Natural Garden Compost Tips

It's no wonder that some of the world's most beautiful natural gardens are found in the most remote places. After all, Mother Nature is the world's best gardener. If you want to create a garden that's naturally lush and vibrant, without using harsh chemicals, use nature's perfect fertilizer: garden compost.

Composting is a natural method of fertilizing all types of plants, from leafy shrubs and trees to exotic flowers. Think of the rainforest. Its entire floor is a carpet of naturally-occurring compost that provides constant shelter, support and food for all types of plant life.

You can easily create your own perfect fertilizer, simply by saving food scraps and yard waste. You'll save a load of money on garden center supplies and you'll reduce waste. When you create your own garden compost, it's a win-win-win situation! The finished product is a dark, crumbly mixture of decomposed organic matter.

Garden compost is so easy to create, and it benefits your blooms in so many ways:

* Provides essential nutrients to plants

* Reduces the need for harmful fertilizers

* Improves the quality of sandy soil or heavy clay

* Reduce the amount of water required

* Helps to control invasive weeds

Create Your Own Garden Compost

The recipe for garden compost is very basic. Always remember the gardener's rule of thumb: two parts brown, to one part green.

A compost pile is a bustling community of microorganisms that live by breaking down organic matter, like yard debris and organic scraps, and turn them into compost. You'll need to do your part to encourage the growth of these microorganisms.

Dried leaves and other natural flower fertilizers can be used as the two parts carbon-rich "brown" materials. Mix this with one-part nitrogen-rich "green" materials, like fresh grass clippings. This all-natural fertilizer provides the ideal fuel for those hungry microorganisms. They'll soon kick in to high gear and heat up your yard debris, producing valuable garden compost.

Garden Compost Ingredients

The "two parts brown" may contain any combination of these materials:

* Dry grass clippings and leaves

* Twigs and small sticks

* Newspaper (shredded)

* Dry straw and hay

* Wood chips, wood shavings or sawdust

* Used potting soil

The "one part green" may include one or more of these healthy materials:

* Green grass clippings

* Newly fallen leaves

* Plant trimmings (stems and stalks)

* Hedge trimmings

* Annual weeds (without the heads!)

* Vegetable and fruit scraps

* Coffee grounds, filters, tea bags

* Clean egg shells

These materials should NEVER be used in your compost:

* Diseased plant life

* Seed heads from weeds

* Invasive weeds (morning glory, quack grass)

* Bread and cereal grains

* Meat, fish and bones

* All dairy products

* Cooking oil or grease, or oily foods

* Feces from pets

* Deceased animals

Size Really Matters

When you use smaller composting components, you'll achieve rich, usable compost quicker. Large pieces of vegetables will obviously take longer to break down than smaller pieces, so chop your leftover fruits and vegetables into small pieces. Use shears or a machete to cut up garden debris. A garden chipper, shredder or lawnmower mulching attachment can easily break up sticks and twigs.

For even faster garden compost action, your compost pile should be no less than three feet in diameter. Size is important, because the actual composting occurs from the heat generated by those millions of microorganisms living in your soil. As they process the raw materials, they release energy that helps to activate the decomposition. A compost pile of at least three square feet is the best size for hotter, faster composting.

Water and Air

All living things, including compost need air and water to survive. Microorganisms living in your garden compost can't do their jobs without ample supplies of water and air. You should sprinkle water over your compost on a regular basis, but don't drown it. Just use enough water to create the consistency of a damp sponge.

To incorporate air into the garden compost, use a pitchfork to turn the compost materials one every week. This will also help to distribute the efforts of the microorganisms. Otherwise, you'll end up with a nice layer of compost at the bottom of the pile, and a heap of garden waste on top.

If you're looking for gardening advice, take it right from the source: Mother Nature herself. It's easy to make your own garden compost, and your bright, beautiful plants will be more than enough payment for your efforts.

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Article Source: ReadEZArchive.com