Sunday, October 19, 2008

Backyard Composting-Benefits of Eco-Friendly Practices

gardening, vegetables,plants,tips





By: Anita Koppens
Word Count: 490


With the prevalent trend of "going green" gaining in popularity, you have probably thought of practices to improve your eco-friendliness. You may have even thought about starting a compost pile, but simply do not know where to begin. It is not difficult to start such a project, and the benefits are many. For example, a compost pile would welcome earthworms and similar organisms. Their activities help vegetation to grow quickly and healthily. Compost also offers nutrients while improving the quality of soil, as it helps soil hold more moisture. Also, a compost pile provides an alternate disposal method for biodegradable. Clearly, there are many benefits to a compost pile; the next step is learning how to start one.

To begin, you will need to acquire a compost bin, which can usually be found at home improvement or gardening stores. If you cannot find a professionally constructed compost bin, you can easily build your own using wood, pallets, blocks of concrete, wire, and an old garbage can with ½-inch holes poked into the bottom. This permits moisture to escape from the compost container and into the ground, but keeps small animals out of the bin.

Compost bins are usually low-cost and simple to construct. One of the easiest ways involves taking sections of snow fence and making them into a square by attaching each corner to a strong post, and then staking it into the ground. Others have created compost bins from used skids or simply by creating a circle from chicken wire. If you want a sturdier compost bin, consider using two by fours to create a square compost bin with gaps for airflow.

Put the compost bin far enough away from your home so that you will not smell any waste, yet close enough for convenience. You should also remember that that the compost bin will naturally be warm because of the biological process taking place inside. In order to retain this warmth, if you live in a cooler area you will need to put it in a sunny area. If you dwell in a very hot, dry area, you will need to add water to it occasionally and perhaps put it in a shady area. It needs to sustain some warmth and wetness, but any severity in temperature will likely slow down the procedure.

After you have begun your composting, it will be easy to maintain and reap the many benefits from your good intentions. Continuously add scraps from the kitchen like onion peels, lettuce, even whole fruits or vegetables that went bad before you had the opportunity to eat them. It is essential to turn the soil at least once per season to keep the soil oxygenated. The material at the bottom should be exposed to the top and vice versa for the matter on the top. Such simplicity with great rewards should provide encouragement to keep up with other environmentally friendly habits.


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