Compost
Episode: # 30 22/12/07
Presenter: Kim Syrus
There’s one thing every garden needs and that’s plenty of compost. It‘s an amazing soil conditioner, helping the ground hold valuable moisture and nutrient and giving your plants a super boost. The best part is you can make it yourself. Turning green waste into rich organic compost is amazingly easy. This week Kim showed you how.
Firstly, it’s important to have a good mix of ingredients, everything from the ‘dry & brown’ type like straw, newspaper, aged manure, and tree prunings, to the ‘ wet & green’ type like veggie peelings, fresh lawn clippings, and newly trimmed shrubs.
Getting the balance right is very important; too much dry gear and the decomposition process slows down and too much of the fresh stuff and your compost pile will quickly start to stink
Begin with a good layer of chopped prunings, then some grass clippings, then comes the veggie peelings and some manure, if you don’t have access to manure then a good handful of blood and bone or dynamic lifter will be fine. Add some water to each layer to keep it moist. Now back to the prunings, lawn clippings and so on. Regular turning of the pile adds more oxygen and quickens the composting process.
It’s best to build your compost in layers. This leaves plenty of air and moisture in the heap to help the microbes quickly break everything down.
Composting also works best when everything is cut into small pieces. If you don’t have a mulcher then grab your lawnmower. Simply lay branches and prunings on the lawn and run the mower over making sure the catcher is on. This also works well for gum leaves which breakdown much quicker when they’ve been given the chop.
There are plenty of different ways of making compost. The traditional hopper type, has a couple of bays which means you can have a few compost piles going at the same time.
Then there’s the bin style that has an open base that you place straight onto the ground, lift the lid and add your layers. The tumbler looks like something from a bingo hall but don’t be fooled this type will turn green waste into garden compost in just a matter of weeks. Add your ingredients then just give the bin a couple of spins every day to keep the mix aerated.
Top of the compost tree is the Aerobin; it has a central pillar that keeps air flowing through the compost. With this system, simply layer your ingredients at the top and pull lovely rich compost from the base. Nothing could be easier.
It doesn’t matter which way you make your compost, your garden will just love it. If you want to find out more information on composting drop into a Mitre 10 store like Barrow & Bench Glenunga or Malvern and grab a composting brochure. Whilst you there pick up a copy of the latest Garden Guru Newspaper also available from your local Mitre10 and other good Garden Centres.
Presenter: Kim Syrus
There’s one thing every garden needs and that’s plenty of compost. It‘s an amazing soil conditioner, helping the ground hold valuable moisture and nutrient and giving your plants a super boost. The best part is you can make it yourself. Turning green waste into rich organic compost is amazingly easy. This week Kim showed you how.
Firstly, it’s important to have a good mix of ingredients, everything from the ‘dry & brown’ type like straw, newspaper, aged manure, and tree prunings, to the ‘ wet & green’ type like veggie peelings, fresh lawn clippings, and newly trimmed shrubs.
Getting the balance right is very important; too much dry gear and the decomposition process slows down and too much of the fresh stuff and your compost pile will quickly start to stink
Begin with a good layer of chopped prunings, then some grass clippings, then comes the veggie peelings and some manure, if you don’t have access to manure then a good handful of blood and bone or dynamic lifter will be fine. Add some water to each layer to keep it moist. Now back to the prunings, lawn clippings and so on. Regular turning of the pile adds more oxygen and quickens the composting process.
It’s best to build your compost in layers. This leaves plenty of air and moisture in the heap to help the microbes quickly break everything down.
Composting also works best when everything is cut into small pieces. If you don’t have a mulcher then grab your lawnmower. Simply lay branches and prunings on the lawn and run the mower over making sure the catcher is on. This also works well for gum leaves which breakdown much quicker when they’ve been given the chop.
There are plenty of different ways of making compost. The traditional hopper type, has a couple of bays which means you can have a few compost piles going at the same time.
Then there’s the bin style that has an open base that you place straight onto the ground, lift the lid and add your layers. The tumbler looks like something from a bingo hall but don’t be fooled this type will turn green waste into garden compost in just a matter of weeks. Add your ingredients then just give the bin a couple of spins every day to keep the mix aerated.
Top of the compost tree is the Aerobin; it has a central pillar that keeps air flowing through the compost. With this system, simply layer your ingredients at the top and pull lovely rich compost from the base. Nothing could be easier.
It doesn’t matter which way you make your compost, your garden will just love it. If you want to find out more information on composting drop into a Mitre 10 store like Barrow & Bench Glenunga or Malvern and grab a composting brochure. Whilst you there pick up a copy of the latest Garden Guru Newspaper also available from your local Mitre10 and other good Garden Centres.
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