Ecological and economical.

consultations since 2011 | Last updated 26/05/2013 | Site map
0 800 14 11 60
Contact   Friend
>
>
>
> Making your own compost

Making your own compost


Bookmark and Share Decrease size Increase size Tip a friend Print

CategoryPractical guidelines
ChapterGardening


Compost

Making compost from organic waste will not only reduce the amount of waste you divert from the garbage can but produce a quality humus for your garden or indoor plants.

What is composting?

Composting is the natural aerobic decomposition of organic biodegradable matter performed mainly by micro-organisms and larger organisms (earthworms, insects, etc.). The result is a product that, in the soil, becomes humus. One ton of green waste produces about 500 kg of compost.

How to start your own compost?

You can compost even if you don’t have a garden or yard. You can even start a compost on your balcony. You can usually find small-scale outdoor composters at garden centres.
During the composting process, micro-organisms require oxygen. It is therefore important to regularly turn your compost, every 1 or 2 months on average, to ensure the constant breakdown of waste. A good compost must be moist, without overwatering, and not smell bad.

Composting material

All organic waste can be added to the composter. Grass clippings, fruit and vegetable peelings, paper tissues, spent coffee, teabags, egg shells, withered flowers, wood ash, sawdust and wood shavings, etc.
Be careful, keep meat, fish scraps, dairy waste, animal manure, and sick plants out of the composter.

Recognising a good compost

The process can take anywhere from 2 months to 2 years depending on the kind of waste used. A mature compost is homogonous in appearance, dark coloured, and smells pleasantly earthy. You shouldn’t be able to recognise bits of what you originally put in.

Using your compost

The compost can be used:

  • Unfinished, as mulch, on the surface directly at the foot of trees or on mature crops (too young, it must not be mixed in the soil where it could harm young shoots). Mulching reduces watering while adding nutrients to the soil.
  • Finished :

- Either as an organic soil amendment: it improves the water-holding capacity of the soil as well as its porosity. By spreading it in thin layers then incorporating it the soil superficially by hoeing.
- Or as a growing medium by mixing the compost with humus. Be careful, except for tomatoes and squash; never directly sow in the compost.


Updated on: 28/07/2008

2008-2013 L'immobilier 100% entre Particuliers. All rights reserved

Private real estate
Sustainable development
Everyday living
Practical fact sheets
Gardening
Moving

Vendez votre bien entre particuliers-Anglais
Créez une alerte immobilière-Anglais
Touslesdiagnostics.com

Immobilier Besançon

Immobilier Béziers

Immobilier Mulhouse

Immobilier Toulon

Immobilier Perpignan

Immobilier Nîmes

Immobilier Bordeaux

Immobilier Brest

Immobilier Marseille

Immobilier Nice

Immobilier Strasbourg

Immobilier Lille

Immobilier Montpellier

Immobilier Paris

Immobilier Toulouse

Immobilier Dijon

Maisons entre particuliers

Appartements entre particuliers

Terrains entre particuliers

Commerces entre particuliers

Biens à l'étranger entre particuliers

Biens à découvrir entre particuliers

Retrouvez L'Immobilier 100% entre Particuliers sur Twitter

Immobilier Montpellier

Suivez-nous sur Twitter

Annonces Colocation

Tendance immobilier

Accessoires Piscine

Colocation en France

Logement etudiant

Location vacances

Vente logement

Immobilier

Immobilier neuf

Colocation

Défiscalisation immobilière

Roumanie

Négocier un prêt immobilier

Piscine