Why Compost is Beneficial to Your Garden
Compost is a great way to add nutrients to your garden and flower beds that is beneficial in overall plant and soil health. The best thing, is you can make your own in your yard from everyday kitchen scraps and other materials from your home. But deciding on how big or what type of compost you want to take on can be overwhelming. We can help you get started by telling you all about compost.
Why compost?
Composting enriches the soil by adding nutrients, helps with water retention for less watering, and diverts many items from the landfills. To create compost, it takes a team of microorganisms, soil fauna, fungi, and enzymes that break down the food scraps and other materials that go into your compost. Keeping it at a balanced level will ensure your compost breaks materials down in a timely manner, which allows you to use it faster. Compost is a natural fertilizer that slow releases nutrients into your soil and balances the PH levels in your soil. With all the benefits of it, your garden will get so many beneficial nutrients to aid in the best conditions for growing plants, flowers, and vegetables, and best yet, it doesn’t wash away with rain, but continues to feed your plants over time as needed.
How compost helps your garden
Microorganisms play a key role in decomposition and the cycling of nutrients and water to plants. Microorganisms are needed for the breakdown of compost materials; as they break down organic matter they create carbon dioxide and nutrients and help balance out nitrogen in the soil and aerate it. Compost adds beneficial microbes which enhance nutrient cycling and builds up the soil food web. The soil food web is the community of organisms living all or part of their life in the soil and describes the complex living system in the soil and how it reacts to the environment, plants, and animals; it is the transfer of energy between species in an ecosystem. Plants thrive best under specific soil foods, which the process of compost uses the microorganisms to create the nutrient-rich soil that can be added to your yard and gardens to provide the best growing environment for healthy plants.
How to set up your compost
To get started, consider the best spot in your yard to put your compost, preferable in a dry shaded area with access to a water source. You will need to water down dry material such as paper when adding it to assure proper breakdown. You can choose to go with an open pile that is sectioned off, or pick one of the many styles of composters on the market. You’ll want to make sure any larger materials are being chopped or shredded into smaller pieces before adding to your compost. Aim to maintain a ratio of high-nitrogen materials, (green) and high-carbon materials, (brown) to work properly. Some gardeners have luck with a 50-50 ratio, some do 30 parts brown to one part green. Another way is doing 6 inches of brown to 2 inches of green. Necessary steps to follow are layering, watering, turning, repeat. You want to only water until moist, not soaking. The more often you turn your soil, the faster it can break down and be used in your garden. It should resemble nice rich soil with an earthy smell when it is ready.
What you can put in compost
Kitchen scraps and yard clipping are some of the main ingredients to feed your compost. It’s easy to keep a bin in your kitchen to add food scraps to until you’re ready to add it to your composter. Things that can be added are:
High-carbon materials, (brown)
High-nitrogen materials, (green)
· Pine needles
· Paper
· Wood shavings
· Dry leaves
· Coffee Grounds
· Vegetable and fruit scraps
· Eggshells
· Grass clippings
Avoid putting in bones, meat scraps, and dairy based products to avoid attracting pests and because most backyard compost systems do not get to the internal temperature needed to break down these items.
Starting a compost can feel overwhelming with all the “rules” to making your compost successful, but once started, it can be easily maintained. Some gardeners like to have more than one compost at different levels to maintain a constant supply of newly composed soil to add to their gardens when needed. If you are short on space, you can set one up on your balcony or an indoor option. You can choose a container that fits your space, metal or plastic, drill holes in it for ventilation, and a tray for it to sit on for any spills that might happen. You’ll want to start by adding a bit of soil, then a layer of shredded paper or newspaper. You can then add your small kitchen scraps, but keep alternating with dry layers. It should be mixed once a week, and add a small scoop of soil while doing so. If it smells, then the balance of things added are off, and you may need to add more paper or holes for airflow. But once your compost is started, then it is easy to maintain and enjoy the benefits of adding to your gardens and even houseplants!
We try to source compost that does not include microplastics in it as much as possible. Microplastics are shed from all plastic-coated paper products that are accepted in municipal kitchen scrap recycling programs and pose a significant risk to our soils, freshwater marine environments, wildlife, and even the human population. We ensure all compost used by us is safe and organic. Contact us to help get you started.
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About Me
I am the Owner of Inherit Designs Landscaping. Since 2003, my team and I have been providing sustainable garden solutions to the Cowichan Valley and Greater Victoria. I personally hold two certifications in horticulture and permaculture and take great pride in the service I offer my clients. My family and I live on our organic flower farm called Little Bee Blooms, run by my wife. Together we are continually conducting research gardens and experimenting in many aspects of horticulture and permaculture to improve our knowledge and the operation of our businesses.