Living a more sustainable lifestyle through gardening-COMPOSTING- Do's and Don'ts
Are you new to gardening or want to incorporate composting to your routine?
Composting is easy and sustainable. You are using items that are already on hand while keeping items out of the landfills and enriching your soil. You can compost in a bucket, area of yard, compost bin, or directly in container designated for planting. (Only fill half way to allow soil to cover and plant your crop.)
Things to Add or Not Add to Compost
Do's
- Start a bin on counter or under kitchen sink to collect kitchen scraps. (Coffee Cans are Excellent.)
- Input uncooked vegetable and fruit scraps-Avoid a lot of citrus
- Red Worms - they help break down compost & their castings are great natural fertilizer π©πͺ
- Coffee grinds-cooled & filters
- Used paper towels/napkins -No oil
- Hair from brushes/dog hair
- Empty vacuum into compost
- Used dryer sheets
- Dead plants (non diseased), leaves, grass clippings
- Add fish tank water, dead fish, and waste
- Do not add oils or grease to bin
- No cooked foods
- No Meats
- No potatoes- the yeast can overgrown and contaminate compost
- No dairy (although spoiled milk can be poured on plants as it kills unwanted pests)
- No plastic
- No household chemicals, pet waste, human waste
- No weeds
- No sugary liquids
- No coffee-grinds ok
- Keep a balance of nitrogen (veggie/fruit scraps) to carbon (cardboard, shredded non-shiny paper/newspaper).
- Wrap kitchen scraps in non shiny newspaper before placing outside to create carbon/nitrogen balance which reduces odors and unwanted pests.
- Keep compost moist to touch
- Turn a minimum of weekly, preferably every 3 days during warmer months
- Sprinkle a few red worms in each planter to use as natural tillers & fertilizer machines. π©ππ₯π
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