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Composting is one of the most eco-friendly and effective ways to use your unwanted yard waste. As a matter of fact, backyard composting can also help lessen your household trash.
Since the temperature and air circulation in your backyard is usually just right to compost, it’s no doubt a perfect spot for composting. Moreover, your backyard is likely near a water source that may come in handy when your compost requires a bit of moisture.
If you want to get started with backyard composting, one of the first things you should do is to prepare the products you’ll need to use. When shopping around, make sure to transact with businesses like Maze Composting. Most agricultural companies offer innovative, sustainable, and quality products designed to suit your needs.
Once you have the materials you’ll need for your backyard composting, there are other factors you must consider first. Keep in mind that composting doesn’t only revolve around piling your kitchen scraps.
Although there are particular kinds of scraps that might be used for your compost bin, some scraps shouldn’t be added to the compost. So, make sure to keep the following do’s and don’ts of backyard composting to get results.
The Do’s Of Backyard Composting
Do Create A Compost Pile Near Your Property’s Water Source
One of the ways to maintain your organic compost is proper hydration. If your compost pile is very dry, the organic matter won’t break down easily. Take note that it takes a few months or even years for a compost pile to break down.
If you keep your compost pile dry, you’ll have to face an extended waiting period. By improving your compost’s moisture level, you can be sure that the organic matter will break down faster. Therefore, place your compost pile near your property’s water source whenever possible and never worry about moisture.
Do Combine Brown And Green Materials
The best compost pile is typically composed of brown and green materials. The brown materials are the ones loaded with carbon while green materials are the ones packed with nitrogen. Such nutrients enrich the soil as well as promote better plant growth.
Use various kinds of organic materials to create good compost. For yard waste, the most excellent materials for backyard composting include grass clippings, dried leaves, yard trimmings, wood chips, sawdust, and houseplants. For food scraps, add vegetable and fruit peels, nutshells, tea bags, coffee grounds, and eggshells.
Avoid adding pet droppings, infected or diseased plants, and dirty cat litter since they’ll only cause pathogens to spread throughout your backyard. It’s best to pile the brown materials on top of the green materials. It’ll help keep the flies away and mask the bad smell of decomposing materials.
Do Prioritize Aeration
To achieve better results when you start composting, aeration is crucial. You would want to ensure that your compost isn’t too hot, too wet, or too compact.
When you turn your compost pile on a regular basis, too much warmth, compaction and too much moisture can be prevented. Turning your compost can also boost the oxygen level, which can be helpful in breaking down the organic matter.
The Don’ts Of Backyard Composting
Don’t Add Certain Yard Wastes And Food Scraps
When it comes to backyard composting, you have to take note that you can’t use all food scraps. Leftover bones, meats, cooking oil, broken eggs, fish, and lard aren’t recommended for composting since they would only attract pests, such as flies, rodents, and cockroaches. Dairy products aren’t also good for composting because they produce a bad smell that might attract pests or put people off.
Some yard wastes aren’t also good for composting. Avoid coal ashes, wet grass, weeds, and diseased plants because they can release pathogens that might only harm your yard’s health.
Don’t Let Your Compost Get Too Dry Or Wet
If you want to ensure your compost is healthy, the conditions should be right. Too much moisture or heat can delay the breakdown of your compost’s organic matter. The key is to keep your compost moderately warm and moist, not overheated and wet.
It’s best if you use plastic sheeting for covering your compost pile to keep the moisture and temperature level in check. Once you cover your compost pile, it’ll also be protected from sun exposure and rain, which allows the waste to break down quickly.
Don’t Leave Your Compost Bin Uncovered
If you’re using a compost bin, keep it covered as mentioned above. This is especially true if you’re combining food scraps into your compost since such will attract animals or pests.
In terms of the best covering option for your compost bin, make sure to consider heavy wood blocks or cinder blocks.
Conclusion
Backyard composting is one of the simplest ways to protect the environment. It doesn’t only minimize your household waste, but it also helps in taking some of the burdens of the landfills in your locale. But before you get started, make sure to take note of the above information. Being aware of its do’s and don’ts can make a huge difference to get great results from composting.
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