As those autumn leaves start to turn and fall, it becomes time to pull out the rake and get to work. Don’t throw all those leaves away, however.
Instead, think about using them to kick off your new compost pile so that, come spring, you’ll have all the organic material you need to build a truly awesome organic garden.
Making a compost pile is not that hard.
Start by Prepping Your Site
You need a site that’s 3 feet long by 3 feet wide. Spread a layer of your freshly raked leaves all over your site.
Next, add a layer of “green” materials. Grass clippings are great for this.
Add a layer of soil, and then another layer of leaves. Moisten the site with your hose (but don’t soak it all down).
You can use a compost bin if you want to, just to keep your compost pile neat and tidy.
Keep Adding Materials Over Time
You can keep adding compost materials as you get them. You can use any of the following materials:
- Leaves
- Straw
- Grass clippings
- Dead flowers
- Shredded newspaper
- Vegetable peels
- Fruit rinds
- Vegetable or fruit table scraps
You need to avoid using any of the following in your compost pile:
- Cat litter
- Dog or cat droppings
- Old magazines
- Meat scraps
- Dairy waste
- Starchy table scraps like bread, pasta, or rice
All of these items should be disposed of normally.
Turn Your Pile
Get a shovel or a rake and turn the pile every two weeks. You want to stir it up so that the material that’s in the center spends some time on the outside and the material that’s on the outside of the pile ends up in the center.
As all of this matter starts to decompose you’ll end up with the “black gold” which is so good for all of your plants. This stuff will serve you better than any commercial fertilizer come spring!
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