I am going to talk about the best composting equipment for making compost in your own backyard. Start making your own compost today!
What is compost? It is soil that is made when organic materials are broken down. Someone new to gardening might wonder what the benefits of compost may be. Compost is a valuable product that is used in gardens around the world.
It is one of the best soil amendments out there. Compost can enrich any soil that you have in your yard and adding a layer of compost to your garden each year will increase it’s growing productivity.
Why should you compost?
Making your own compost can save you money for one. There are many different valuable products out there that can help you make your own. If you were to find the best price on compost at the store it would still cost more than if you simply made it at home.
The best part is that it doesn’t take much space to compost. Another benefit is that you will have a significant reduction in the garbage waste that you produce. That’s right! A lot of what you throw away can be made into compost. Just toss it into your compost pile instead of your trash can!
Last but not least is that your garden will LOVE having organic compost being added to it each year.
What can you compost?
The list for what you can compost into your composting equipment goes on and on. Organic materials like, some animal waste like chicken manure or cow dung or manure compost, food waste, yard waste, egg shells, hair (yes human hair) are a few.
Other things like yard waste, for example can be composted as well. Things like grass clippings, leaves, small sticks, hay, trimmings can be composted and are an important component to the green/brown ratio that we will talk about later.
How do you know when your compost is ready?
The composting process can take anywhere from six months to a year. Composting equipment will help your compost production and be quicker and closer to the six month mark. This is why some people will have multiple ways to compost.
When your compost is ready it will look like dark rich soil. There won’t be a bad smell or remnants of the things you are composting. A few sticks might remain and you can leave sticks out if you are trying to compost your organic waste more quickly.
How to compost
Whenever you are talking about composting and composting equipment you will hear things like green waste and brown waste. This is because you need an even mixture of each for better composting speed. If your compost is really smelly then it is likely that you have too many “green waste” products in there. So, what is green and brown waste?
Green raw materials are things that would be considered kitchen scraps, apple cores, banana peels, potato skins, onion skins, egg shells etc. Brown waste is things like leaves, grass clippings, hay, wood chips etc.
The compost recipe is simple, you need an 1:1 ratio of each green and brown organic materials. It doesn’t have to be exact and you can experiment with this ratio in your first year and find what works best for you. Some people choose to ignore that rule and just pile up woodchips or leaves and let them sit all year and compost on their own.
This will work, but may not be the most efficient way to compost or use your composting equipment. Your compost should have access to air and stay somewhat moist. Moisture content is an important factor in composting. If it dries out, it won’t compost, also if it doesn’t receive airflow it won’t compost well either. You will also want to use composting equipment to mix your compost regularly.
Can I compost in my apartment?
Yes, you can compost on a small scale. I did this when we lived in an apartment with a small balcony. The composting equipment I used for this was a storage container that I drilled holes in (you want air to be able to access your compost) and added in kitchen scraps and leaves from outside my apartment into the container. I would mix it around every week. This provided me with enough compost to add to my balcony garden each year.
What is the best composting equipment?
When deciding what composting equipment is best for you, consider what is available to you, what your budget is, and how much space you have. Choosing the best equipment will help your organic material break down in less time.
Below is a list of some of the different composting equipment. Look over each one and the benefits that they provide and decide which one is best for you. This may be the best price, or one that will fit in the space you have available.
Best Compost equipment:
–compost machine– This is a great option for people who don’t have yards. It is a compost machine that can sit on your counter top.
–compost pile– this is for when you just want to pile up your compost.
–pan granulators– use this to sift your compost. This helps to get rid of any large materials that you don’t want in your garden
–traditional compost bin– this is a bin you can have in your kitchen to collect the daily kitchen scraps then take them out to your compost pile at the end of the day or week.
-recycler compost bins– Another option for collecting your kitchen scraps.
How to use your compost
Compost is essentially a high quality organic fertilizer. The organic matter that you have created from composting is one of the best things you can add to your garden. So, how do you use your high-quality compost? It is best used in the spring or in the fall.
Cover your garden with several inches of compost along the top. You can also add compost locally around each plant. This will help the soil to retain moisture while feeding the plant essential nutrients. You can and should add compost around any trees each spring as well. The end product will be lush and happy plants!
What NOT to compost
This is important because putting the wrong thing in your compost can be harmful to you or your garden. Below is a list of things that you should avoid putting in your compost equipment.
- Meat and Fish Scraps.
- Dairy, Fats, and Oils.
- Plants or Wood Treated with Pesticides or Preservatives. Nobody wants these in their garden!
- Black Walnut Tree Debris.
- Diseased or Insect-Infested Plants. Plants that are carrying disease or insects can be transferred through compost.
- Weeds that Have Gone to Seed. You don’t want to spread weed seeds all over your garden. This would create a weeding nightmare.
- Charcoal Ash.
- Dog or Cat Waste.
All in all creating your own compost is an affordable way to bring more essential nutrients to your vegetable or flower garden. Save yourself money and start your own compost pile today. Such a benefit for your garden and for the earth as well. Lower the amount of waste that comes from your home!
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