Secret 1 – The Container

To create organic compost you don’t have to have a container but it does make it much easier.

A good size compost pile should be between 4 – 6 feet. To put this into perspective you could use 4 shipping pallets nailed together. You can also buy compost bins at your garden store or get plans that show you how to build one.  You should have a cover to keep the rain off and the heat
in. You will need ventilation as air needs to reach the contents.

Secret 2 – The Contents

You can put just about anything that comes from organic matter into your compost pile. The thing you need to watch out for is the smell.

If your pile is away from the house and you won’t smell it then you can put horse manure, cat and dog droppings and leftovers from the dinner table. But be cautious as this will also draw rats.

The ideal compost is a mixture of grass and sticks. Grass piled by itself will smell quite a bit but mixed with sticks will allow ventilation and not have that smell. If at all possible shred the sticks and larger wood as it takes much less time for the compost to decay with smaller pieces.

Egg shells and other kitchen scraps will leave your compost looking a bit funny (little white shells all through out) so another option for creating excellent organic matter from those is a wormery. I will talk about worm farming in another article.

Secret 3 – Starting and Maintaining your Compost Pile

Winter has now passed and you are coming into spring when the sun is shining and everybody wants to start working in their yard. You pull weeds, trim the bushes and now you have to mow the yard twice as much. All this leads to the beginning of this years compost pile.

Start your compost pile by putting sticks in the bottom so that you have ventilation. next you can put in your grass clippings and weeds. If you have a large lawn you may want to throw a little bit of woody material in between the loads of grass clippings.

From the kitchen you can add potato peels and other vegetable leftovers but be sure that they are not too wet. Too much water in the pile will slow the process.

What will happen now is your compost pile will get hot as the contents begins to decay. It will then cool. At that point you will want to turn the contents.Having a second bin or a compost barrel that turns makes this much easier.

Otherwise, you will need to pull the contents out of your bin and mix it thoroughly. If it is totally dry use a watering can and sprinkle a little water in as you are mixing the contents.

Your compost pile should stay warm. What I mean is that the decaying process causes heat. Periodically take a stake or cane and run it down into the pile and let it sit for five
minutes. When you pull it out it should be warm. If it is cold you will want to turn your pile again and sprinkle with more water.

Organisms are decaying the matter. You can accelerate this by purchasing compost accelerators at your local garden shop. All these accelerators contain more organisms to help quickly decay the compost.

Secret 4 – How it Works

The whole compost process is done with bacteria. Organisms that decay the pile. There are basically two kinds of bacteria that you could have in your compost pile areobic and anareobic. Areobic bacteria like the warmth and air they are a dryer bacteria. They like it moist but not wet.
Anareobic are the bacteria like you would find at the bottom of a pond. They like it wet and dark.

I’m sure you have already figured out that we want the areobic bacteria in our compost and not the anareobic. This is the reason we do not want our compost to get too wet. You do want it moist but not wet.

These bacteria will eat away at your compost pile which is why it is hot and you may even see steam coming from the pile and this is good. But after all the yummy food is gone the bacteria will take a nap. This is when you need to turn the pile. And if the pile has become too dry sprinkle some water to make it moist. If you cannot get the heat then you will need to use accelerator.

But if you have ever raked grass clippings that are moist from the morning dew into a pile and let it set it gets really hot. So if you use grass clippings in your mix you know you will get a good start.

This is basically how it works. And depending on your garden and lawn size you may do several compost piles a year or only one.

If you apply these 4 secrets then organic garden compost will be a breeze.

Glen Barnhardt is the Worlds #1 Organic Gardening Consultant

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Natural Fertilizers: Better Tasting Produce?
Though there is no scientific evidence that the use of organic fertilizers would produce better tasting produce, most organic gardeners would beg to differ.  One might agree that with the notion that we are ingesting too many chemicals from our foods, limited use of chemical fertilizers may produce better tasting and higher quality produce.  The use of organic compost as a replacement for chemical fertilizers is one of the more common way to fertilizer your crop.  Other alternatives include the use of teas derived from plants, such as compost tea.  The use of organic matter also replenishes the soil by increasing the organic content.

Rid Your Garden of Pest Naturally
Organic gardeners use of natural pesticides stems from concerns over pesticide residues on food, groundwater and in the soil.  Many reports have linked a large number of health problems to exposure to pesticides, which has many consumers and producers moving toward organically grown produce.

So how does one combat garden pest naturally? First and foremost is healthy organic soil, which produces healthy plants that can fight garden pest on their own.

Other organic pest control products rely on extracts from plants, such as oranges and lemons.  D-Limonene, which is the active ingredient in citrus oils, kills many flying and crawling insects on contact.  Destroying the insect’s respiratory systems, an insect basically suffocates.

Another all purpose organic pesticide is made from the Neem tree.  Neem oil which is produced by pressing the oil from the neem seed, does not directly kill feeding pests, rather it discourages insects from feeding on the plants that are coated, in essence starving the pests to death.  Neem oil can be used on vegetables, flowers and ornamentals.  Another beneficial aspect of using Neem Oil is that it is non-toxic to birds, mammals, ladybugs, spiders and bees.

As you can see there are many options for the organic gardeners to both grow and protect their produce without the use of man-made chemicals.  There are many organic compounds occurring in nature that are effective natural repellants to pests and others that are beneficial to growing an organic garden.

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Organic Fertilizers

Fertilizers labeled “organic” are derived from materials that are essentially carbon in nature. These materials that constitute organic fertilizers are derived from either animal or plant by-products.

Using organic fertilizers has advantages and downfalls. One distinct benefit of organic fertilizers is that they naturally contain matter that is beneficial to both plants and soil. The natural materials found in organic fertilizers help improve the water-holding capacity of the soil, and augments its structure to increase its nutrient-holding capacity.  Additionally, the organic materials encourage microbial activity. This plays a big part in the breakdown of nutrients, which allows the plants to absorb the nutrients.

Organic fertilizers tend to break down and release nutrients more slowly, so that leaching is prevented. By using organic fertilizers, you can rest assured that groundwater will not be contaminated by any harmful substances. Organic fertilizers are generally less expensive than inorganic alternatives, and may be available free of charge if you know how and where to look.

There are disadvantages to using organic fertilizers. These materials may be difficult to apply in comparison to inorganic fertilizers, depending on the source material used. Organic fertilizers tend to have lower nutrient content compared to inorganic fertilizers, so more material has to be applied in order to get the same nutrient amount. In addition, the slow-release properties can actually have a detrimental effect on the plants. If the nutrients from organic fertilizers are not released in time, the plants will not receive them for use in their growth cycle.

Inorganic Fertilizers

Inorganic fertilizers are widely available in today’s market. There are so many different varieties; it can be hard to choose the best one.  To make a wise, informed choice, you must first understand the components of typical inorganic fertilizers.

Every bag of inorganic fertilizer is generally labeled with a set of three numbers. These numbers represent the ratio of Nitrogen Phosphorus - Potassium. For example, if you choose an inorganic fertilizer that is labeled 7-3-2, it means that there is seven percent Nitrogen, three percent Phosphorus, and two percent Potassium.

When you add these numbers, the sum is just twelve percent worth of nutrients in the bag. The remaining 88 percent of made up of filler material and may contain additional nutrients. These extra materials are added help the user to apply the fertilizer more evenly.

When it is time to choose a fertilizer for your lawn or garden – organic or inorganic – know what is in the bag, and more importantly, what is best for your property.

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