfa1:12Weeds1:30 What else do we need to make the compost work? So as you can see from the composting from beginners tables, simply adding 30 times more browns to compost over a green would mean it would never break down. So use the above tables to help you. If adding weeds it’s pretty much set. If adding wood-chips and grass clippings you would need around twice as many wood chips in volume than you would grass clippings. I trust this will help you understand the process of building your compost pile. We figured out what ingredients we are going to add to our compost pile. We know how to get the correct ratios too, but there are two other things we need to add in order for the whole thing to work. If you look at this as a recipe then there are 4 parts. We have the greens and browns, or carbon and nitrogen. The other two things we need are Air and Water. These are very important for the health of the microbes and bacteria that will colonise our compost and break it down. Why is it important to add water to compost? Water is one of the most important elements of any compost. Without water the microbes and soil life cannot breed, they need a warm moist environment in order to multiply. Getting the moisture levels right can really speed up the process to dry and the microbes slow down. Too wet and the microbes slow down. Here are some things too look out for which will tell you if it's too wet or too dry. Too Wet You see water seeping out the sides or bottom of your compost binMatting or clumping together of the compostYou will get an ammonia smell meaning the compost is going anaerobic. If your compost is too wet the microbes will slow down eventually they will die and your compost will cease to continue to break down and turn into a smelly mess. This is one of the biggest factors when you have smelly compost. Too Dry Composting slows drastically.It gets dusty rather than looking moistYou may get a colony of ants to move in Just like you microbes need water in which to survive and if the heap is too dry, like being too wet the microbes start to die. Aim for a moist compost when which squeezed only a couple drops can be seen. Why does compost need air? As we discussed at the top of this composting for beginners guide. Composting is plant material decaying by the use of microbes, and the microbes need food water and air to live, As they consume the food they put out a Bi-product of heat, the air allows the microbes to continue to consume food and multiply. It is important to turn your compost for quicker results as this introduces air to the pile. What compost bin is best? This is dependant on your preferences and budget. You could mound just a load of compost on the ground and cover it over with a tarp. Many people do this with great effect. However, if you have a garden, then you may not want an unsightly mound in the garden, That is where compost bins or compost bays come into their own. DIY Compost Bins You can build a compost bay as I have done here from pallets, They make large bays and this is important. The larger the pile the more heat it creates and the quicker the pile breaks down. Simply place 3 pallets together and tie a fourth to the front to make a compost bin. It is that simple. This will hold about 3 cubic feet of compost. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbE4emDTnD4 It is easy to build your own compost bins from pallets. They are Free or very inexpensive to buy. The last years and are sturdy. Store-Bought Compost Bins Tumbler compost bin compost bin Plastic compost bin A much easier way is to buy a store-bought compost bin. They come in various shapes and sizes. From a basic warlock style bin to a beehive looking compost bin, or even a roller style bin, they all have their uses in the garden. The latter is much easier to turn for people who have mobility issues and can not physically turn a compost pile but wish to compost. Whatever you decide to make your compost in, just remember the golden rules above and you will have fantastic compost to fertiliser your garden with. How long does compost take to make? This depends on a number of factors. Firstly the things you put in the compost and how big you build the pile but here are a couple of tips to get fast compost for your garden. Build your compost pile highShred your ingredients as small as possibleGet the right nitrogen / carbon (Green /Brown) ratioEnsure you have the correct amount of moistureInvest in a compost thermostat to let you know when it cools downTurn the compost every time it cools downCheck moisture every 10 days and add more if required What to do with my finished compost? First of all, let me congratulate you on making your first batch of compost. Although it looks complicated it really isn’t once you understand the fundamentals. Now what to do with it? There are so many things you can do with compost and these are some ideas below:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKQNTHhDaI4 How To Make LEAF MOULD - Turn Fallen Leaves into LEAF COMPOST Use compost as a mulchUse your compost as part of a potting soil mixUse your compost to grow potatoes in containers (Like Me)Use your compost to fertilise trees and shrubsUse your compost on your flower beds.Enrich your soil and build its structure and water retention by adding compostImprove the soil web food life of your soil by adding billions of microbes to your gardenMake compost tea to fertilize your plants Click here to read that blog on how to make compost tea. You're nearly at the end of this composting for beginners, the complete guide blog. Now all you need to do is to make your compost again. You already know exactly what to do. I hope that this blog has cleared up any issues or challenges you face when making compost at home. If you got value from this blog, consider sharing below, or subscribing to the blog for future gardening information I post. You can find the subscribe button in the right-hand sidebar on this page. I would like to wish you all the best in your compost making and gardening year. If you have any questions or need help then just drop them in the comments section below and I will get back to you. Our YouTube channel has hundreds of videos to help you. Check it out here I’m Tony O’Neill, This is UK Here We Grow. Remember folks You Reap What You Sow. I will see you in the next one. Bye.