While compost is a great tool in gardening, there are a few mistakes to avoid to ensure its effectiveness. Here are 6 classic mistakes.
A technique that recycles organic waste, provides essential elements for the proper development of plants and reduces the use of harmful and chemical gardening products all at the same time … Composting is one of the best allies when we are gardening and when we are sensitive to ecology. Among its benefits, compost improves the structure of the soil, allows better water retention in the soil and provides the organic compounds necessary for a healthy soil conducive to the development of your plants. Although compost is popular as an indispensable gardening tool, there are some mistakes that can make it unnecessary or even harmful in the garden. We take stock.
But first of all, have you never made a composter at home? Do not worry because we give you some tips to get started:
- Make two wooden bins or buy two composters.
- Place them side by side. When one pile is ready to use, you can add your waste to the other which will be degrading.
- In one of the compost bins, mix one-third of green waste (vegetable peelings, lawn and grass mowing residues, among others) and two-thirds of brown waste which includes in particular garden residues such as dead leaves and small branches.
- Make sure you mix your compost every month and water it as soon as it seems too dry.
- After 6 to 10 months of waiting and once the compost looks like potting soil, you can harvest the fruits of your labor and spread a layer of compost at the feet of your plants!
The right tools to make your compost
Mistake # 1: Not mixing green and brown waste
Compost made from only green waste, such as fruit and vegetable peelings and infused tea leaves, will be too wet and decompose too quickly. Conversely, a mixture of brown waste on its own, such as dead leaves from the garden and untreated wood chips among others, would be too dry and decomposition too slow. Tom le Jardinier, blogger and influencer, advocates in his book “A natural vegetable garden” published in editions Albin Michel, to mix two thirds of brown waste with one third of green waste in order to find an effective balance. To check the moisture in your compost, take a handful of the compound soil, squeeze it out, and make sure that only a few drops of water are flowing into your hand.
Mistake # 2: neglecting the volume of compost
While adding compost to the garden is essential for its development, too much volume could do more harm than good by preventing air from circulating around the waste and soil. In order to avoid a lack of oxygen in your compost bins, Tom the Gardener recommends a compost pile with a volume of about 1 cubic meter for a composter that measures about 500 square meters.
Mistake # 3: Composting All Trash
While most organic waste from the house and garden provides nutrients essential for the well-being of the soil, some waste is prohibited. Among them, wastes of animal origin (except eggshells), residues of treated plants and wood, and citrus fruits are harmful to the health of the soil and may kill beneficial worms in decomposition. .
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Mistake # 4: failing to turn the compost pile
After four to six months of decomposition, it is important to return the compost pile to your composter to provide oxygen to the soil and give decomposition a boost.
Mistake # 5: Installing your compost in the sun
In order to prevent the unpleasant odors of the compost from spreading and attracting flies, a shaded place is preferable for the decomposition of waste.
Mistake # 6: Not covering the pile with compost
Compost in the open air attracts insects and rodents. To prevent these little beasts from invading your garden, patio and vegetable patch, cover the compost with a layer of mulch or used wood. In winter, this blanket also protects the compost from the cold.
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Juliette Barlier
Web editor for AuFeminin since January 2021, Juliette comes directly from California and writes on subjects related to culture, astrology, and plants from an angle …