How to Make Compost for Organic Container Gardening

Composting is an easy, eco-conscious method of creating natural fertilizer for organic container gardening. Compost is nutrient-rich matter resulting from the biological decomposition of nonsynthetic materials and is added to regular or organic container gardening soil to promote plant development and general health. It’s simple to make your own organic fertilizer for flower, vegetable or herb gardens with these useful pointers.

Containers

Purchase a commercial compost container (for sale at home improvement and hardware shops or from municipal agencies) or construct your own custom bin for organic container gardening. Containers must be large enough to accept constant additions of lawn cuttings, dead foliage or kitchen scraps, but you ought to be able to turn over the stuff with a rake or pitchfork. Compost containers should collect moisture and heat, which convert organic waste material into compost. A few compost bin models have a door at the bottom, easing access to the finished compost at the floor of the bin.

First Steps

When starting the compost pile for organic container gardening, fill the bin one-third full with nonsynthetic material, then moisten with a garden hose to help decomposition. Sieve the batch with a rake to make certain the substance is completely damp. For organic container gardening purposes, the most dependable compost-starter materials are dry leaves, lawn cuttings, ripped up newsprint or normal potting soil. Avoid contributing kitchen waste first. Always cover up food bits in the heap with a rakeful of dead plant matter or paper to prevent odors and avoid attracting vermin.

What to Add

Composters organize material for organic container gardening fertilizer into two categories: ‚”browns” and ‚”greens.” Ideally, the compost mound should comprise a fifty-fifty mix of both. ‚”Browns” are materials containing plentiful carbon, like wood bits, eggshells, autumn leaves, newsprint and cardboard, defunct plants, hay, pine needles, corncobs and moldy bread. ‚”Greens” are flush with nitrogen: tea bags, cornstarch, feathers, grass clippings, produce peels, coffee grounds, weeds, flowers and seaweed all fall into this category.

What to Avoid

Certain materials should never be contributed to compost meant for organic container gardening. Dairy or meat scraps, pet waste, cat litter, pressure-treated wood, seeds, sand, charcoal or ashes, or colored and glossy paper will upset microbial activity, attract rodents and impart harmful microorganisms to the edible plants in organic container gardening.

Turn the Pile

Each month, oxygenate the heap so the microorganisms keep converting the organic matter into compost. ‚”Fluff” the pile with a long-handled hoe or rake, working the most decayed substance to the surface and sinking the newer material to the bottom.

Test the Compost

Contingent on temperatures and the mound’s components, three to 12 months must elapse for compost to completely mature. Finished compost smells sweetish and earthy and resembles crumbly, rich chocolate cake: at that point, it’s ready to be added to organic container gardening projects. To see if the compost is seasoned, execute a ‚”bag test:” place a handful of compost in a closed zip-top sandwich bag. After a week, if the compost smells rancid or ammonia-like, the compost isn’t yet ready. Retest in a couple of weeks.

Uses in Organic Container Gardening

Your organic fertilizer can be added to organic container gardening soil all year long. Cultivate one to two inches of compost into the top layer of soil in each container. One can never have too much compost, and there’s no risk of burning or harming vegetables or other edible plants as with chemical fertilizers.