How to Prepare Compost
A very good feature of organic gardening is the ability to locally produce the fertilizers, pesticides and other organic ingredients. And the easiest among them is compost. You can prepare compost even in your kitchen garden!
Agricultural scientists all over the world suggest compost as an excellent source of organic matter for garden plants. Compost provides air, water, organic matter, microorganisms to your plants and thus enhances their growth. It also maintains a healthy atmosphere in the soil and hence keeps insects, plant diseases and weeds away.
What are the Benefits of Compost?
So what is so special about compost? Why not use organic matter directly? The biggest advantage of using compost is that the organic matter in compost is partially decayed and hence its volume is very less. Further, the microorganism activity has started in the compost quite a few days back and hence the concentration of these microorganisms is very high. This makes the compost a concentrated and easy to absorb source of organic matter.
From where can you buy compost? You can purchase compost from the market as well as online stores. Compost for Sale is a directory of some companies that sell compost in UK, US and India.
You can also prepare compost in your garden. Composting on a small scale can be done through the following three techniques:
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Fast composting: Fast composting is a composting technique used by many biodynamic farmers. A pit of 1m height, 1m width and 1m length is prepared. Length of the pit can be increased according to the space available in your garden and your compost requirement. The pit is filled with thin layers of leaves, manure, and straws. Water is added after adding each layer. You can also add some soil between these layers. The pile is turned regularly to keep it aerated. Compost will be ready within six to eight weeks.
- Slow composting: Slow composting, as the name suggests, is a very slow process and it takes months for compost formation through this method. Organic matter that is rich in carbon (brown organic matter such as saw dust) is the main ingredient. Fill half of the composting pit with carbon rich organic matter, and daily add kitchen waste or vegetable peelings to this. You can also add soil along with the kitchen waste occasionally. The pit content will gradually decompose and you can start harvesting the compost from the bottom of the pit.
- Worm composting: Worm composting, also known as vermiculture, can be carried out in a bin or in a trench. Fill the bin or trench with soil and organic matter (kitchen waste or vegetable peelings). Then release red worms into the bin. Ensure that bin is always moist, but don't add too much water. Adding water in large quantities will fill the pores built by the worms with water and disturb their colony. You can also make a hole in the bin for purging out excess water. Some researchers also suggest using earth worms instead of red worms, as earth worms are more effective in converting organic matter into manure. The compost will be ready in a few weeks. While harvesting the compost, take care so that you don’t hurt the worms.
Further Reading:
University of Missouri Extension
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