Compost heap. Tips for gardeners on how to make a compost heap. How to Make Garden Compost, Benefits and Applications

Garden compost is a free and at the same time the most valuable fertilizer for a garden plot. A garden composter is a small facility that helps a gardener prepare an excellent organic fertilizer while getting rid of organic garden debris. What is a composter and how does it workprepare garden compost so that the grass does not rot in a rainy summer, and does not dry out in the heat? We will talk about all this in today's article.

What is compost

Compost is organic fertilizer obtained as a result of the decomposition of various organic substances under the influence of the activity of microorganisms.

In favor of compost, in addition to being a universal fertilizer, it is also said that this fertilizer is natural and absolutely free.

Why do you need a garden composter in the country

A properly designed garden composter produces compost and is a mini-factory for processing garden and organic waste into fertilizer, as well as getting rid of unpleasant odors and flies that constantly hover over the compost pit.

Composter device

The garden composter is a capacious container with a volume of 200-1000 liters, depending on the needs of the summer resident and the size of the plot.The optimal compost bin has a footprint of 2-4 square meters and a height of about a meter. The right compost bin can be made from any material, as long as the walls keep the heat in, and excess water can flow from the bottom. And of course, a garden composter should be easy to use.

Modern composters are single-chamber and 2 or even 3-chamber.

Homemade garden composter for giving, as a rule, is made from boards. The frame assembled from a bar of the required size is sheathed wooden planks. In the very simple version execution, the lid is either not made at all, or the composter is covered with a film.

When building a homemade composter, slate sheets are often used, which last much longer than wood, and metallic profile, from which the walls of the garden composter are much faster and easier to assemble than from wooden boards.

On sale most often you can find garden composters various designs from plastic. You can buy completely finished composters, or prefabricated options.

In any case, if you decide to set up a garden composter on your site, give up digging compost pits in favor of a homemade or store-bought composter. Very often in compost pitswater accumulates, difficult air access, and, as a result, the processes of decay are difficult. In addition, the compost in the compost pit is almost impossible to mix and it is difficult to get ready-made compost from the lower layers of the pit.

If you do not have time to make a good garden composter, and there is no way to buy a ready-made composter, it is better to make an ordinary compost heap - three walls from any available material up to one meter high.

For a compost bin, it is best to make a slatted floor. In this case, air will be additionally sucked into the compost from below, and the composting process will proceed faster and better.

It is important to install the garden composter in a dry place, on a surface that absorbs moisture well - sand, gravel or grass. Drainage holes must be able to freely drain excess moisture from the composter to the outside. In areas with heavy clay soil, a layer of gravel is poured under the composter or cut branches are placed. If the floor under the garden composter is wooden or concrete, then straw or sawdust is laid down, with a layer of at least 20-30 cm thick.

For the best process of decay, oxygen is needed. To do this, the compost can either be mixed or provide air access to the center of the composter where the most active decomposition takes place. This can be done with a plastic or asbestos pipe with drilled holes installed vertically in the center of the composter.

To speed up the composting process, the walls of the composter must be insulated. This can be done by laying the inner walls of 5-10 cm with a layer of foam during construction. At the same time, on hot summer days, it is necessary to ensure that the compost does not burn out by regularly and thoroughly mixing its contents.

The minimum volume of the compost heap should be at least 1 m3, otherwise the organic matter will dry out quickly. For the same reason, the garden composter is best placed in the shade.

If the compost heap is on open space, it must be covered from above. In winter and spring, the garden composter can be covered with foil, in summer - with any opaque material. If the compost heap is left uncovered, the nutrients will be washed away by the rain during the season.

When installing a garden composter, pay attention to the fact that the access roads are convenient, and the front wall of the composter must be made removable, low, or completely dispensed with.

How to make compost

As surprising as it sounds, the compost prepares itself. The task of the gardener in this case is to create suitable conditions and put the raw materials into the garden composter in time. The process of compost formation is a friendly work of soil-forming organisms - bacteria, fungi and worms. They need to be provided with food, air, comfortable humidity and temperature. The rest they will do themselves.

What not to put in a garden composter

• protein food residues - meat, fish, lard, bones;
• dairy waste;
• chemicals for washing dishes, bathrooms, etc.;
• synthetics, including plastics;

Dairy waste and protein leftovers in a garden composter are bad because they attract flies and rats, and they also emit an unpleasant odor when they decompose. They can be put in a composter, digging into a pile in small quantities. So they rot faster and do not create additional problems.

What to put in a garden composter

"Green" (nitrogen-rich) components of compost:

• green leaves;
• cut grass;
• tops;
• kitchen waste;
• squeezes and waste of fruits and fruits;
• manure;
• feces;
• bird droppings;
• bean hay.

Green components rot quickly and with heating, which is often accompanied by bad smell. This is the "stove" of the garden composter. And for the soil - a source of nitrogen fertilizer.

"Brown" (poor in nitrogen, but rich in fiber) components of compost:

• dry leaves;
• straw;
• branches;
• seed husks;
• corn cobs;
• paper;
• sawdust;
• bark.

These components rot slowly, coolly, in the heap and in the soil mainly provide porosity by retaining moisture and air, sometimes depleting the compost of nitrogen. These are the “rippers” of the garden composter.

Leaven:

• Earth;
• mature humus.

The use of sourdough in a garden composter is optional. It only helps to speed up the process of decay.

Green materials form the basis of the compost, and brown materials simply sandwich them.

If you are composting only "brown" ingredients, such as dry leaves in autumn, the compost heap must be moistened with a solution of urea (urea) at the rate of 1.5-2 kg per cubic meter of material. Then your compost will not be depleted in nitrogen.

Manure for the composter is best used straw. The highest quality is horse. Pig manure is not recommended - it is acidic and liquid. Any manure must be layered with “brown” components.

It is also undesirable to add bird droppings to a garden composter.

Kitchen and fruit waste must be laid thinly and must be layered with “brown” materials.

Hay is an excellent material for garden compost. It must be laid in layers, alternating with ready-made humus or watered with infusion of straw or grass for faster decay. If the hay is dry, it must be moistened with water.

Grass, leaves and other green mass necessarily require drying, otherwise they compact in the composter, remain without air and begin not to rot, but to sour, turning into a poisonous "silo". If you put fresh grass in a garden composter, it must be layered, like manure, with dry leaves or sawdust.

It is advisable to put weeds in the composter that have not been seeded, so that later you do not have to once again weed the beds.

The use of the tops of diseased plants (burnt from late blight tomatoes, or cucumbers damaged by fungus) in a garden composter is strictly prohibited.

The quality of the finished compost can be improved by egg shells. Just do not use raw egg shells as an ingredient for a compost heap, Salmonella pathogens can get into the compost along with it.

It is also not advisable to throw leftover citrus fruits into the garden composter. They strongly oxidize the humus, and worms, one of the main producers of compost, may not like it.

In ordinary compost heaps, it is desirable to sprinkle layers of organic waste with mineral fertilizers. In full-fledged garden composters, it is quite possible to do without this.

How does a composter work

After organics are loaded into the composter, decomposition processes begin inside it. Inside the pile, the temperature rises, which contributes to the decomposition process.

In summer, on particularly hot days, it is necessary to ensure that the compost does not “burn out”, as it will burn. temperature can rise to very high values. To do this, it is necessary to periodically turn up the compost at least to the middle of the garden composter.

With the beginning of the decomposition process, compost worms start up in the compost. They help to process the organic matter in the composter, thereby significantly speeding up the decomposition process.

Composter maintenance

The gardener's only concern when maintaining a garden composter is to periodically mix the ingredients of the compost. The compost mass is not homogeneous, the lower layers of the compost are always more mature, since the composting process started there earlier. To ensure the best nutrient medium for microorganisms, mixing should be done once every 2-3 weeks. In this case, it is not necessary to mix the lowest ripened layer.

Before using the garden composter for the first time, it is recommended to cover the bottom with a thin layer of chopped branches (except willow, oak, and aspen) or straw. This is done so that the ventilation and drainage holes are subsequently not clogged with compost mass from the inside.

If you are using a composter with a resealable lid, it must not be left open for long periods of time. The microenvironment for compost maturation is created largely due to the isolation of the contents of the composter from the outside world. The temperature and humidity inside the composter is usually always higher than outside.

After half a year, you will receive a fertilizer completely ready for laying new beds, and the next year it will be possible to mulch the soil with mature compost.

How to speed up the decay process

If you want to get ready-made compost as soon as possible, the decay process can be accelerated with the help of special starter cultures. At the same time, carefully read the instructions on the label. The process of rotting in the composter when using starter cultures is very rapid, the temperature inside the compost heap rises significantly, and if additional ventilation holes are not made inside the composter, organic matter can literally char in the middle of the heap.

How to tell if the compost is ripe

First of all, in color, smell and structure. Ready compost never smells like rot, more like mushrooms or woods. It should be brown in color. If the compost is green, partial ensiling has occurred; if it is black, it has burnt when too instant cooking. If there are a lot of earthworms in the compost, say thank you to them and bring them to the garden. There will be biohumus, and, therefore, fertile soil.

How to use compost

Vegetable and berry beds can be arranged directly on the compost. Without digging up the ground, the compost is poured onto a raised bed, on which seedlings are planted. Compost made mainly from green grass is acidic. It is desirable to add to it before use wood ash or dolomite flour.

When planting apple trees and other large plants, it is very useful to add compost to a pre-prepared landing pit. In spring, compost is spread under mature shrubs and trees.

It is also helpful to add a thin layer of compost to heavy clay soil before seeding the lawn.

How to make compost with your own hands?
Soil fertilization is an important requirement for the agricultural technology of any plant, and compost is considered one of the main components for soil application. Today we will learn how to make compost in the country on our own.

Content:

Many summer residents have been preparing compost with their own hands for a long time, because this not only saves time and money, but also eliminates a lot of unnecessary worries, which are already enough in the country.

What is the benefit of making compost in the country?

• Compost is considered one of the the best fertilizers, which, when introduced into the soil, fills it with a huge amount of trace elements.
• Compost is the cheapest and most practical means for proper soil structuring, as it increases moisture conservation and creates loosening necessary for all plants.
• Spreading compost over the surface of the soil creates the best organic mulch that will conserve moisture and inhibit the growth of many weeds in the area.
• Composting in a summer cottage is a very useful process, as well as a significant contribution to the development and protection environment. None mineral fertilizer cannot be compared with high-quality compost, and a properly formed pit in which organic components rot can become a real incubator for beneficial bacteria and microorganisms.
• Composting significantly reduces your physical effort, since now you do not need to take out a good part of the garbage from the territory of your summer cottage, everything can simply be placed in a special pit.


Prepare compost for suburban area very helpful!!!


What is garden compost?

Compost is a specific product obtained from organic waste under the influence of the environment and a huge variety of insects and microorganisms. It is used for structuring the soil, mulching, fertilizing.

The bark and branches of trees, the stems and leaves of plants - all this can be put in a certain order in a special pit or simply on a pile, ensure the conditions for decay and processing, and get high-quality, truly environmentally friendly compost without any harmful and toxic compounds. Naturally, the process of decomposition of all organic residues will seriously wait, maybe even several years, but then you will get real quality, and not a mixture from the store prepared on the basis of unknown components.


What is compost? What is this soil nutrient mix made of?


How to make compost?

Professionals know how to make compost in a fast and slow way. They are also called cold and hot compost production in the country.

Before moving on to looking at "recipes", we'd like to talk about building a proper compost bin or pit.


It is necessary to prepare compost correctly, because only then you can get a high quality product.


How to make a compost bin?

Making a compost bin is very simple, the main thing is to assemble a medium-sized box according to certain requirements.

So, initially we need to prepare the material for the production of a compost box in size. Almost any, but not rotten and not previously in contact with toxic materials, boards or planks are suitable for this. In the first case, during the biological process, rotten planks can deteriorate, in the second, boards in paint or oil can simply poison the compost, damaging its quality irreversibly.

A properly built compost bin is the key to making high quality compost


We would advise you to take unedged pine in boards or beams so that the finished box will last for many years, and work with this material. So will you do quality box but don't spend a lot of money.

We start building a compost bin made of wood


Now choose a place for compost, and start building. On a hill or on a flat area, it doesn’t really matter if your terrain is not rainy, and the GWL is low. In general, it is desirable to place a place under the compost a little higher than the standard soil level so that it does not wash away. So, we create four sides of the box, like a standard vegetable box, but much larger.

DIY compost bin walls


Be sure to observe the gaps between the prefabricated planks to ensure ventilation of the compost for the correct internal biological processes.

At the place of collection of the box, we install supports, we attach three ready-made walls from pine board or a bar. We leave the last side removable so that it is convenient for us to get the finished product for fertilizing or mulching the soil in the country.

By and large, if you do not go into a lot of details, such as how to hold a hammer and where to drive the first nail, the design is ready, and we can safely start cooking.

A ready-made wooden box in which we will prepare compost for fertilizing the garden


It is advisable to lay on the bottom of the box or, as they say, compost pit, any material, for example, old linoleum.

How to make the right compost quickly?

How to make compost the fastest way? This question interests many beginners of the dacha business, and therefore, we turn to it without delay.

First of all, we create a special box - a frame that will contain all the organic residues entering the compost on a single heap. It might just be a hole wooden structures, a special wooden or plastic box in which there will be ventilation and access to the contents from above or from the side.

We create drainage at the bottom of the tank. You can make it from a layer of hay, straw, spruce branches. The layer should be about 10 cm.


Preparation of high-quality compost is the goal of every summer resident


Materials and various products for composting are stacked in layers. For example, you can immediately put branches and other fruit waste, then a layer of paper, the next layer of leaves, then a layer of mowed annuals or grass, and so on. It is important that the layers alternate approximately as follows, dry waste with wet, soft with hard. Similar way laying will provide air access, ventilation, acceleration of the composting process. In this case, it must be remembered that the seal is useless here, and may even harm.

It is required to lay each layer with special process accelerators, for example, nitrogen supplements that are offered in garden stores, herbivore manure, plants such as legumes, nettles, dandelions, yarrows. You can also use rotted manure or ordinary garden soil.

To maintain the temperature and the correct internal environment, it is necessary to cover the compost storage with special materials - oilcloth, old rags, a piece of linoleum or carpet. The main thing is to keep warm inside, which will help to make compost in the country quickly and correctly.


Don't forget to cover the compost as it is very important for proper preparation.


In the summer, when there is a drought outside, the compost can be shed a little in order to maintain the desired humidity inside the storage. But remember, only spill, and do not fill to the top.

If you smell specific odors from the compost bin, this may mean that the composting process has failed and is not going well. If it smells like ammonia, there are too many nitrogen components in the pit (you can correct the situation by adding some torn paper). If you smell rotten eggs, then there is not enough oxygen in the pit or box, and the contents must be well stirred up, spilling the layers with straw or shavings.


In such compost storages, you can prepare an excellent nutrient mixture for the soil.


If you manage to make the compost bin the right way, and also fill it in even layers, the compost will be ready in a few months. It is better to choose it from the lower layers, so that the upper ones fall evenly, pressing against the top with new organic residues.

How to make compost the slow way?

How to make compost from grass or branches? How to get the most correct and high-quality compost? Naturally, this method is a little more complicated, or rather, longer, but as a result you will get very high quality compost.

By and large, you don’t have to do anything in particular, just prepare everything for rotting once and wait a few years. By the way, this way you can install a new compost pit every year in the corner of the site, so that in 2-3 years you can reach constant, annual volumes.


By choosing a slow composting method, you can get the highest quality product.


So how do you make your own compost?

If you can make compost in a barrel in a quick way, then for a slow, cold way, you will need an ordinary pit on some hill of the site. The pit is dug small, about the size of a spade bayonet, but wide enough to accommodate enough branches and logs for composting. Further, broken branches and arrows of trees, trimmed parts and rotten logs in a crushed state are poured into the pit. Our whole heap is covered with soil from above and forgotten for a long time. In the second year, if you are very lucky, or in the third, which is stable with proper preparation, you will receive a noble fertilizer for the garden.

When choosing from fertilizer preparation methods, many choose a fast one, and it’s not even worth explaining to anyone the reason. But now I want to say not about the method, but about what should go into the compost pit and what should not.

What can be composted from?

If you want to make high quality compost and save time, only throw in the following:

• Kitchen waste (fruits, vegetables, cereals, tea leaves, coffee grounds);
• Straw, hay, shavings, sawdust, mowed grass;
• Thin branches and stems garden bushes and trees;
• Recycled wood from a garden shredder;
• rotted animal manure;
• Rotten leaves and other garden waste;
• Various algae;
• Other natural materials- fabric and paper;
• Chopped weeds (avoiding rhizomatous weeds in the compost).


What products and components are best used to prepare compost?


What can't be composted?

During the preparation of fertilizer, it is necessary to remember that it is impossible to place in the compost storage:

Bones, large and hard, poultry, meat, fish waste, pet droppings;

Fresh leaves, rhizomatous and perennial weeds;

Plants or debris infested with diseases or pests;

Fresh manure, which can only be poured into slow-cooking compost;

Waste from the garden that contains toxins, poisons, herbicides, and so on;

Unnecessary garbage - metal, glass, rubber, plastic, polyethylene, etc.


Pay close attention to the recipe and requirements for composting


How to make compost (video)

Following the simplest rules and advice experienced summer residents who have been preparing a useful "potion" for their garden for several years, you can make compost in the country with your own hands very simply, and immediately begin to fertilize the soil to improve the quality of crops.

They say that a good gardener should always have garden plot compost heap, or as they say compost bin or pit. You don't need to make your own garden compost special costs, skill and effort. But having compost, you will save money, and you will not need to take out the garbage.

The benefits and uses of compost

You can talk a lot about the benefits of proper garden compost, because when it becomes a good organic fertilizer, which contains humus and essential trace elements. It perfectly copes with the role of a natural conditioner, improving the structure of the soil, loosening and retaining fertilizers and moisture near the roots of crops. With the help of compost, it is possible and necessary to carry out mulching by spreading it on the surface of the soil. The living inhabitants of the garden will also be grateful for the compost, because it is an excellent "dining room" for birds, besides, a habitat and breeding ground for worms, which, together with fungi and bacteria, prepare compost, processing organic substances.

By creating compost, you will no longer burn paper waste, garden pruning, cardboard, packaging, old leaves, thereby stop poisoning the environment and your neighbors with smoke. And save on buying expensive potting mixes and garden soil. The use of compost is an important component of organic gardening, which also includes: waste-free gardening, organic fertilizers and mulch.

What is compost

The word compost is of Latin origin, meaning mixture (something put together). Compost is a mixture of organic matter that has decomposed as a result of the influence of microorganisms. Compost is used for soil improvement and also as mulch and fertilizer. At garden centers, you may see ready-made potting mixes called compost, but trust me, they have nothing to do with garden compost.

Composting

You can simply pile branches and tree bark, leaves, grass clippings, annual weeds without roots and flowers, and other garden waste into one pile in a secluded corner of your garden and leave to someday make good quality compost. It will take several years for this process, which is usually called slow (cold). There is a hot (quick) way of making compost, and its difference is from the cold (slow) one, that the whole process lasts about 4-6 months.

Compost heap:

Let's look at what is needed for quick creation compost:

• Container or pit for compost;
• Fresh "green" materials containing nitrogen;
• compost accelerators;
• Dry, containing carbon "brown materials;
• Access to oxygen and constant humidity in the compost bin;
• Warm.

How to make compost

Install a composting device in a designated area. To ensure drainage and ventilation, lay the bottom with a “brown” material about twenty centimeters high. Now evenly alternating, add to the compost:

• "brown" crushed materials (sawdust, cardboard, bark, paper, shavings, branches of shrubs and trees, hay, dry leaves, straw, wood ash);
• "green" moisture-containing materials (cut grass, algae, kitchen waste, green manure, weeds, tops);
• compost accelerators (drugs accelerating composting, effective EM microorganisms, rotted cow and horse manure, bird droppings, ready-made compost, urine, garden soil, etc.).

To a large extent, the quality of compost is improved by plants that contain a lot of useful substances: nettle, green manure crops, dandelion without flowers and root, yarrow and others. "brown" and "green" layers is provided by the penetration of air into the compost heap. The compost will mature evenly and in a balanced way in the container, resulting in the right fertile compost with excellent structure. In no case do not compact or push the contents, because air circulation in the compost bin will be disturbed.

From time to time, stir and shovel the compost mixture with a fork to ensure sufficient air access and uniform compost moisture. Provide moisture with irrigation, do not allow stagnation of water in the compost. If you smell rotting or rotten eggs (ammonia) from the container, it means that there is an excess of "green" materials in it and a lack of oxygen. You need to add "brown" materials and mix the compost mixture.

After a few months, the contents of the heap should become Brown and have a fresh earthy smell, which means the compost is ripe for garden use.

What to choose - a compost heap, a container or a compost bin?

An open wooden compost bin you can make yourself or buy at a garden center. Its advantages are that it allows moisture and air to pass through, and also provides good ventilation. You can make it yourself from a metal mesh and boards, the volume should be from 1 meter cube.

How to make quality compost:

Quality agricultural technology and good harvest require soil fertilization. Compost is one of the most common basic ingredients that summer residents use everywhere. The fact is that in the country it is not so difficult to make compost with your own hands, because everything you need to organize the process is at your fingertips.

What to make

Many gardeners prefer to prepare the compost on their own, as this not only saves time and money, but also reduces the amount of hassle, which is always enough on the site. In order to understand from what and how to make fertilizer correctly, it is important to understand how the procedure for its formation takes place. In fact, composting is a natural process of decomposition of organic waste. In the process of fermentation, a fertile loose composition is obtained, which is suitable for any soil. The most common way to make compost with your own hands is to collect leftovers from the kitchen and organic garbage in one pile. After that, bacteria begin to work, which will process "yesterday's" borscht and fallen leaves into humus. As a rule, you can prepare compost in different ways, however, the whole process comes down to using the aerobic or anaerobic method.

From what you can make garden "gold" with your own hands:

• cut grass;
• foliage that falls in autumn;
• droppings of cattle and birds;
• peat residues;
• tea leaves and coffee;
• egg shells, provided that they have not undergone heat treatment;
• peel and remains of raw vegetables and fruits;
• thin branches;
• straw, sawdust and seed shells;
• shredded paper or cardboard.

• vegetable peel after boiling or frying;
• diseased leaves and branches;
• weed plants;
• citrus peel;

Thus, compost waste is divided into two types: nitrogenous (manure and bird droppings, grass, raw vegetables and fruits) and carbonaceous (fallen leaves, sawdust, finely shredded paper or cardboard). When preparing a compost heap with your own hands, it is important to adhere to a ratio of 5: 1, i.e. most of consists of brown components, which are the basis for the nutrition of beneficial bacteria. One part of the pile is green waste. To speed up the process, shredded paper, corn and sunflower shoots, sawdust, dry leaves and grass are used as brown components.

Green components are essential for beneficial microbes, and they decompose quickly. The lack of green part can lead to a lengthening of the time required for composting. If you go too far with the green part, then the pile will smell unpleasantly of ammonia (rotten eggs). The remains of meat and fish products should not be included in the compost in the country, as they take longer to decompose, and there will be an unpleasant smell around.

How to do

The balance of components is Golden Rule at the stage when, you are already ready to make garden "gold" in the country with your own hands. A properly stacked pile emits the smell of fertile soil, but if you hear an unpleasant smell, then you need to add brown residues. In order for the process of processing residues to start, the temperature in the center of the pile must reach 60-70 degrees. It should feel warm from it, but if it seems cool to the touch, then you need to add greenery.

Second important rule compost heap - constant humidity. It should be like a damp "rug", but not wet. If you notice that a crust is forming, then you need to add a little water. The aerobic composting process requires constant flow oxygen, so the pile needs to be turned frequently. The more often you turn the compost, the faster the finished fertilizer will ripen. You can properly prepare compost in the country in a fast and slow way. Beginning summer residents usually use the first option.

This requires a special box made of wood or plastic, where all the components will be laid. If there is no box, then you can use a pit with wooden lags. The main thing is that oxygen can freely flow from above and to the side to the contents. Laying components in layers or at random is up to you. Consider the option of laying a compost pit in layers:

• at the bottom it is necessary to put straw, hay or spruce branches to create a drainage layer;
• small branches of trees and waste of fruits that are not subject to heat treatment;
• a layer of shredded paper or cardboard;
• foliage;
• cut grass and remnants of annuals.

When laying, follow the rule - one layer is dry, the second is wet, and alternate soft waste with dense. To speed up the process, you can use nitrogen supplements, manure, dandelions and nettles. You can cook even with rotted manure or ordinary soil. To create a steam effect, the pit or box is immediately covered with a film or rags. Turning the contents of the compost store is required once or twice every thirty days. The slow method of preparing compost requires almost similar laying actions, only it will take several years to wait for the finished result, for the quality finished material, will be much better.

Video "How to make compost in the country"

In this video you can hear and see how to make compost in the country.

Where to lay

To prepare it in the country, you will need to prepare a place where all the components will be laid. As a rule, a box or a hole in the backyard is used for this. Not rotten boards and planks are suitable for making a box. It is important that there is no rot, paint or oil residue on the surface of the wood. Most the best option- this is not a cut pine in the form of a board or a bar. It is this material that allows you to make a solid and at the same time "budget" box.

When choosing a drawer installation, it does not matter whether the surface is flat or elevated. It is advisable to prepare a place for the compost heap slightly above ground level. Such a measure is necessary so that the soil is not washed away. Further, it is necessary to make a large box from a bar or board, while leaving gaps between the planks for oxygen access. We install the supports and three finished walls of the box on permanent place. We make the fourth wall removable so that it is convenient to ted and extract fertilizer. At the bottom of the pit, you can put a sheet of old linoleum.

Practical use

The use of mature compost, if all the processes have been done correctly, is already possible in 2-3 months. The substance should be crumbly, slightly wet and dark brown in color. If the mixture smells like earth, then the compost is ready. It is possible to prepare and apply fertilizer throughout the year for almost all crops. It is used for planting trees, shrubs and perennials. A little compost does not fit when planting in the hole vegetable crops. A thin layer on the surface of the lawn will be an excellent stimulant for the growth of juicy and dense grass, and making compost with your own hands is not difficult at all.

Video "How to make good compost"

In this video you can hear tips on making good compost.

Is it possible to grow plants without fertilizers? This is probably possible, but it is not difficult to predict what the result of such agrotechnical actions will be. In other words, far from perfect. Therefore, we will not "reinvent the wheel", but we will teach you how to prepare compost or humus.

Most summer residents are used to preparing compost on their own. This makes it possible to save money and time, and also frees you from a lot of unnecessary worries.

Why you need compost

Humus is one of the best fertilizers, when applied to the soil, it is possible to fill it with a large number of trace elements. Although its price is low, thanks to the practicality of the material, it is possible to achieve the correct structuring of the soil. For example, moisture conservation increases and creates needed by plants loosening.

Tip: If you spread the humus across the surface of the soil, you will create the best organic mulch that conserves moisture and suppresses the growth of most types of weeds on the site.

In addition to the beneficial process associated with composting, you are also making a significant contribution to protecting the environment. It is difficult to find a mineral fertilizer that can compare with high-quality humus, moreover, a properly formed pit where organic components are processed becomes a real incubator for beneficial microorganisms and bacteria.

Tip: Settle in quickly suburban area ready-made country houses from block containers.

By making compost, you can reduce physical labor on the site. Now there is no need to take out the garbage from the territory, since almost all can be placed in a special pit.

Garden compost - what is it

This name was given to a product that is obtained from organic waste under the influence of the environment, as well as a large number variety of microorganisms and insects. It is used for structuring the soil, in the form of fertilizer and mulching.

Do not know what to do with fallen leaves in the country, branches and bark of trees, as well as their plant stems?

Then, to get high-quality and environmentally friendly compost without toxic compounds, do the following:

• put them in a specially prepared pit in a certain order or just in a pile;
• provide appropriate conditions for decay and processing.

Of course, there is a certain drawback in the method - the decomposition time of organic residues is quite long, sometimes several years. However, as a result, you will have a really high-quality product, and not bought in a store, made on the basis of incomprehensible components.

compost pit

Before moving on to the main phase, let's make a compost bin or pit. In the first case, you will have to make a box according to certain sizes and requirements.

The following guide will help you with this:

1. Prepare wood planks or boards that have not previously been exposed to toxic materials and are not rotten. Otherwise, you can poison the product, irreversibly damaging its quality, or your design will simply collapse at some point.

Tip: take unedged pine boards for the box, then such a container will last a very long time, and its cost will be minimal.

1. It's time to choose a place for compost to start building. It can be a hill or a flat area, there is not much difference if ground water not close to the surface and the terrain is not rainy.

Tip: try to place the compost container just above ground level so that it does not wash away.

1. Make a do-it-yourself box that resembles a standard vegetable box, only much larger. At the same time, one should not forget to observe the gaps between the planks to ensure the ventilation of the compost so that the internal biological processes take place correctly.

1. Install supports at the construction site, to which attach 3 finished walls of the structure. The last side should be removable, so it will be more convenient to get humus for work.

1. Put on the bottom of the box or old linoleum or something similar.

Tip: if you have difficulties with, renting a diesel generator to give will help you.

Compost making methods

Experts use a fast and a slow way. They also received another name - hot and cold.