{"id":4815,"date":"2018-11-12T17:52:56","date_gmt":"2018-11-13T01:52:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.toolazine.com\/?p=4815"},"modified":"2022-05-14T04:26:12","modified_gmt":"2022-05-14T11:26:12","slug":"compost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.toolazine.com\/compost\/","title":{"rendered":"Making & Managing Compost in Any Kitchen, Yard, or Garden: Ultimate Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"
Experienced gardeners know the incredible power of good compost. They call it \u201cblack gold\u201d for a reason. Compost is packed with nutrients that are readily accessible to plants to help them grow strong and fruitful. The organic additive breaks up compacted soil, making it easier to turn and an easier medium for plants to grow. Compost also disposes of waste around your house and garden without contributing to landfills. In fact, research has found that compost actually traps carbon in the soil instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. Also, the anaerobic environment of landfills produces methane gas that is actually a bigger contributor to the greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide. Keeping as much organic matter out of the landfill as possible is a great idea.<\/p>\n
There are two basic ways to compost:<\/p>\n
1 — Container Composting<\/p>\n
2 — Compost Piles<\/p>\n
Container composting is exactly what it sounds like; you put all of the ingredients for your compost into a container and let it do its work. You can compost in something as small as a kitchen trash can or a five gallon bucket. You can also buy a compost container<\/u><\/span><\/a> that contain as much as fifty gallons of compost. The different options are a matter of space and of desire.<\/p>\n A compost pile, on the other hand, is exactly what it sounds like. It is a pile of compost. There are two basic ways to do this as well. You could just pile up vegetable scraps, manure, and dry leaves somewhere in your yard. You should know that this will invite scavengers such as raccoons and squirrels. Also, it has the potential to spill over into your yard. Lastly, the heat produced from composting won\u2019t be very contained. However, this is the easiest way to compost and largely how it\u2019s done on a large scale. You could also choose to create a pile by basically buying or building box structures. The boxes are typically made of wood or plastic. They sit in your yard, and you fill them with your layers of compostable material. They take up a lot of space but they allow you to compost hundreds of gallons of materials.<\/p>\n So, which one should you choose? We\u2019ll get into the specifics of different types of composting later in the article. The basic consideration is this, though.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start with container composting. This ranges from small countertop containers to large ones in your backyard. Who composts in containers? Container composting is for anyone who does not have the space for an open compost pile or who doesn\u2019t have enough food scraps to make it worthwhile. Someone living in an apartment or a multi-family home is a good example.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re planning to compost in your apartment, you need to decide if you\u2019re going to compost inside or outside. Composting outside is probably ideal because even the most well-maintained compost will attract some fruit flies. There are ways to avoid that even if you compost inside, though.<\/p>\n So, first, let\u2019s start with those composting inside. To compost inside, you\u2019ll need a container big enough to fit all of your green materials and your brown materials. Brown materials are those that are high in carbon. They\u2019re dry and woody materials. Common examples of browns are dry leaves and paper. Since they are dry, they absorb moisture. They also are less likely to break down; therefore, you need to help them along by shredding them. That\u2019s especially important for apartment composting because you need the process to start as quickly as possible. The longer you go without active compost, the more bugs it can attract.<\/p>\n So, your brown materials should be things like junk mail, paper packaging, and leaves. Do not compost any plastic or animal materials. Investing in a paper shredder would be smart at this point.<\/p>\n Your green materials are those that contain nitrogen. That\u2019s basically anything wet, such as vegetables and fruits. As always, never compost any animal products except for eggshells. Wash eggshells thoroughly before putting them in the compost. Since you\u2019re composting inside and on a small scale, you want to help the microbes out as much as possible by breaking down the materials. The simplest option is to chop them up as fine as you can before putting them into the compost. Some people even toss their fruits and vegetables into a blender before pouring them in the compost.<\/p>\n The ratio of browns to greens is especially important for container composting in an apartment. If you get the ratio wrong, you could have some uncomfortable results. If there are too many browns, it won\u2019t compost. If there are too many greens, it will make a soggy mess and will decay anaerobically. Anaerobic decay is decay without the presence of oxygen, which is what happens in swamps and landfills; that\u2019s why they smell that way. A properly maintained compost shouldn\u2019t smell very bad.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll likely read that you need a 4:1 ratio of greens to browns; that\u2019s typically by weight. So, if you have four pounds of old vegetable scraps, you need one pound of shredded paper. You might also read that you need a 20:1 ratio of browns to greens; that\u2019s typically by volume. So, one cup of vegetables requires basically a gallon of shredded leaves. If you don\u2019t intend to do math and measuring when you\u2019re putting together your compost, use the reliable eye test. Your compost pile should be layers of browns and greens. It should be damp but not soggy. It shouldn\u2019t smell like a swamp. If it\u2019s damp but not actually soggy, you\u2019re probably doing fine.<\/p>\n Now, how do you keep it from smelling up your apartment? If your ratio of browns to greens is perfect, you won\u2019t have to worry about that. However, nobody is perfect. So, in the real world, that depends on your composter.<\/p>\n\n
<\/b>Container Composting<\/h2>\n
Apartment Composting<\/h2>\n