Hobby Gardening
Flower Gardening Article
Start Your Own Compost Pile
Organic matter is made up of the remains of living things, animals and plants, which decompose and return to the soil, giving up their nutrients and vitamins. A good amount of organic matter in the soil makes a soil fertile and nutrient-rich, a great medium for plants. If your soil doesn't have much organic matter, not to worry, you can always add compost or manure to "amend" the soil. Don't add too much; too much of a good thing can be bad.
Compost is the partially decayed remains of plants and animals and is an excellent source of organic matter. You can make it yourself and keep it handy for all your gardening needs. It is relatively easy to make your own compost pile and it will help save you money and trips to your local gardening supply store if you have a ready supply of organic matter.
Compost provides nutrients and enriches soil. As an amendment to soils rich in clay, compost helps drainage. As an amendent to soils rich in sand, compost helps hold more moisture. Also, by maintaining a compost pile, you are helping out the environment by decreasing the amount of material piling up in landfills.
Start a compost pile. Get a six inch layer of chopped leaves, grass clippings and waste from your kitchen like apple peels, lettuce leaves, coffee grounds and tea leaves. Don't use bones or meat though. You can also use shredded branches, shredded paper, straw or hay, or newspaper.
Make sure the stuff you put in the pile is small. Either use a shredder or run your lawn mover over them. You can add garden plants as long as they are not diseased and weeds that haven't gone to seed. Cover this layer with three to six inches of soil, manure, or finished compost.
Alternate layers of organic matter and soil/manure to reach a pile about three feet tall. The heat generated by this pile will function to sterilize your compost, and you will be able to use it for potting soil, mulch, or as a soil amendment.
Keep the pile in an area that is shady and sprinkle it with water when it seems dry. Keep it moist but avoid it being soggy. Turn the pile to circulate oxygen. When it's ready (usually when there's no heat), you can mix it with soil in any gardening flower bed before planting or use it as mulch. Use it quickly or the nutrients will dissipate.
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