What is Compost? How to Prepare Compost?

What is Compost?

The organic matter that we collect from our day to day lives can be used to create valuable and nutritious fertilisers that can be used to enrich the soil in gardens and help plants to grow. Organic matter can be anything natural that we throw away from the leaves that you may have collected in your garden or the food that you may have not eaten and have thrown away! The process of composting is a method that helps speed up the time that it takes for organic matter to decompose by creating an ideal environment for decomposing organisms to work! The result will look like soil, but the rich nutrients that are locked inside this compost are extremely valuable and will help your grass, soil and plants thrive!

How To Prepare Compost?

Creating compost is all about how you add specific items according to the colour and dampness of the product. To know which organic matter to place where it is important that you separate your organic waste into green and brown. Brown materials may include things like dry leaves, branches, wood shavings or even newspaper and these items are generally considered to be dry. Green organic matter is made up of leftover food, animal manure and garden trimmings that are not dried or dead.

The majority of your heap should be made up of brown organic matter as this can ensure that your heap does not smell bad and that it is decomposing at the correct rate. The next step is to add water to your heap and stir it around, mixing the green and brown organic matter together with a compost spreader! All you then need to do is wait until the heap resembles soil, and this is when you can use the compost in your garden.

What is The Importance of Compost?

Compost is extremely important when it comes to keeping your garden and the plants within it healthy! Along with helping your plants to grow, it also helps to ensure that your soil retains moisture better and reduces the need for chemical fertilisers to be used on soil, which often contains harmful chemicals and other matter. It is far better to use compost that is made from organic matter when it comes to feeding plants and ensuring that they remain growing and healthy, and it is therefore very important! When it comes to recycling at home, there is no better way than through creating compost heaps!

How Does Compost Impact The Environment?

Is Using Compost Eco-Friendly and Sustainable?

Yes, using compost is eco-friendly and sustainable as it helps to get rid of waste and actually change it into something that is good for the environment. Using waste materials from your home will ensure that this waste does not end up in landfills, which do not provide good conditions. Using compost at home is a great way to ensure that you are promoting sustainability in your day to day lives and it can help ensure that your plants, soil and garden are enriched with the best nutrients to help stimulate growth!

Is Compost Safe to Use?

Yes, compost is organic and therefore it is much safer to use compared to other non-organic fertilisers that may contain harmful chemicals! Having a compost bin that is designed to create fertiliser that can be used within your garden is a great way to ensure that the nutritious waste that is created through old food and manure is not wasted or does not negatively impact the environment.

What are The Benefits of Using Compost?

Compost is great to use in your home and garden as it enforces ideas around using everything and living a zero-waste lifestyle. The food we throw away and the leaves that we place in garbage bags to be removed could easily be used in a way that helps the soil and our gardens to be healthier.

Enriches Soil

The fungi and bacteria that are created through composting are important when it comes to helping plants and giving them the nutrients that they need to thrive. The different waste products that you add to a heap are fused together with a bit of water, and when these different products sit together, they can more easily decompose, creating compost quicker and ensuring that the fertiliser product is rich in nutrients!

Reduces the Need for Chemicals

With composting and creating your own organic fertiliser, you do not need to use any chemical products in your soil. This improves the health and overall functioning of this soil and can ensure that the animals that may roam around in your garden are safe from harm.

Reduces Waste

When thinking about what recycling is, thinking about how composting reduces waste is important. Compost is waste that would otherwise be thrown out and would more than likely end up in a landfill, polluting the environment. One of the main benefits of using compost is that this waste reduction actually reduces the need for these harmful landfills, which release large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Compost is Free

Unlike other inorganic fertilisers that we have to go out and buy, compost is free! All you need to do is separate compostable items, have an area where you can start your compost heap and put in a little effort to create it!

Helps Soil Retain Water

Keeping the soil healthy and filled with the nutrients that it needs is a great way to ensure that it retains the moisture that it collects. When soil cannot retain moisture, this may lead to instances of flooding and in low lying areas, the consequences can be devastating, for both the environment and those who live within it.