How to Start A Compost Garden

Obviously, compost gardening is the cultivation of plants using organic compost made from various biodegradable household waste materials.

• Think along the lines of paper products, food scraps and peelings, lawn clippings and leaves, with maybe a little help from special worms.

Gardening with the use of compost presents many opportunities for physical, mental and environmental health.

Just to name a few of these benefits:

• You can become healthier since gardening in itself is a form of exercise that allows for burning of calories anywhere from 60 to 170 calories every 30 minutes depending on the type of activity being done. Plus, gardening in general is definitely a very relaxing way to spend your days.

• You can save money through compost gardening mainly because there is absolutely no need to purchase commercial fertilizers. Experts estimate that for every $100 of investment, you can harvest $1,000 worth of fresh produce. Now, that's a profit if we ever saw one.

• You will be able to enjoy organic fruits and vegetables, which have been proven to contain higher nutrient levels but lower pesticide and fertilizer residues. Plus, organic produce tastes better, too. Now, when you couple the exercise benefits with the nutrition benefits of gardening via compost methods, you definitely have a winner in your hands, pun not intended.

With all these benefits ready for your enjoyment, now is the best time as any to take up organic gardening with use of compost.

Steps to Start Composting

You can easily start compost gardening.

• First, you start your compost, of which you have two options.
  
• You can designate one area of the garden in which you will pile up the biodegradable household wastes and then let Mother Nature do its work in breaking down the materials into organic fertilizer.
  
• You can, of course, place said wastes inside a makeshift enclosure made of wires, woods and other scrap materials.

You can also go the route of vermicomposting, which is similar to the forst option although worms are used.

• Plus, you have to layer your compost in ways that will speed up the process and lessen the smell.
  
• By the way, the worms used must be European night crawlers and red wigglers, which can be purchased by the can in nurseries.

Regardless of the method to start on compost gardening, the common elements of air, water and food must be followed.

• You add air by turning the compost heap, food through more waste materials and moisture through water.

And after the compost is sufficiently mature in about a month, you can use it for the following purposes:

• Apply on the soil directly - For soil amendment, 2-3 inches of compost for every 6-8 inches of ground soil is acceptable especially where vegetables are concerned.
• Use as compost tea - As liquid organic fertilizer, dilute the compost tea with water on a 10 is to 1 ratio. By the way, to make compost tea, just steep the compost in water for about a week, stir at least once daily and then strain the solid materials. The liquid is the compost tea.

Think of your compost as fertilizer in solid and liquid forms albeit with an organic twist. And that is how you become successful in compost gardening!

• Consider building or buying compost bin tumblers or compost buckets, they are very affordable.