Archive for the 'Composting' Category

Composting can be described in a scientific manner or a more every day way. The scientific definition of composting is the aerobic decomposition of organic and biodegradable matter to make compost. The simpler definition of composting is the decaying of different food manner, such as vegetables or animal manure. Composting is broken into two types: home composting or industrial composting. Although basically the same processes are used for both home and industrial composting, different techniques are used and different characteristics are taken into consideration.

We’ve all heard of compost when discussing working on our gardens or helping the environment, but seldom fully understand the entire process of composting. Composting is a form of recycling as it recycles our yard (manures, leaves, grass, etc.) and organic household waste into a type of humus-like soil. In addition to yard waste, fruits and vegetables are also used for compost. Composting not only gives us the best fertilizer for our lawns and gardens but also helps to reduce or eliminate the “green” waste that will otherwise end up in our landfills.

Composting speeds up the normal decomposition process because of the increases temperatures that exist with it. The exothermic process causes an elevated heat, which in turn lessens the time it takes the microorganisms to generate. This increases the speed it takes for the nutrients and energy to exchange. If the conditions and environment are right, composting will take place on its own, without any man made help. However, it is necessary to make the circumstances and conditions optimal so the organic waste can break down properly.

Although composting is something that many Americans are doing on their own today for purposes of productive gardening and helping the environment, different forms of composting may take place on their own. This type of composting also referred to as decomposition, takes place through nature even though the conditions that most composters require are not there. This type of composting is slow, however. For instance, items of nature like leaves, wood or bark will break down into humus but it may take from 3 to 7 years.

Many people today are doing their own composting as a means of keeping the environment “green” as well as producing their own fertilization and compost for their flower beds and gardens. Rather than throwing out food waste, they keep it in a covered container throughout the winter months, watching it decompose. In the springtime, it is dumped in the garden and tilled in with the current dirt. This type of fertilization is not only more economical but also excellent for garden crops. More and more individuals are choosing to do their own composting every year.

Compost is an excellent additive for your garden or flower bed. It’s also one of the best mulches and soil supplements. In addition, it’s cheap and easy to make. Everyone has most of the things they need to make compost right in their home. There are many places you can go to find some composting tips to help you get starting making your own compost. If you’ve ever started a garden or flower bed for the first time, you know how costly it can be to start off when you have to be buying potting soil, top soil, fertilizer and other miscellaneous additives. Why go through all this when, with the right composting tips, you can make your own compost and save money?

If you’ve ever read up on composting tips, you’ve probably heard and read how great compost is for gardens because it increases the soil’s water retention qualities, loosens hard soil and improves the texture, structure and aeration of soil. You’ll have a steady supply of potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus always going into your soil with compost. You may not notice a huge difference in your garden the first year, but each year it will get better and better. Following are some composting tips you may find very helpful if you’re just learning about composting.

Any kitchen scraps you have should not be thrown out but should be added to your compost pile. Most compost bins or piles are kept outdoors, although a smaller one is kept in the kitchen for convenience. When the small one gets full, it’s emptied into the larger one outside. Heat, which your compost pile needs, will build better in a large pile but try not to make it larger than 3 feet by 3 feet. Make sure you have a cover on your compost bin to keep odors from entering your kitchen. Avoid throwing in bones or meat, but other foods that are excellent are coffee grounds and filter, egg shells, vegetable and fruits scraps.

Once you discover you’re really interested in starting a compost pile and still have questions, the internet is loaded with composting tips such as these as well as your local library or extension office.

Make sure you keep your compost pile aerated either with a compost aerator or by hand. In order for your pile to heat up and break down, it needs to be periodically turned so it can get the oxygen it needs. Every time you add something new, you need to switch it around. Make sure your compost pile stays moist as it will not break down if it’s too dry. However, make sure it doesn’t become too wet, either. The more variety of bedding materials you have, the quicker it will break down so try to avoid having only one ingredient. Make a mix of leaves and grass clippings or some other similar ingredient. Hopefully, these composting tips have been helpful for you in your new hobby.

Having animals like horses can be a lot of fun but after awhile you’ll have quite a pile of manure, which not only looks unattractive but can be smelly as well. If you’ve had your horses for a few years, you can look inside the pile of manure and you may be surprised to find some very black “dirt”. This means that you’ve been composting horse manure without even realizing it. Even without your help, your horse manure will compost on its own. However, when it composts on its own like this, you’ll have a lot of unpleasant odors around the area as well as promoting flies and parasites that are harmful to your horse or horses. Not to mention, composting requires a lot of warm temperatures to be successful.

In large manure piles, the center may be composting, but not the sides because of the lack of warm temperature and mixture. Composting horse manure can eliminate a lot of these problems while giving you some excellent soil for your gardening needs. Many people pay a lot of money to buy horse manure for their gardens and you’re lucky enough to have it there giving you the opportunity for composting horse manure for your own needs.

There are many reasons for composting horse manure besides the obvious, which is to reduce the odors and eliminate parasites. It is also a great way to lessen the size of your pile each year. You can also sell the compost soil you make by composting horse manure on your farm. Composted soil is a lot more sellable than straight smelly horse manure. People are going to be a lot more willing to pay good money for black rich dirt than they are for a pile of smelly messy manure. It’s also much better fertilizer for your flower bed or vegetable garden.

The soil you’ll get from composting horse manure will improve the aeration in your ground as well as retain water better. If you’ve ever tried to grow certain crops in hard soil, you’ll know exactly what I mean. Compost from composting horse manure is soft and drains well while it retains the water. Another advantage of composting horse manure is the many nutrients you’ll be spreading on your field or putting in your garden. Each year your soil will be better and better for growing crops. The benefits of composting horse manure are high and numerous. A composting pile consisting of horse manure and leaves, hay, sawdust, etc works well for your project and will give you some excellent soil for years to come.

Dog waste composting, although seldom heard of in the past, is becoming quite common today, especially for those with multiple dogs. Over 270 pounds of waste is produced each year from the average dog or an average of ¾ of a pound per day. Dog waste on your front or back lawn not only looks unattractive but can cast an unpleasant odor in your entire yard. If dog waste is not tended to, it not only is unpleasant but makes for a very unsanitary living space for the dog and can transmit infectious diseases and parasites.

Composting the dog waste is not only an inexpensive way of getting rid of the dog waste but is also very simple. Dog waste composting also helps the environment by lessening the amount of waste that needs to go into landfills. It also produces a high quality soil additive as well as improving the fertility and physical condition of the soil. Dog compost can be used as a soil additive for lawns, flower beds or as a mulch material. It should not be used for vegetable gardens or crops used for human consumption.

Bins for dog waste composting are being seen more and more in urban areas or on beaches. They’re basically simple to use and can be made in your backyard. You can use an old garbage can or large plastic pail. A garbage can works well because it has a cover. Cut out the bottom of the can and drill holes in the sides for ventilation. The next step is digging a hole in the ground large enough for you to place the entire can inside. Put some gravel or rocks on the bottom of the hole for drainage. Place the garbage can in the hole. If you’ve put in enough rocks, the garbage can should be just a little bit above the soil level.

Put the lid on the can and label the can. The reason for the labeling is so it’s not mistaken for something other than what it is and to alert children so they’ll stay away from it. As soon as you find some dog waste, put it in the can. You’ll need to purchase some septic tank starter to sprinkle on top of this waste. Then add some water to the mix. The septic tank starter is non-caustic and will promote the growth of natural bacteria. It will begin to work on the waste within 48 hours. After this time you can add dog waste to it regularly. It will begin to biodegrade and flow into the ground and subsoil.

If you find that this doesn’t take very long to fill, you can also move the can and start another pile in a different location. Your visitors will love that your lawn is no longer filled with dog waste and you’ll be helping the environment at the same time.

Compost is an excellent additive for your garden or flower bed. It’s also one of the best mulches and soil supplements. In addition, it’s cheap and easy to make. Everyone has most of the things they need to make compost right in their home. There are many places you can go to find some composting tips to help you get starting making your own compost. If you’ve ever started a garden or flower bed for the first time, you know how costly it can be to start off when you have to be buying potting soil, top soil, fertilizer and other miscellaneous additives. Why go through all this when, with the right composting tips, you can make your own compost and save money?

If you’ve ever read up on composting tips, you’ve probably heard and read how great compost is for gardens because it increases the soil’s water retention qualities, loosens hard soil and improves the texture, structure and aeration of soil. You’ll have a steady supply of potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus always going into your soil with compost. You may not notice a huge difference in your garden the first year, but each year it will get better and better. Following are some composting tips you may find very helpful if you’re just learning about composting.

Any kitchen scraps you have should not be thrown out but should be added to your compost pile. Most compost bins or piles are kept outdoors, although a smaller one is kept in the kitchen for convenience. When the small one gets full, it’s emptied into the larger one outside. Heat, which your compost pile needs, will build better in a large pile but try not to make it larger than 3 feet by 3 feet. Make sure you have a cover on your compost bin to keep odors from entering your kitchen. Avoid throwing in bones or meat, but other foods that are excellent are coffee grounds and filter, egg shells, vegetable and fruits scraps.

Once you discover you’re really interested in starting a compost pile and still have questions, the internet is loaded with composting tips such as these as well as your local library or extension office.

Make sure you keep your compost pile aerated either with a compost aerator or by hand. In order for your pile to heat up and break down, it needs to be periodically turned so it can get the oxygen it needs. Every time you add something new, you need to switch it around. Make sure your compost pile stays moist as it will not break down if it’s too dry. However, make sure it doesn’t become too wet, either. The more variety of bedding materials you have, the quicker it will break down so try to avoid having only one ingredient. Make a mix of leaves and grass clippings or some other similar ingredient. Hopefully, these composting tips have been helpful for you in your new hobby.

Composting is a process of converting human waste into organic compost, which becomes usable soil. The process not only gives us excellent soil for lawns and gardens but also helps the environment by lessening the amounts of waste that need to go into landfills. Composting toilets perform this very process by breaking down the waste and organic matter and turning it into essential minerals, which makes the compost soil so rich. This is not something that happens overnight, but rather over a period of time with the micro and macro organisms going through different stages of oxidation and anaerobic breakdown.

Compost toilets are now being used in public building as well as some private homes. They’re excellent for homes that don’t require or have a lot of water such as desert homes or homes in drought areas. Building a compost toilet is an idea that has attracted many individuals that are in low water areas or those wanting to help the environment. Although building a compost toilet may sound difficult, it’s easier than you’d think.

Although most people that are interesting a compost toilet will consider purchasing it, some individuals make building a compost toilet their option. This is usually the case with hunting shacks, small cabins or homes. Building a compost toilet can be very simple and relatively simple when you choose one similar to the sawdust toilet with the hinged lid. You can go to your local lumberyard and buy good lumber or use recycled lumber if you want building a compost toilet to be as inexpensive as possible.

Building a compost toilet such as this is relatively simple. You need to build a box, which will be where you’ll keep your bin for your waste. The box will be a square wooden box with legs. The average size is 18″DX18″WX21″L. Making your wooden box this size ensures that a 5 gallon pail will fit underneath. It will need 12″ legs so that it is tall enough for an adult to comfortably sit. You’ll need to drill a hole on the top large enough for a toilet seat. Building a compost toilet of this size is easy and won’t take long.

When you’re finished, put the 5 gallon pail underneath the toilet and cover the human deposits with materials such as peat moss, leaf mould, shredded paper or sawdust. The bucket is considered full when you’re afraid to sit on the toilet! At this time, it needs to be emptied outside in the large compost bin. Make sure you pour the contents in the center of the bin. Rinse out the bucket and throw the rinse water on the compost bin, not next to it. The outdoor compost bin should be a double chambered large bin. This bin should also be covered with materials such as leaves, straw, etc. The contents of this bin will slow decompose until you have the finest soil anywhere.

Worm composting is a method of recycling food waste and organic materials into worm compost with the use of worms. This worm compost is called vermicompost. Worms feed off of scraps of food and leftovers, which turns into compost as it passes through the worm’s body. This compost can then be used as soil or fertilizer for growing your plants. The reason the vermicompost is so good for plants is because the worms have been eating vegetable and fruit scraps that are rich in nutrients. This is then turned into compost very high in nutrients.

Starting your own worm bin is relatively easy. Many people choose to build their own worm bin for worm composting. The main three ingredients you’ll need are the worms, a box and moist strips of newspaper. In order for your worm bin and worm composting to be successful, you have to provide the worms with what they need, which is air, darkness, moisture, food, and warm temperature. Make sure the temperature is warm, but not hot. The purpose of the newspaper or also leaves is to provide them with moisture and the necessary air spaces. The most common worms for worm composting are red wigglers and red worms. If you order them on your own, the scientific names are Lumbricus rubellus and Eisenia foetida. Otherwise, you may choose to get them from a worm farm.

Worms have been working hard making compost for years, only doing it on their own. Starting a worm bin of your own is just completing the cycle and stimulating the worm to do what it normally does anyways. The only difference is that you’ll be feeding them specific foods that they require and are better for worm composting. Although they’ll eat any type of organic matter, there are certain foods that are better for the worms being used in a worm bin for worm composting.

The most recommended foods for the worms are raw fruit and vegetable scraps. There are myths that people believe stating that any kind of leftover scraps are good, but this is not true. Try to avoid giving them oily or buttery cooked foods as they may attract pests. Foods like dairy products, oils or meats should also be avoided as they also can attract pests and will take longer to break down. Also avoid citrus fruits because of their acidity and ability to attract fruit flies. Onions and broccoli have a strong odor and should be avoided. Use a wide variety of foods if possible, with vegetables being the best. The more vegetable matter you use, the better your worm bin will be.

A nice size worm bin for starting is 24″X18″X8″ and should be more shallow than deep. The red wigglers enjoy living on the top few inches of the soil. You can choose a glass, wooden or plastic container. Wooden bins should be lined with plastic and covered with a lid, that fits loosely and has holes to allow in air. The more time that goes by, the less lining you’ll have in your bin and the more compost you’ll have as these little worms will work tirelessly eating their bedding. Harvesting (removing) your compost from the bin can take place in about 5 months. You can remove the compost and store it until it’s ready to use or use it immediately and start a new compost bin with the worms you’ve left behind.

When composting the food waste from your home you will be helping to recycle and return nutrients to the environment that have been taken out at some point. If you love plants or have a garden that you love to see grow and produce fruits and vegetable for your enjoyment, you will want to be composting food waste. If you are composting food waste, you will be creating a great fertilizer or soil conditioner to be use in your plants, flowerbed, in-home green house or garden.
There are so many ways to go about composting food waste; you may have a hard time narrowing it down to the one that is best suited for your needs. You can choose from composting with worms, food waste composting, dog waste composting, composting plants and animal waste composting to name a few methods of composting to choose.
You can choose composting food waste indoors or outdoors. You can compost with a traditional composting bin, worm composting or even a composting toilet. You can be composting food waste from only your home or you can collect food waste from family, friends and neighbors to add to your composting bin.
There is pre-consumer and post-consumer food waste. Pre-consumer food waste is the easiest food waste to compost. Pre-consumer is the food waste from the preparation processes or damaged food bulk during processing of raw material foods, and has never been seen by the consumer. Pre-consumer food waste generally has been separated from the other waste and does not need any special handling to prevent the future compost from being contaminated. Pre-consumer food waste would be any food waste produced in processing plants, restaurant kitchens, farms, warehouses and even food waste lost during the transportation process. Post-consumer food waste is any food waste that is created by the consumer after it has reached the end-user consumer. The post-consumer food waste is usually subject t outside contaminants that must be separated before being added to any container that is composting food waste.
The food industry benefits greatly from composting food waste. The benefits that the food industry is impacted by from the composting food waste are great and vast. Composting food waste by business reduces solid waste cost, the waste of large quantities of recyclable raw products is reduced and businesses can educate the consumer on composting food waste benefits. In addition, businesses can use composting food waste as an environmentally friendly marketing tool and marketing tool as being an assistant to local farmers. It also closes the food waste loop by returning it to farmers and most important, it reduces the need for more landfill space.

Composting is something that many people are becoming involved in today. It involves the preserving of our waste material and turning it into something useful: compost soil through the use of a composting bin. Many types of composting exist today. In fact, there are almost as many types of composting as there are composting bins. Composting not only helps our environment by lessening the amount of waste that goes into our landfills but also provides excellent soil for our gardens, flower beds and lawns. We often have to spend top dollar to get the excellent type of soil we can make by composting with a composting bin or pile.

If you’re new to composting, the first thing you’ll want to get is some sort of composting bin. It’s important to realize that there is no such thing as the “perfect” composting bin. It can be a small plastic or wooden homemade bin you’ve put together yourself or a large commercial composting bin. Either type will work well if it’s put together correctly. However, if you’re just starting off, you’ll probably want something smaller and won’t want to start off with something expensive until you really know what you’re doing.

A small wooden composting bin is something that will work well and is easy to construct yourself. Wood is easy to work with, it looks great and insulates well. Some of the materials you can use on the inside of your composting bin may include straw, hay, old leaves or shredded newspaper. Although many people think of composting as just collecting all their old waste products, you’ll also needs these other materials to help the waste products break down into the compost. The process of decomposition will take place when these materials are mixed together and reach a certain temperature.

The size composting bin you use will determine how much compost you’ll get. Obviously, the larger the bin the more compost you’ll have. Also, the larger the composting bin, the more heat it will retain, which is needed to complete the decomposition process. It’s important to remember, however, that this will only take place if there’s enough material to fill the bin. You bin should also have a lid on it to prevent it from having too much rainfall or evaporation. Make sure it’s a comfortable enough size so you can easily mix it up occasionally.

Although some people just use a compost pile outside, most feel that a composting bin works better for a few reasons. A bin is more attractive than a large pile sitting in your yard. Bins will keep the pile hotter, which will make it break down better and quicker. They are also easier to take care of than a huge pile. If you have all the equipment and materials you need, starting your first composting bin can be a lot of fun.

Composting at home can not only be a way to use up all those household scraps while making good garden soil but also a way for the family to be doing something together while helping our environment. Composting at home is something many people are doing today as means to use up all those food waste products so they don’t’ have to further fill up landfills. Composting at home may seem difficult and messy but it’s actually relatively simple once you learn how it’s done. It’s actually easy for us because it’s nature that does all the hard work. We just do the preparations. The worst part of composting at home is the waiting, especially when you have children helping. They have a hard time believing that all those leftover fruit and vegetable peelings will actually turn into nice black rich compost soil. The waiting is definitely the hardest part for them as it may take anywhere from six to twelve months.

You’ll want to have a small composting bin inside your kitchen so you don’t have to be running outside every time you have some leftover scraps. Vegetable and fruit peelings, coffee grounds and filters make perfect composting materials. Avoid using meats, bones or salty greasy foods. Your bin should have a cover to avoid awful smells in your kitchen. You can make your own kitchen compost bin with a pail with a cover or purchase a kitchen bin for composting at home.

Once your kitchen compost bin is full, take it outside to where your other large composting bin is located. Your outdoors composting bin may be a pile on the ground, a large metal drum or a commercial composting bin. You will need to have more than just the scraps of food in your outdoor bin. You need moisture in your bin to help the process of decomposition, which is what composting is all about. Add other dry ingredients for nitrogen. These may include, hay, straw, grass clippings or chopped leaves. The more sun your ingredients get, the better they’ll heat up and decompose. Add water from time to time to keep the compost pile moist. It should be moist but not soggy. It should also be turned occasionally, perhaps once a week. If you see ants on your pile, it may be a sign that it’s too dry.

The most important thing for successful composting at home is to have the correct amount of ingredients. Live any living thing, in order to live, they need moisture, air, food and warmth. If you keep this in mind are tend to your compost pile regularly, your composting at home project will be quite successful and you’ll wonder why you didn’t start it sooner.