Q:Please let me know if all household waste can be used for compost? What about newspapers and magazines? How to prepare compost material and how to store it?
O:The following can be used for compost: organic household and garden waste (food waste, disease-free peelings, egg shells, coffee and tea grounds, weeds in the pre-setting phase , grilled ash, fire or fireplace); leaves from trees and shrubs; straw; mowed fresh grass and hay; shredded branches; wood shavings; cattle, pig, chicken or other animal manure.
Growing vegetables on a composter - how to prepare for it to increase the yield?
Compost is the fertilizer gold of gardeners. However, it is worth remembering that only the compost obtained as a result of the aerobic decomposition of organic matter by soil microorganisms is a fully valuable fertilizer. Prepared in accordance with the rules, it is obtained in a controlled manner with valuable soil humus (humus). Sowing or planting plants directly on the compost heap is a waste of its potential. Plants will grow well only in a limited area of the composter, and the nutritional value and usefulness of the resulting fertilizer will be reduced. It will also be impossible to further add organic matter and transfer it to oxygenate it. Moreover, the higher the pile / composter, the more valuable compost will not be used (vegetables take root up to approx. 30 cm). Therefore, it is much better to use compost as an addition to the substrate of the entire vegetable garden, and plant cucurbit plants (e.g.pumpkins, courgettes, cucumbers). Their creeping shoots and large leaves will protect the compost from excessive sunlight and drying out, and the roots will use the washed out nutrients.
- says Dr. Eng. Tomasz Mróz
The following are not suitable for the production of compost: plant material in the immediate vicinity of busy roads and streets; plant remains infested with fungal diseases; seeded weeds; citrus peels - they are saturated with chemicals; raw bones and meat; colorful newspapers and magazines; glass; metal; stones and plastic.
The most common method of composting is to pile up leftovers.They must be crushed and layered alternating with the ground.The prism should be located in the shade. In hot weather, it should be sprinkled with water. Specialized microorganisms are involved in the decomposition of organic matter.
Garden shops offer ready-made preparations containing soil microorganisms in the right proportions.After their application, the compost material heats up quickly and turns brown, which proves the proper course of biological processes.
