COMPOST: NATURE'S GIFT

One of nature's best recycling tools! Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed over time, such as food waste and plants, and recycled as a fertiliser to improve the soil. Being a key ingredient in organic farming and gardening, it’s an excellent way to aid water retention and break up heavy clay soil, improving its overall quality. We can sense how special its rich, almost sweet, earthly smell is!

Luckily, it is a simple, low-budget process that stands out for its environmental benefits. That being said, you guessed it! This week we will make our own homemade high-quality compost and show you how it’s done, in just a few little steps.

Firstly, we need to gather a good and equal amount of waste materials that are rich in carbon and nitrogen. In other words, brown material such as woody stems and cardboard for Carbon and green material, such as grass clippings, for Nitrogen. A sunny corner is also required, along with a compost bin where the magic will happen!

(To better understand what you should and should not be using regarding organic material, have a look here.)

The first step consists in mixing your brown and green material, inside the compost bin! The trick here is to leave an opening at the bottom of it so it can stay in direct contact with the earth's soil. This will allow worms and other microorganisms to speed up the process.

Secondly, you’ll want to occasionally use a garden fork to turn your heap! This will also speed it up by allowing you to mix the outside ingredient to the inside, aerating the soil!

Try to keep the rain out by covering your bin, helping retain moisture and heat, which are essential ingredients. Water it from time to time, you will want it as moist as possible!

If you follow this small guide, while turning the heap regularly: voilá! You’ll have your natural fertiliser ready within a few weeks/months, depending on the quantity you're using, of course! Simple, right?

The Benefits

These are priceless, not only for your garden but also for the environment! Compost is also known as black gold for good reasons:

• It’s a soil conditioner that creates rich humus, adding nutrients to your plants;

• Why throw everything in the garbage when you can recycle your kitchen waste? By doing so, we prevent the harmful methane gases these organic materials release at the landfill as they decompose, decreasing the rate of global warming;

• Reducing landfill waste is a must in today's society. One-third of its waste consists of compostable materials. If we can save some space by diverting as much as possible, the landfills will last longer!

• It’s a natural alternative to chemical fertilisers that, as we all know, end up not being the healthiest solution for later human consumption;

Well, folks, we hope you liked this week's topic. We’re learning that most problems have a natural solution, and we will keep on learning together. When we talk about soil, this might be the best one out there!