Organic Gardening Composting Tips

Organic gardening is not as difficult as some may think. In fact, it is a more simplified form of gardening that has been used in the past, way before most of the man-made fertilizers and pesticides were not so common. But the organic gardening of today has some help from science to make this natural method even more effective. Here are some tips that might help you.

Organic gardening becomes so effective as a method because it makes use of natural organic matter for achieving a variety of soil and plant conditioning. The use of natural materials not only helps keep the environment clean, but also helps avoid the use of harmful man-made chemicals and substances found in most commercial fertilizers and pesticides. Composting is one of the reasons why organic gardening is able to do this.

In composting, it is important to make use of natural organic matter such as grass clippings, leaves and kitchen scraps. Grass clippings that you place in the compost pile become a great source of nitrogen. But in order to be effective, it should be mixed thoroughly with carbon-rich organic matter like dried leaves, hay, sawdust, straw or even shredded waste paper. Using grass alone in your compost pile will become devoid of air and will start to smell after a time.

Try to keep your composting simple. It can be as simple as raking collected organic matter into a pile and the ingredients will eventually compost. An important thing to consider and that most organic gardeners bear in mind when composting is to build a pile that is no smaller than one cubic yard or 3 ft. high by 3 ft. wide by 3 ft. deep. Compost piles like this are large enough to retain heat while also allowing for adequate air flow to enable decomposition to do its work.

Composting depends also on various organisms that enable the organic matter to decompose faster to eventually become mulch. In order to thrive, these organisms require a balance of carbon and nitrogen in the composting materials. You may be able to distinguish organic matter containing high carbon because they are usually brown in color such as dead leaves, dry hay, and wood chips. Organic matter having good nitrogen content is usually green such as grass clippings, kitchen scraps, and manure.

To speed up the composting process, all you need to do is to turn your compost pile every two weeks. Your finished compost should look and smell like dark, rich soil. You may then use them by spreading them on your soil beds where you do most of your organic gardening. The compost would not only improve soil condition but also provide much needed nutrients for your plants to make them grow better and healthier.

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