Is it necessary? compost container in a modern plot? In fact it is – compost it is absolutely necessary, Ingė Auželienė and Vaida Vaitkutė-Eidimtienė, the teachers of the modern gardening course «The Yellow Wheelbarrow», talk about its advantages, its use and its place on the ground. At the bottom of the article – and a short video report.
ARGUMENTS FOR COMPOST
For those who adhere to ecology, the main topic is compost it is irreplaceable organic fertilizer for your garden, says I. Auželienė. Your compost is mostly made up of plants grown on your property, i.e. local materials. It is natural, so it is better to feed the soil.
Another important topic is that there is always organic waste that we simply have to throw away somewhere. In the kitchen – for shaving, peeling, we have midges, leaves or roots of vegetables, egg shells; outdoors: we mow the lawn, weed, harvest, pick flowers, prune bushes and trees, rake leaves in autumn. Why buy soil and fertilizer when we can use that waste and easily make our own fertilizer?
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You can build a compost bin on your own or buy a specific one. It is crucial that the container is not closed off. Air needs to flow in to create a good setting for the growth of tiny organisms and all their activities.
For the first layer, it is suggested to put in bigger sticks to allow air to move around. Then, we add organic materials mixed with soil, for instance, 10-15 cm of organic waste followed by 5 cm of peat, dark soil, or simply dirt from the garden, the expert points out. Layering often happens naturally since we seldom have just one kind of waste.
Having a cover for the compost bin is useful. It does not need to be kept fully shut; usually, just lifting it a little is enough. To stop rain from washing away the materials, it’s wise to cover it during wet seasons. For air circulation, it works best if the sides of the compost bin are open or if there is a gap for air between the compost and the top.
If dry weather is common, it is important to check the compost – moisture is needed for the processes to continue.
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Crocuses in the lawn are like little diamonds: plant them in your garden! –Compost needs to be covered during winter. If there’s no lid, you can also use plastic, but not tightly: both air and moisture should be able to get in.
WHERE TO BUILD THE COMPOST BOX
V. Vaitkutė- Eidimtienė recommends building a compost box in the agricultural area of the land: near the garden, vegetable patch. The compost should be functionally easily accessible so you don’t have to haul waste all over the yard.
It is best that the compost container is placed far away, not visible at first glance. An open, sunny location is also not suitable. You should definitely find such a corner in your garden.
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Collecting sprouts: the most common mistakesIf your plot has many wooden elements, if the farm is in the ethnographic style, it is worth installing it wooden compost container.
A modern plot in a remote location will do plastic compost containers. They have comfortable capacity and tidy appearance. The dark color of the plastic and the studied volume increase the temperature inside the box, creating an environment more favorable to decomposition, thus accelerating the processes. In such a box it is possible to produce suitable compost within a year. Plastic compost bins can be purchased and in some counties of Lithuania they are distributed to landowners, look into the possibilities and take advantage of the opportunity if you don’t have one yet.
I. Auželienė recommends not placing the compost container near the terrace, playground or bedroom windows. Properly loaded compost does not have an unpleasant odor. However, if we add a lot of freshly cut grass, we will start to smell rotten grass. Therefore, it is recommended to lightly wrap the freshly cut one.
WHAT IS NOT GOOD FOR COMPOST
It has already been mentioned what can be used for compost. And here’s what’s not recommended:
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my review on the greenhouse harvest –- Weeds with mature flowers or seeds: resistant seeds will not decompose, but will be sown with the compost;
- Meat, fish, bones, fat (both lard and oil) – fermentation processes may begin, rotting may occur, rodents may appear,
- Greater quantities of apples and citrus fruits acidify the earth,
- Oak leaves are very slow,
- Diseased plant parts: You can spread the disease to other plants.
If there is an unpleasant odoryou need to turn the compost to let in as much air as possible to allow other types of bacteria to grow. It can be disinfected by adding lime, dolomite powder or ash to neutralize decaying bacteria. Try to keep it drier: don’t water, turn to dry. WHEN CAN WE USE IT?
Usually we put the waste in the box for the whole season, and the following spring it is already decomposed and the microorganisms, earthworms have already done their work, says I. Auželienė. Therefore It’s worth having two boxes: We upload one this year, we use the other one, which was uploaded last year.
If there is a lot of waste and we don’t have the space, we can try particular preparations that accelerate the decomposition processes. So you can start using compost after 3 months.
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