Want the best gardening advice? Go straight to the source. Mother Nature, after all, is the world's best gardener, and some of the world's most beautiful gardens are found in the most remote places. To create a garden that's naturally lush and vibrant, without using harsh chemicals, use garden compost. It's nature's perfect fertilizer.
Composting is a natural method of fertilizing all types of plants, from leafy shrubs and trees to exotic flowers. Think of the rainforest. Its entire floor is a carpet of naturally-occurring compost that provides constant shelter, support and food for all types of plant life.
You can easily create your own perfect fertilizer, simply by saving food scraps and yard waste. You'll save a load of money on garden center supplies and you'll reduce waste. When you create your own garden compost, it's a win-win-win situation! The finished product is a dark, crumbly mixture of decomposed organic matter.
It's easy to create garden compost, and you'll be happy to see how many ways it can benefit your blooms:
* Provide essential nutrients to plants
* Reduces the need for harmful fertilizers
* Improve the quality of heavy clay or sandy soil
* Reduces the amount of water required
* Helps to control invasive weeds
Create Your Own Garden Compost
There is a very basic recipe for creating garden compost. Just remember the gardener's rule of thumb: two parts brown to one part green.
A compost pile is a bustling community of microorganisms. These tiny creatures exist by breaking down organic matter, like yard debris and organic scraps, and turning them into compost. You'll need to take an active role in encouraging the growth of these microorganisms.
Dried leaves and other natural flower fertilizers can be used as the two parts carbon-rich "brown" materials. Mix this with one-part nitrogen-rich "green" materials, like fresh grass clippings. This all-natural fertilizer provides the ideal fuel for those hungry microorganisms. They'll soon kick in to high gear and heat up your yard debris, producing valuable garden compost.
Garden Compost Ingredients
The "two parts brown" may contain any combination of these materials:
* Dry grass clippings and leaves
* Small twigs
* Shredded newsprint
* Straw or hay
* Wood chips, shavings and sawdust
* Used potting soil
The "one part green" can include any or all of these healthy materials:
* Fresh grass clippings
* Fresh, green leaves
* Plant trimmings (stems and stalks)
* Hedge trimmings
* Annual weeds, without seed heads
* Fruit and vegetable scraps
* Tea bags, coffee grounds and filters
* Egg shells
Some materials should NEVER be used in garden compost:
* Diseased plant life
* Seed heads from weeds
* Invasive weeds like quack grass and morning glory
* Cereal grains and bread
* Meat or fish parts or bones
* Dairy products
* Oily foods, cooking oil or grease
* Pet feces
* Dead animals
Size Really Matters
Smaller composting components bring about rich, usable compost more quickly. Large pieces of vegetables obviously take longer to break down than smaller pieces. Leftover fruits and vegetables should be chopped into small pieces. Garden debris can be cut up with shears or a machete. A garden chipper, shredder or lawnmower mulching attachment is a handy tool for breaking up sticks and twigs.
Even faster garden compost action can be realized when your compost pile is no less than three feet in diameter. Size is important, because the actual composting occurs when heat is generated by those millions of microorganisms living in your soil. As they process the raw materials, the microorganisms release energy that helps activate the decomposition. A compost pile at least three square feet in diameter is the best size for hotter, faster composting.
Water and Air
Compost is a living thing, and it needs water and air to survive. The microorganisms in your garden compost can't do their jobs if they don't receive an ample supply of water and air. Regularly sprinkle water over your compost, but don't drown it. Make it about as wet as a damp sponge.
To incorporate air into the mixture, use a pitchfork to turn the compost materials one every week. This can also help to distribute the efforts of the microorganisms. If you don't turn the compost, you'll have a rich layer of compost at the bottom of the pile, and a heap of dry garden waste on top.
You can't get a better source of gardening advice comes than Mother Nature. Use nature's perfect compost. It's easy to make, and your bright, beautiful plants will be more than ample reward for your efforts.
Article Source: http://www.articlenorth.com
Freelancer Garnett Foards loves writing for numerous popular web sites, on home garden and healthy family topics.
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