What should you compost?
It's recommended to compost vegetable waste, shells, flowers, fruits, tea leaves, droppings of household animals, leaves, small branches. It's not recommended to compost weeds with seeds still in them. Once this kind of compost is distributed in soil, it becomes polluted. You can't compost carcass meat, pieces of meat and fish, boiled vegetables. This kind of waste attracts rats and smells terribly.
When should you begin to compost?
It's best to begin in the spring or at the end of the summer - August and September due to the good weather conditions and dry soil.
Where should you compost?
It's recommended to compost in special containers or on specially prepared places on the ground. Using containers is more convenient since it takes less space and the right temperature rises much sooner. Containers provide faster maturity of the compost, and it's easier to sustain humidity. On top of that, it's easier to maintain and take care of the compost this way.
How should you compost?
The two most important things to take into consideration is temperature and ventilation. In order to have great compost, temperature needs to be at least 122 °F. Weed seeds disappear in this temperature. It is also essential to provide the container with enough oxygen. Therefore you have to mix it and don't press too much.
It's imperative that the temperature in the container not be too high. Once it reaches around 158 °F, the amount of nutritious substance reduces in number. To avoid this problem, use a Yimby Tumbler container to water and mix your compost with ease.
It's also important for the temperature not be too low. If the pile temperature is not rising, it could mean one of the two - too much humidity or it is too dry. Dryness can be dealt with by watering the compost, while humidity is taken care of by adding dry substances.
Humidity is also crucial. It should be about 50 to 60 percent. The pile should represent something like a sucked sponge - it's not dry, but it no longer has any water to give. This kind of humidity should be maintained all the time.
It's mandatory to mix the compost frequently. Once it reaches its highest point, the temperatures lowers itself in the next four to five weeks. During this period it's recommended to mix the compost so it gets enough oxygen. Once the shifting of temperatures disappear, leave the compost for another two months to decompose. Matured compost is powdery, almost black color, and smells of forest soil.
To improve the compost, you should use additional fertilizer. You might consider adding elements of phosphor and potassium if your compost is mostly made of grass and leaves.
In order for compost to be without disintegrating mixtures, sieving is required. Mature compost is sieved through a net in order to get rid of small branches, pebbles and other unwanted materials.
How to use the compost?
You can use compost to by spreading it in the soil's surface or digging and putting it deeper. It can also be used for house plants.
In order to protect the compost from infection, it's mandatory to get rid of damaged waste and use completely decomposed compost. Not doing so may attract centipedes, who will cause damage by eating strawberries, potatoes, beans and peas.