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GARDENING TIPS HOME
MILLINGTON SEED COMPANY
HIGH QUALITY GARDEN SEED |
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Composting Tips |
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Compost is
highly beneficial. It not only improves
your garden soil but it also helps
improve our environment. For more
information about why you should be
making compost visit our
Why Make
Compost? page.
Basic Compost Materials
You may be surprised to find out how
many things you can use for compost and
save landfill space. Newspaper, egg
shells, coffee grounds, seaweed, dryer
lint, hair, corn cobs, and lots more. |
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Without
getting extremely deep about what's all
involved with the composting process
this is a rundown of the basics.
Composting is basically a sped up
replication of natural decomposition.
The speed of the process is basically
determined on how you approach the
process. You can start composting by
simply throwing organic waste into a
pile. Or you could also get a compost
tumbler and start cranking out compost
quite quickly. Compost piles generally
take longer because the materials
usually get brought to the pile on a
more gradual basis. But if you have
enough organic material to make a big
enough pile it could process much
faster. |
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CARBON / NITROGEN
RATIO
Composting expediently is basically an
acquired skill. It's all about the ratio of
carbon rich to nitrogen rich organic
materials. You want to achieve about a 20 to
1 - 25 to 1 ratio for maximum composting
production. 20 - 25 parts carbon rich
materials to 1 part nitrogen rich materials.
Carbon rich materials are newspaper, wood
chips, egg shells, leaves, seaweed, lint
etc. Fortunately these materials are quite
abundant and easy to locate. |
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You might be
surprised how many of your neighbors will
collect newspapers for you. Just remember to
be courteous and pick them often enough not
to create a nuisance to them. They will stop
saving for you if they have to deal with a
huge pile of newspapers or whatever they are
saving. You could be the neighborhood
recycler. Also don't forget to share some
produce with them come harvest to show your
appreciation. This will guarantee more
organic materials in the future.
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It's easier to
have friends and neighbors collect carbon
rich materials rather than nitrogen rich
materials. If they do save nitrogen rich
materials make sure to stop by even more
often because they can become quite smelly.
Nitrogen rich materials include non meat
table scraps and fresh green materials like
grass clippings, seaweed and manure. Don't
collect manure from meat eating animals such
as cat's and dog's. Cow, horse, chicken,
turkey, duck, goose, rabbit manure etc make
great nitrogen rich composting materials.
Don't forget to keep your compost pile or
tumbler moist, if it dries out it will stop
the process. You also want to keep your
compost aerated.
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It does acquire some attention no matter
how you chose to do it but it's really not much
work when you think about it. The more you
compost the better you get and it's very
satisfying knowing you are doing something to
help yourself, family and the environment. So
start your compost pile today or purchase a nice
compost tumbler and make your garden richer than
ever.
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About The Author:
Written By Steve Snyder
Visit my garden seed website. We offer high
quality fresh flower, vegetable and herb seed
for the home gardener.
Millington Seed Co
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