Pioneer Living Survival Magazine

Composting 101

Composting is the single most important item in Organic gardening. It is nature’s continuous recycling process. Leaves, animal waste, plant matter, and grass clippings, are “eaten” by bacteria. The organic remnants are nutrient-rich humus compost. This compost will add soil fertility, structure, adds water-holding potential, increases bacteria and earthworm propagation. This will also promote healthy plant growth.

The components of successful compost are organic matter, moisture, air, nitrogen, heat, soil, and lime. Composting is very simple: use almost anything that was once alive.

Just remember in composting you want a happy medium moisture content an in-between, not dry but not soggy is best.

In composting you will need air so you will have to turn your compost pile every 2 to 3 weeks.

There are so many techniques and methods that work well but in short, remember to shred as much as possible all components for faster decomposing.

Here is a simple recipe that you can go by. You can certainly alter this recipe to fit your available organic ingredients.

Simple Composting:

Layer one: Fresh Manure

Layer Two: Topsoil

Layer Three: Grass, leaves, gypsum, etc.

Layer Four: Topsoil

Layer Five: Wood ash

Keep layering as needed and water lightly in-between layers.