CHOOSING AND PLACING YOUR COMPOST
BINS-
The simplest way to make compost is to pile your yard waste in an
out-of-the-way place and forget about it for a year or so. This
is usually not the best method unless you have lots of land and
no neighbors.
Most homeowners make compost in some
sort of container or bin. You can make your own bin from wood, wire
fencing, concrete blocks, or plastic lumber. Or, you can choose
to buy from the wide variety of ready-made bins and tumblers. Tumblers
mix and turn the compost without you having to touch it, and they
can speed up the process.
Every bin or tumbler makes the same
end product-compost, so choose or build a model that suits your
budget and lifestyle. You want one that is at least 3 feet wide,
3 feet long, and 3 feet high. Smaller containers may not work very
well. If you have lots of material to compost, you can make your
bin larger, up to 5 feet high by 5 feet wide, and as long as you
need it.
It's best to have at least two bins
so that you can put fresh materials into one while the other is
composting. Many gardeners who compost swear by three bins.
Put your bins where you can get to
them readily and have room to work around them. It helps if you
can get a hose to the site to moisten the compost. Near your vegetable
garden is a good place if you have room. The side of your yard or
against a brick or concrete building also works. In hot climates,
find a shady spot; in moderate climates a partly shady site is fine.
If you have cool summers, pick a sunny site if you can spare it.
You may wish to screen the bins from view with a hedge or vine covered
fence.
ADDING RAW MATERIALS-
Filling your bin right is easy. Just remember these three simple
rules:
-
Add equal amounts of dry, brown
stuff and moist, green stuff (See "What to Put in Compost".)
-
Chop, cut, or tear everything
up into little pieces (1 inch long is fine).
-
Add just enough water to make
the dry stuff moist-but not soggy.
Pile raw materials loosely into your
bin, spreading them out evenly and all the way to the edges. Add
a thin layer (an inch or two) of green stuff, then an equal layer
of brown stuff, and then sprinkle it with water. You want your pile
to be as moist as a wrung-out sponge. Keep adding equal amounts
of green stuff and brown stuff and watering until you've added all
you have that day.
Certain seasons of the year you will
have either lots of green stuff (summer weeds) and very little brown
stuff; or lots of brown stuff (fall leaves) and very little green
stuff Some homeowners stockpile the dry, brown stuff in a tarp-covered
pile or in clean garbage cans until they get green stuff to mix
it with. Shredded newspapers are a good year-round source of brown
stuff to match with your extra green stuff. In fall, buy a bag of
alfalfa meal or alfalfa pellets for super-concentrated green stuff.
Just a few handfuls sprinkled over every well-watered layer of fallen
leaves will get your pile off and working.
Special Tip- When you have
just kitchen scraps to add, dig a 6-inch-deep hole in the center
of the top of the pile, dump them in, cover them with a handful
of garden soil, and close the hole back up. This will help prevent
attracting pests.
Continue to add materials in alternate layers until your bin is
full. Then start filling your second bin with new raw materials.
