This tip is pretty easy. Stop throwing away your food items and yard waste. Instead, turn it into compost which can be used in your garden. Composting also helps to reduce the amount of garbage you put into the trash stream and into your local landfill.
There are many ways to make compost - bins, piles, pits etc. I use two bins. One is a tumbler type and the other is just a passive bin. This allows me to have one bin that is rolling and breaking down and then, another bin to store the extras that I am not adding to the rolling one. The second one is starting to break down but not as fast as the other one. The reason for the two is that if you keep adding to the rolling one you will never have a complete batch because you are always adding to it. You need to fill the bin, stop adding and let it breakdown completely, empty it and then start over. That is why the second bin is helpful, so you always have more to add when the first bin is done.
There are plenty of website that can help you learn how to make compost:
http://howtocompost.org/
http://www.wikihow.com/Compost
http://eartheasy.com/grow_compost.html
The basics are to have the proper ratio of 1/3 "green" to 2/3 "brown" items and to turn the pile to put oxygen into it. The pile will generate heat and the heat from the air will help it break down.
Brown items are:
Fall leaves
Pine needles
Twigs, chipped tree branches/bark
Straw or hay
Sawdust
Corn stalks
Paper (newspaper, writing/printing paper, paper plates and napkins, coffee filters)
Dryer lint
Cotton fabric
Corrugated cardboard (without any waxy/slick paper coatings
Green items are:
Grass clippingsCoffee grounds/tea bagsVegetable and fruit scrapsTrimmings from perennial and annual plants
Annual weeds that haven't set seed
Eggshells
Animal manures (cow, horse, sheep, chicken, rabbit, etc. No dog or cat manure.)
Seaweed
Turning the pile adds oxygen to it. If you have a bin that spins, just turn it. If you don't want to have a bin and just want a pile, that is ok too. Just use a pitch fork to turn it over. If you choose not to turn the pile, that works, it just takes longer. If you use a spinning bin and have the right ratio, you can have complete compost in one month in the warmer months. In the winter, it doesn'tbreak down as fast because you also need some heat to make it break down. But, keep adding the pile or bin in the winter. It will pick up in the spring and summer.
Once the compost is done, add it to your garden - either vegetables or perennials. It adds nutrients to the soil and also helps to amend the texture of the soil. It is free, safe fertilizer.
In order to make composting easier, I keep a small compost bin in my kitchen under the sink. When I cook, I put the scraps into the bins and then dump that when its full into the outdoor bin. Here is my bin from the Gardener's Supply Company.
No matter what you do, just compost. It reduces trash in the trash stream, helps the garden and is good for the earth.
There are many ways to make compost - bins, piles, pits etc. I use two bins. One is a tumbler type and the other is just a passive bin. This allows me to have one bin that is rolling and breaking down and then, another bin to store the extras that I am not adding to the rolling one. The second one is starting to break down but not as fast as the other one. The reason for the two is that if you keep adding to the rolling one you will never have a complete batch because you are always adding to it. You need to fill the bin, stop adding and let it breakdown completely, empty it and then start over. That is why the second bin is helpful, so you always have more to add when the first bin is done.
There are plenty of website that can help you learn how to make compost:
http://howtocompost.org/
http://www.wikihow.com/Compost
http://eartheasy.com/grow_compost.html
The basics are to have the proper ratio of 1/3 "green" to 2/3 "brown" items and to turn the pile to put oxygen into it. The pile will generate heat and the heat from the air will help it break down.
Brown items are:
Fall leaves
Pine needles
Twigs, chipped tree branches/bark
Straw or hay
Sawdust
Corn stalks
Paper (newspaper, writing/printing paper, paper plates and napkins, coffee filters)
Dryer lint
Cotton fabric
Corrugated cardboard (without any waxy/slick paper coatings
Green items are:
Grass clippingsCoffee grounds/tea bagsVegetable and fruit scrapsTrimmings from perennial and annual plants
Annual weeds that haven't set seed
Eggshells
Animal manures (cow, horse, sheep, chicken, rabbit, etc. No dog or cat manure.)
Seaweed
Turning the pile adds oxygen to it. If you have a bin that spins, just turn it. If you don't want to have a bin and just want a pile, that is ok too. Just use a pitch fork to turn it over. If you choose not to turn the pile, that works, it just takes longer. If you use a spinning bin and have the right ratio, you can have complete compost in one month in the warmer months. In the winter, it doesn'tbreak down as fast because you also need some heat to make it break down. But, keep adding the pile or bin in the winter. It will pick up in the spring and summer.
Once the compost is done, add it to your garden - either vegetables or perennials. It adds nutrients to the soil and also helps to amend the texture of the soil. It is free, safe fertilizer.
In order to make composting easier, I keep a small compost bin in my kitchen under the sink. When I cook, I put the scraps into the bins and then dump that when its full into the outdoor bin. Here is my bin from the Gardener's Supply Company.
No matter what you do, just compost. It reduces trash in the trash stream, helps the garden and is good for the earth.
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