What is Composting?

Many people who are gardeners or care about the environment at putting in kitchen and garden waste into composts thus turning these waste products into something alltogether more useful for the garden.  What happens is that the process of composting is basically speeding up the natural process of decomposition.  If you are a keen gardener then composting is somthing that you should understand.

Don't confuse compost with soil.  This is something that a lot of people beleive but it really isn't anything like the dirt you find just lying about on the ground.  If you want lush and healthy plants then giving them compost will really help because you are also giving them the nutrients they need.

If you have never done any composting before then you need to understand what options are available to you – what type of container and style suits your project, what you will be putting into your compost bin, and where you are going to be locating the bin.  No matter what choices you have to make, the process of composting happens in the same manner.  It is a breakdown of waste materials as they are digested by microbes (bacteria and fungi).

Without these microbes your waste cannot be turned into compost.  In order for the microbes to do the job needed, they require certain things such as food, air and water all in the correct quantities.  For great compost you should consider using earthworms.

People who have never owned a compost before in their lives are under the misconception that composts are automatically smelly it is most likely the result of not enough air circulating throughout the waste material.  Without air, the material will still breakdown but it will be done by anaerobic microbes (organisms that do not need oxygen) as opposed to aerobic (ones that need oxygen).  If you discover that your compost is emmitting a foul smell then you should add in some cardboads and also turn the compost with a fork to allow more air into it.  Wood chips or hay are good for a good compost.

Composting is good for the environment and your garden – it prevents waste from enetrying landfill and also adds much needed nutrients to your soil.