Rachelle Strauss - Compost: How to Use, How to Make, Everyday Tips

Included here are the checklists from the end of each chapter of the book. Use them to remind yourself of what to do.

Why Compost?

• Find out what recycling is collected from your kerbside and use the service.
• Have a think about any items from your weekly trash that you could start to do without, reuse or recycle
• Think about the amount of fruit and vegetable peelings you throw away you could use them for compost.
• Could you buy local fruit and vegetables? Find out where your nearest farm shops, box schemes or orchards are and contact them.
• Make a goal to buy one less bag of compost this year and make your own instead.
• Get to know your soil; is it acid or alkaline, sandy or clay? If you know what you are dealing with, you can see your progress.
• Spend some time in nature, taking note of the cycles of life and decay.
• Get your family involved. Learn together about composting and make it an excuse to spend quality time together.
• Borrow a book on organic gardening from your library and learn about some of the benefits of an organic lifestyle.

What to Compost

• Write down all the things on this list that you use regularly at home so that you can see instantly what can and cannot be added to your compost pile.
• Instead of adding cardboard egg boxes to your compost pile, why not see if a local farm shop can reuse them?
• If you have a lot of untreated sawdust you could offer it to people for animal bedding.
• Dont add too much paper to your compost bin. The most ecologically sound thing to do with paper is recycle it.
• When you have your hair cut in the spring, do the birds a favour and give them some of your hair for nesting, rather than put it all in the compost bin.
• Even biodegradable nappies (diapers) cannot be composted or recycled, why not try cloth nappies (diapers) instead?
• Dont add too many textiles to your compost heap; its better to donate your unwanted items to a charity shop or textiles bank for reuse.

How to Compost

• Review the pattern between greens and browns, carbon and nitrogen, wet and dry ingredients so that you have a better understanding of the requirements of your compost heap.
• Think of an average week in your household what green and brown items do you come across regularly?
• Decide where to put your compost bin choose a sheltered spot, preferably on bare soil.
• Find a source of natural activators; do you have nettles or comfrey in your garden or a source of poultry manure? If not, your own urine is the answer!
• Decide how much space and time you can dedicate to composting and start making a plan.
• Start stockpiling some useful browns such as shredded cardboard, scrunched up newspaper and small twigs.
• Do you need to borrow some worms or compost from a friend to get things started? If so, organize this.

Compost Bins & Composting Systems

• Set a budget for your compost bin and start looking at available options.
• Determine what size of bin or heap you need.
• If you are going to make your own compost bin, start gathering materials .
• Choose a location for your bin close enough to your house for filling, but convenient for where you want to use your finished compost.
• Look at the pros and cons for each type of compost bin which one suits your needs?
• How many bins do you need? Do you have the room and the raw materials for them?
• Do you need to look at smaller options such as a wormery or a bokashi bin?

Other Types of Composting

• Consider the other methods of composting outlined in this chapter is there one that suits your lifestyle?
• If you have trees in your garden, why not make leaf mould this year?
• Would a Green Cone or Green Johanna be better for your needs? Do you have the right location for one? A Green Johanna needs shade and a Green Cone needs full sun.
• Do you need to compost garden waste? If so, youll need a Green Johanna.
• If you need an indoor composting method, look at the types of kitchen waste you create most of fruit and vegetable peelings are better for a wormery, cooked food waste is better dealt with by a bokashi bin.
• Find out the prices of different wormeries and choose the best one for your household.
• Remember that a bokashi bin requires special effective microorganisms ; shop around for the best deal.
• If you decide on a bokashi bin ; do you have somewhere to deposit the finished contents?

Using Compost

• Check which of your plants love compost and which ones dont in a good gardening book or website.
• Keep a little of your finished compost back for starting a
  new batch .
• How much compost have you made? You might need to prioritize where you use it, focusing on neglected soil first.
• Remember that you are feeding the soil not the plants. Healthy soil produces healthy plants.
• Apply mulches around established trees and shrubs in a 38 cm (13 in) layer.
• Water plants thoroughly before mulching, apply the mulch and then water again.
• Put a handful of compost into transplanting holes and around new plants.
• Before using up all your compost, make a batch of compost tea to use as a foliar feed.
• Where can you buy horticultural sand ? Shop around for a good deal if you want to make your own potting compost.
• Sprinkle some compost over your grass for a green and lush lawn.

The Composting Year

• Make sure empty beds and containers are prepared in time for spring sowing and planting .
• Incorporate compost into planting holes and around new plants during spring.
• Summer is the ideal time for setting up a hot (active) compost heap.
• Mulching is important during summer to prevent water evaporation.
• Gather leaves during autumn to make leaf mould .
• Deadheading flowers can encourage new blooms.
• Keep your compost heap insulated during a cold winter.
• Keep bare ground covered with mulch to keep the soil warm .

Composting Problems & Solutions

• Prevention is better than cure. Plan the site of your compost heap carefully with regards to temperature, possible pests and ease of access.
• Are there any particular pests in your vicinity? Plan how you might prevent a problem occurring.
• Do you have a good mix of carbon-rich and nitrogen-rich materials throughout the year? If not, decide how to rectify this.
• Work out the best composting system for your climate .
• If you have vermin problems, make sure nobody in your household is adding cooked food waste to the heap.
• Check that your compost bin is protected from extremes of temperature and weather conditions.
• Aerate the pile regularly to prevent many composting problems.
• Plant herbs, flowers and trees in your garden that attract beneficial insects.