Composting
Energy consumption
The energy used in producing compost can be quite high; this is because of the cycles used in its production. Collecting, transporting and processing the material uses energy. Then packaging and distributing to shops where the end user finally buys it and transports to its new home where it is used.
As you can see, this is probably an overly simplistic description of all the processes involved. It gives an indication as to where all the energy goes in producing what is a natural process and will spur you into looking to make some for yourself.
Composting
The composting process is Mother Nature’s way of ensuring a continual source of food for plants. In nature, as plants die or drop leaves, the organic matter drops to the ground and starts to decay. This decaying process turns the dead plants into nutrition to feed the soil, which in turn feeds the plants again.
Make your own compost
Growing your own food can be very rewarding, you know where it has been, and of course, you know what has gone in to making it. Producing your own compost to grow your own food adds to the reward. It is quite simple to set up a compost bin, and will, in time, save you some money.
Family fun
Children get enjoyment from working in the garden, getting their hands dirty and watching things grow. Of course, mistakes happen and boredom will set in, so choose what you grow carefully so that you have a range of plants that grow quickly and slowly keeping interest high. Just think of all the plants pulled out by mistake as extra compost, there is no waste in the garden.
Compost ingredients
What to compost
There are all manner of organic things, which you are able to add to your compost heap - grass cuttings, stinging nettles, bedding plants and annual weeds to name a few. Be careful though with the type of weeds that you use as these can obviously spoil your compost or garden if you are not careful. If you are not sure if a weed is an annual, put in your household recycling bin.
Other useful compost items are tea leafs, tea bags, coffee grounds and filter paper, cardboard, egg boxes (not the foam or plastic type!), newspaper, leaves, bark and small twigs. Big branches will take along time to breakdown; if you want; you can cut bigger items into smaller pieces.
What not to compost
Organic items to keep out of your compost include diseased plants, perennial weeds, meat, dairy produce, soiled tissues / paper and cooked vegetables. Other items should be recycled according to the type of waste it is. Many councils offer recycling services from your door step and of course, there are several drop points where you can put items to be recycled.
Tips
As a tip, when pealing vegetables, peal them over an open piece of old newspaper, this can then be used to take your peelings straight to the compost bin. This helps to keep a nice clean work surface at the same time as giving your compost heap extra fibre.
Often, when you add grass cuttings to your compost bin, you will find that you fill it up, this will soon compress down in a short time as the air escapes. When adding grass, try to spread it out as evenly as possible. Another tip is to try to add other things such as rhubarb leafs to your grass cuttings to try to get an even consistency to your compost.
