Making a healthier soil for your plants means you’ll get better food. And most of all, you don’t need to spend lots of money or time on maintaining the garden in order produce top quality fruits and vegetables!
Here are 12 composting tips every gardener should learn:
1. Cardboard
I like to use cardboard as a compost ingredient because it’s so simple! Avoid the more processed forms of this material, such as cereal boxes. Egg cartons and toilet paper rolls are great too!
2. Leaves
You can use your fall leaves for a few months and then add them to the compost pile. It’s simple!
3. Eggshells
You’ve probably heard that eggshells are a great way to add nutrients and organic matter into your soil, so put them in!
4. Wood ash
When it comes to wood ash, you should be careful and not put too much of the stuff. An abundance can do more harm than good!
Just make sure you are putting clean and natural wood ash without any added ingredients.
5. Black Plastic Bin
Black plastic bins are one of the best ways to create an awesome environment for composting. Place it on full sunshine for optimal performance with natural light by placing in a south-facing window!
6. Grass Clippings
Organic matter is always the best choice, but it’s even more important that you know what kind of soil your grass will thrive in.
Make sure not to add herbicides or pesticides treated clippings because those might kill off any weeds!
7. Old T-Shirts
Want to keep your garden clean and natural? Use 100% cotton, white t-shirts! These are the best shirts for keeping composts bacteria free.
8. Moist and Aerated
Make sure your compost doesn’t get too dry by rotating it frequently so oxygen can flow freely. The more moisture in the pile, the quicker everything will break down!
9. Do NOT compost fats, pet droppings, or animal products
You should NOT compost fats, pet droppings or animal products. This will attract pests to the garden area and easily spread disease!
10. Newspaper
Shred your paper into little strips and add them to the compost pile for an easy way of adding carbon.
11. Coffee Grounds
You’d be surprised at how many people don’t know that coffee grounds can actually help your soil! It’ll add some nutrients and richness to the dirt. I bet you didn’t know this, but did you?
12. Seaweed
Another great way to make your compost pile more nutritious!